"Ready?" Ruby asked, holding onto the straps of her backpack.
"You bet!"
Even though Yang was ready, and even though she was excited to go to school, she immediately yawned after answering the question. This whole 'getting up early' thing was kind of exhausting. Probably didn't help that they were out late last night getting ice cream...
"Daaaad! We're leaving!" Ruby yelled into the house while the two of them pulled on their shoes near the front door.
"And you're trying to escape without saying goodbye?" was shouted back to them.
"If we were, wouldn't we just run outside without saying anything?" Yang asked, stomping her left shoe onto her foot and standing up as their dad appeared in the entryway.
"You'd think," he replied before giving Ruby a hug and quick kiss on the head "But I didn't raise you to be that smart."
When Ruby giggled, Yang rolled her eyes.
"Thanks for dooming us to stupidity, Dad," she teased, reaching out to give him a hug. He gave her an extra tight squeeze this morning before kissing the top of her head and letting go.
"You're welcome, honey. Don't say I never did anything for you!"
Laughing at the joke, Ruby and Yang ran out the door while waving behind them. Their dad waved back to them as they reached the sidewalk, then headed inside and closed the door behind him.
"Thanks for getting ready early!" Ruby said as they walked the familiar path to school.
"No problem. Happy to do it!"
Even though Yang's response was genuine, Ruby immediately frowned.
"You're being weird. And don't say the 'new year, new me' thing again!"
Smiling to herself, Yang made a motion of zipping her lips and throwing the key at Ruby, who caught it with one hand before tossing it into the nearest garbage can.
"School's gonna be about fifty percent quieter now," Ruby teased before squealing and hopping off the sidewalk when Yang tried to tickle her sides.
"Why? You going home?" Yang retorted before sticking her tongue out.
"Hey! My teachers never put 'talks too much' on my report card!"
"Yes, but what do they put on your report card?" Yang asked, grinning when Ruby blushed at the memory.
"'Trips a lot.' But that was obviously a joke!"
"Uh huh..."
Gently bumping shoulders with Ruby, Yang let the joke drop when Vale High came into view.
"School looks strange this early," she remarked while they neared the sleepy building. The parking lot wasn't overflowing with cars. The sidewalks weren't crammed with students. The lights were on in only half of the classrooms. Was it actually the weekend and no one bothered to tell them?
Couldn't be, because a few other students trickled in here and there, and a couple of cars headed towards the parking lot while a pair of teachers walked into the building ahead of them. Thankfully, the two of them weren't the first ones here, but they certainly weren't racing in last like they used to.
Oh how the times had changed.
"I gotta go to the track," Ruby said as soon as they were inside. "See you at lunch?"
"You bet. Have a good day!" Yang called after Ruby as she hurried away at what could only be described as a run-walk. It was enough of a walk that she wouldn't get in trouble for running in the hall, but it was enough of a run that she was moving faster than anyone else.
Standing in the relatively-empty lobby, Yang watched a handful of other students rush towards the classrooms.
Were there things to do in the morning other than talking to friends, hanging out in the hall, or going to homeroom early to talk to the transfer student?
She doubted anyone but herself was doing that last one...
Gliding to her locker on autopilot, she left her gym clothes inside and picked out the books and supplies she'd need for the morning. Once prepared for the day, she rushed to her homeroom and literally crossed her fingers before opening the door.
And bless the stars was she lucky this morning! She half expected to be the first one here, but instead of finding an empty classroom, she found an almost empty classroom save for one person sitting at their desk. Doing what else, but reading again.
Grinning at the sight, Yang didn't hesitate in pulling over the extra chair and sitting down on the other side of Blake's desk.
"Good morning!"
Her smile was impossible to tone down to a moderate level right now. It was a little early to be beaming like she just ate a piece of the sun, but she was excited for the chance to talk to Blake again! Plus, Blake also seemed pretty pleased by Yang's sudden presence. At least, that's what Yang hoped that small smile meant.
"Good morning, Yang," Blake replied, again closing her book and setting it on the side of her desk. "You're here early."
"Ruby had a thing this morning, but yeah! I mean, I try to get here early. Sometimes." Quickly carrying on so she wouldn't have to elaborate, Yang pointed out, "But you're here early too! Any particular reason? Other than that's what the smart kids do?"
"Is coming to school early a requirement for being smart?" Blake asked in return, one brow arched in amusement.
"I dunno, is it? I only know that most of the smart kids are here first. I thought there was some unspoken rule or something."
Blake shook her head but smiled at Yang's observation.
"There isn't a manual, you know."
"Too bad...I'd love to swipe a copy. But I probably wouldn't understand it!"
"I wouldn't sell yourself so short."
"Oh, I don't. I lie about my height all the time."
When Blake laughed at the joke, her eyes sparkled happily at the same time. Yang didn't know what it was, but she really liked making Blake laugh. It was more rewarding than making anyone else laugh, and it made all these little butterflies flutter in her stomach...
"So have you considered joining a club sport?" Yang asked merely for the sake of making conversation.
"You mean like boxing?"
"That's one option," she replied with a cheerful laugh, hardly glancing away when a few other students walked into the classroom. "Obviously that's the best one, but there are plenty of other teams that are always looking for new members."
"Do you have a recommendation?" Blake asked, watching Yang intently for the answer.
"Uh, well, what are you good at?"
Leaning back in her seat with a shrug, Blake failed to notice the way Yang hung onto her every word.
"I've always been more academically inclined, so I've never considered playing a sport. Besides, if I join a club, I probably won't be able to read in the gym after school anymore. And I do enjoy that...but if you have a recommendation, I'll gladly hear it."
While Blake waited for a response, Yang opened her mouth and tried to come up with a solution. She also liked that Blake read in the gym after school, and she hadn't considered that another club would take that time away from them. Not that they spent that time together or anything, but it was nice to have someone to look at during practice. Not in a creepy way! In a totally normal way.
What if Blake joined another team and met someone super awesome? Some really cool people went to school here, so it wasn't like that couldn't happen. Then she'd probably spend all her free time hanging out with them and wouldn't watch boxing practice anymore. Maybe she'd stop coming to homeroom early, or hang out in their homeroom instead.
Why was Yang so worried about this?
"Slow-motion chess," she blurted out, suffering an immediate burst of embarrassment when she realized she had no idea what she just said. But Blake laughed again, so the dumb comment was worth it.
"There's a slow-motion chess club?" Blake asked. From the way her eyes sparkled with delight, she already knew it was made-up but went along with it for Yang's sake.
"Oh yeah. They're really good too. The only problem is we haven't seen them since they started that game three years ago."
When Blake actually giggled at the response, Yang laughed too - mostly because the sound was so freaking adorable, but also because she couldn't believe some ridiculous, made-up club was the reason.
"Or, ya know, just keep doing what you're doing," she concluded. "If you want to read in the gym after school, that's totally fine with me."
"Oh really?"
When Blake raised one brow, Yang instantly knew she'd put her foot dangerously close to her mouth.
"Y-yeah! I mean, not that you need my permission or anything," she rambled while searching for an exit to the current line of conversation. "Anyone's allowed to sit in the gym, but uh...will you eat lunch with us today?"
Luckily, the question removed the teasing expression from Blake's face and replaced it with a much more thoughtful one.
"You mean…"
"Me, Pyrrha, Ruby, and Weiss?" Yang clarified, although Blake's hesitation seemed to grow upon hearing the last name on the list.
"I'd like to, but I don't want to make it uncomfortable..."
"Naw - it'll be fine! But if you feel uncomfortable, we can always sit somewhere else."
"'We?'"
"You and me! I don't mind ditching my sister or best friend to have lunch with you. Besides, Pyrrha ditches me all the time for 'track stuff.'"
Leaning back in her seat, Yang made sure to say that last part extra loudly while smirking at Pyrrha, who'd just walked through the door.
"Oh hush. Like you've missed me one bit," Pyrrha replied.
"I've missed you greatly, Pyrrha!" Yang said, twisting in her seat while Pyrrha walked behind her. "So much! It's like a giant piece of my heart is missing when you're not around!"
Shaking her head and laughing, Pyrrha didn't respond while making her way through the rows of seats to the back of the class.
While Pyrrha unzipped her bag to pull out supplies for class, Yang turned back to Blake with a grin. At least, she thought she turned back to Blake but instead got a face full of…
"Neptune, what the -?"
"For you, my lady," Neptune said, waving the cards in her face until she finally caved and snatched them out of his hand. After shooting a glance at Blake - who was curious, to say the least - Yang tried to figure out what the heck she was holding.
"Invitations?" she asked while flipping through the small deck.
"Official invitations to all of this year's dances," he explained with a smug smile.
"What - how do you even know when the dances are?" she asked in dismay, only to be met by a pleased grin.
"I'm on the planning committee." Standing tall, he puffed out his chest at the admission. He was so proud of the accomplishment, Yang very nearly laughed.
"You're on the planning committee? Please tell me you didn't join just to pull this." When Yang held up the invitations, Neptune's grin widened.
"Yup! Well, that and there aren't any other boys on the committee, but a bunch of cute girls. I get to do all the lifting and stuff."
This time Yang did laugh when he flexed his relatively-nonexistent muscles.
"Good for you! I'm sure they could use your help. But, uh, for these, I'm going to say -"
"Nuh uh uh," Neptune cut her off mid-sentence. "You can't reply yes or no before the dates on the invitations."
Confused, Yang read the very fine print at the bottom of the cards and found that there were specific "reply only after" dates listed.
"I shall patiently await your answers." Bowing, Neptune shot Yang a wink before heading back to his seat to join his friends - who were all laughing at what he'd just done. Amazed and slightly amused by his most recent ploy, Yang stared after him before shaking her head and turning her full attention back to Blake.
"Sorry about that…"
"It's ok. You must get that a lot," Blake remarked, watching Neptune accept several pats on the back as congratulations for his...courage or something.
"Eh, not really." Tossing the invitations inside one of her notebooks, Yang shoved them into her backpack to be forgotten for now. "Mostly just from him."
"Are you saying he's the only one after your heart right now?"
As soon as Blake asked the question, Yang froze and stared - unsure of how to respond to a question like that.
"Uh...I mean...I guess so?" she got out, which only made Blake smile.
"I'm sure you're just not aware of the others," Blake replied, her eyes briefly meeting Yang's before moving away. "Like those girls watching your practice after school. I think any of them would be after you in a heartbeat."
"But they don't even talk to me!" Yang protested. "One of the requirements should be having at least one conversation with me."
"Noted," Blake said, her playful smile making Yang's heart do a little flip in her chest.
Unfortunately, Yang didn't have the opportunity to respond because Mr. Oobleck shot through the door at that moment. His feet might as well be on fire from how fast he walked across the room before dumping a stack of papers onto the desk, where some of them promptly fell off and scattered across the floor.
"Guess class is about to start," Yang mumbled as Penny jumped up to help pick up the papers. "I'll talk to you later?"
When Blake nodded, Yang put the extra chair back in its place and helped Penny gather the rest of the papers. Once they were returned to the top of the pile - in no particular order - Yang gave Blake a parting smile before heading to the other side of the room. Reaching her desk, she sat down with a huff and flipped open her notebook, disappointed that school was already starting.
"Is this going to be a new habit of yours?" Pyrrha whispered after Yang sat down. "It's quite a change from you running in after class starts."
"New year, Pyrrha," Yang whispered back, sticking with the company line she used with Ruby yesterday. "New me."
Even though it sounded good, the phrase wasn't entirely true. She didn't feel like a new person, but she was definitely feeling some new emotions she'd never experienced before. The idea that one person could get her out of bed and to school on time was utterly foreign to her. These were uncharted waters, for sure...
"Good morning, students!" Mr. Oobleck shouted to them before straightening his glasses and 'fixing' his tie by making it even more crooked. "A few announcements today -"
Picking up a pen like she might write something down, Yang instead tapped the tip against her blank notebook while staring at Blake.
How did Blake find the attention to listen to everything Mr. Oobleck said? Did she even understand what he was saying? Sometimes, he spoke so fast it was like listening to a movie on fast forward. At least, that's how Yang felt about it.
Or maybe...maybe Blake didn't pay attention. Maybe she only pretended to pay attention, and she was so good at it that no one could tell the difference. That was something Yang sucked at. She couldn't pretend to be interested. Either she was or she wasn't. Like with Neptune - sorry, but not interested. But with other people…
Jumping when the bell rang her out of her thoughts, she looked around for a second before realizing that homeroom had ended. As everyone collected their belongings and stood up, Blake turned and caught Yang's eyes. Instantly blushing, Yang couldn't help but feel that Blake knew she just spent the first fifteen minutes of school staring. Or maybe that was just her guilty conscience talking...
Most people would probably think the staring was a little weird, but Blake seemed pretty amused as she collected her belongings and left the room before Yang had even managed to get her pen and notebook back into her bag.
"What the rush?" Pyrrha asked while Yang scrambled to catch up.
"Nothin'! See ya later!" she called out, not waiting for a response as she zipped up her bag and raced out of the room.
Spotting Blake in the hall up ahead, Yang slipped between the students filling the corridor and quickly caught up to Blake's more leisurely pace. Unfortunately, a less-than-welcome guest reached Blake right before Yang did.
"Welcome to Vale High, nerd," the tall boy grumbled before purposefully bumping Blake's shoulder and knocking her neatly-stacked notebooks out of her hands. The moment they hit the floor, Yang clenched her teeth and stalked the boy down the hallway he'd ducked into.
"Cardin," she growled, pushing back against the fire building in her veins.
When he turned around and saw her, he groaned.
"Yeah, it's me," she said with a smile that wasn't at all well-intentioned. "And you know what you just did. If you do that again, I'm gonna break your nose, got it?"
Even though he scowled at her, his eyes told a different story. The two of them had gone back and forth for the past three years of school, and it was always the same thing - he acted tough but, when push came to shove, he was afraid of her.
"Whatever," he said, turning away.
Not one for being dismissed, Yang reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt. Worry flashed through his eyes when she dragged his face down to meet her gaze.
"I want to hear you say it," she said, keeping her tone light and jumpy - like this was just a normal conversation between friends. "I want to hear that big, beautiful mouth of yours say the words, Cardin."
When he did nothing but stare at her for a few seconds, she gave him a little shake - and he finally growled, "I won't mess with her again" through gritted teeth.
"Perfect!" she exclaimed, releasing her hold on his shirt. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
After backing safely out of her reach, he scowled.
"Someone will knock you off your high horse eventually."
"Well it sure as hell won't be you," she shot back while he skittered away. "Pansy…" she muttered under her breath before jogging back to the other hallway, reaching Blake just in time to scoop a stray pen off the ground and hand it back to her.
"Sorry about him," Yang said. "His parents paid for him to be here, so he thinks he's king of the school or something. But don't worry, he shouldn't mess with you again."
"It's ok," Blake replied calmly, brushing some dust off of her notebook before accepting her pen from Yang. "It happens. Doesn't bother me anymore."
"Well it bothers me!" Yang pressed, only now feeling her heart return to its normal pace. "It's not cool to be a jerk just because."
Straightening her shoulders and hugging her books to her chest, Blake looked into Yang's eyes and smiled.
"You like standing up for people, don't you?"
The question was unexpected given the circumstances, causing Yang to blink in surprise while trying to come up with a response.
"Uh...yeah, I guess?"
"Why?" Blake asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Uh…" Yang stalled while thinking of an answer, but that wasn't a question she'd ever thought about before. Why did she like standing up for people? She didn't know - it was just something she did. She'd done it for so long, she didn't even think about it anymore. Luckily, it was less confrontational now that she could convince people to be nice without punching them in the face. That kept her out of trouble too.
"I'm not really sure," she answered honestly, turning to follow Blake down the hall. "I started doing it because people were picking on Ruby. Once I started standing up for her, I realized other people needed someone to stand up for them too."
Unsure about the answer, she glanced at Blake to see if it was an okay response. It must have been, because Blake smiled at her warmly.
"Have you ever thought about how you could have changed someone's life? By sticking up for them?"
Yang thought about those questions with a furrowed brow.
"Honestly?" she said before shaking her head. "I haven't. I'm not trying to change anyone's life. Just trying to help."
When she gave Blake a small smile, the bell rang and students quickly emptied the hallway for the next class period. This situation was more familiar to Yang - far from her classroom when the bell had already rung. Fortunately, for the more school-oriented of the two of them, they'd reached Blake's class, so she wouldn't be late.
"I'll see you at lunch?" Yang asked, feeling a full smile return when Blake nodded. "Great! I'll see you later then!"
With another grin, Yang turned and hurried away. There was no point being late to class if she didn't have to be - not when she had this whole 'super on time' record going for her.
And she slipped into her seat right as the second bell rang, preserving her streak of punctuality for the foreseeable future.
It was only when the teacher started talking that she allowed her mind to stew over what Cardin had done - to Blake of all people. Blake was new here! That's probably what put her on his radar to begin with, but still - his behavior was unacceptable. It always had been.
The two of them had managed to get through three years without a major confrontation, but Yang always had this sneaky feeling that she wouldn't graduate without sending her knuckles into his nose at least once. Or maybe that was just a wish of hers…
Thankfully, Cardin's actions hadn't phased Blake one bit - which meant that he was extraordinarily lucky. If Yang sensed that Blake was even a fraction of an iota upset, he'd be in for a world of hurt. But Blake brushed it off as easily as the specks of dust on her notebook. No harm, no foul. Even though Yang was fully prepared to call both harm and foul, Blake had already moved past the incident.
Blinking when the classroom lights suddenly clicked off, Yang realized that they were going to watch a documentary during class. Score. Now she could daydream without worrying about being called on. Not that she normally worried about that…
And what did she have to daydream about? More like who did she have to daydream about…
The documentary was probably boring, but that didn't matter much when Blake was the only thing on Yang's mind. The same could be said for Yang's next class, and her next. Maybe they should change the name of the school to 'Blake High,' because that's all she seemed capable of thinking about today.
That sounded really weird, so scratch that idea.
Something else that was pretty weird? Yang made it to lunchtime without thinking about a single school topic besides Blake. The ultimate goal had been achieved - she was now impervious to teaching.
When the lunch bell finally rang, Yang practically skipped to the cafeteria with wings on her feet. Finding Pyrrha already seated at their table - but no Blake - Yang grabbed some food before rushing over to join her friend.
"Pyrrha Nikos," she said, using her best 'demanding' voice while sitting down. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
The question and tone made Pyrrha frown in confusion.
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, I don't know," Yang hemmed. "Maybe there's something important that you've never mentioned to me? Like, and I'm just saying this off the top of my head, but maybe a certain nickname that everyone's been calling me?"
Bursting into laughter at the question, Pyrrha waved one hand as if wiping away Yang's chagrin.
"Oh that," she said with a chuckle. "I thought you knew about that!"
"How would I know about it if people are using it behind my back?" Yang exclaimed.
"What're you guys talking about?" Ruby asked while setting her tray down, with Weiss following close behind.
"The 'Blonde Beauty of Vale High' just found out about her nickname," Pyrrha explained with a grin, the words making Weiss scoff while Ruby giggled.
"You all knew about this?" Yang asked in disbelief. "And none of you mentioned it?"
"I thought you knew!" Ruby replied. "I only hear it all the time. I figured you did too."
What was more embarrassing...the actual nickname or the fact that it had taken Yang three years to learn about it?
"You guys suck," she grumbled, earning another round of chuckles at her consternation.
But her pretend disgruntlement disappeared the instant she spotted Blake walking into the lunchroom with a group of late arrivals. Yang felt her pulse rising in anticipation of their next conversation, not knowing what it might be about but knowing she'd enjoy it regardless.
"I see you're staring again," Pyrrha commented after following Yang's gaze.
"I can't help it! She's so...confident. Nothing fazes her."
"And this just in - another public service announcement courtesy of Yang's massive crush," Pyrrha teased.
"What was that, Mrs. Arc?"
Instantly blushing, Pyrrha continued in a far more diplomatic tone, "I'm just saying...we've only been back a couple of days, but you haven't stopped talking about her."
Pyrrha was probably right. Yang's thoughts drifted to Blake a lot. It was that smile - like Blake knew something that she didn't. God, she loved that smile. She didn't even care that she had no idea what made Blake so amused. As long as she was the one on the receiving end of those smiles...she'd blissfully spend forever not knowing.
A disdainful huff pulled Yang out of her thoughts.
"I don't know what you could see in her," Weiss quipped, flipping her hair for good measure while Yang stared at the girl like she had three heads.
"What could I see in her? I dunno, she's gorgeous to start. And incredibly smart, funny, kind, confident -"
When Pyrrha started laughing, Yang's cheeks heated up in realization.
Yup. It was a crush. Dang, that had developed quickly.
Catching sight of Blake walking over to join them, Yang straightened in her seat and waved. When Blake reached the table, however, she hesitantly set her tray across from Yang while watching Weiss to gauge her reaction.
"Um...hello."
"Hey Blake, grab a seat," Yang said, pointing to the chair Blake was already about to pull out. While Blake sat down, Yang shot Weiss a look that said she'd better be nice. It was like asking a spoiled child to share their toys in the sandbox...
"Thank you," Blake replied while sitting down.
"So Blake…" Weiss began, the tone giving away the ulterior motives attached to whatever words were coming next. "What upper-level classes did you take at Menagerie?"
"Umm...world history, biology, chemistry, literature, calculus, and statistics."
Even though the list visibly surprised her, Weiss quickly regained her composure.
"Well, I've taken all of those too!" she retorted, making Yang shake her head.
"Chill out, Weiss. Why can't you admit that you're practically the same person? Except if you strip out the intelligence, Blake is sweet and kind while you're bossy and pompous."
From the way Weiss pursed her lips, it was easy to tell that she wanted to argue. But she knew that Yang had a whole assortment of examples to draw from - many of which she probably didn't want her sworn enemy to know about.
"But Weiss is super sweet too!" Ruby piped in before taking a big bite of her cookie. "She's also really generous and funny!"
While Yang rolled her eyes at the typical Ruby effusiveness, she didn't fail to notice that the compliments made Weiss blush ever so slightly.
"Thank you, Ruby," Weiss whispered. And Yang expected to see a self-satisfied smile, but instead Weiss smiled at Ruby with genuine gratitude before turning back to Blake.
"Have you chosen a topic for our physics project?"
"I was thinking about exploring skyscrapers and their resistance to wind and earthquakes."
"That sounds interesting," Weiss replied, glancing away and tapping two fingers on the tabletop as if the opposite was true. "If you haven't already chosen a partner, maybe I can work with you on that?"
After shooting Yang a surprised look, Blake turned to Weiss with a smile.
"Absolutely. I'd like that."
"Great," Weiss said before turning back to her tray and picking up her food. "Can't let you get a better grade than me, after all. This way, we'll get the same grade."
Grinning across the table, Yang was both pleasantly surprised and super impressed that Weiss just did something nice and inclusive. Of course, now she refused to make eye contact and accept the acknowledgment - like she normally did whenever she did something she knew Yang would appreciate.
Which didn't happen all that often! But, understanding that Weiss was embarrassed or...something...about being a nice person, Yang didn't comment on the civil gesture. Instead, she let it slide past and changed the subject.
"So Ruby, what do you think about that new water fountain on the second floor?" she asked, knowing that any question would launch Ruby into a slew of unrelated, but entertaining, tangents.
Seriously, one of Ruby's teachers had to comment on her talking too. Otherwise, Yang would never live that little remark down.
"Oh my god. So I got to school the other day and I was walking around looking for my math class. They moved the math classes this year, you see," Ruby explained to Blake before continuing. "And the hallways are soooo longgg that I got thirsty just walking from one side to the other! It's like a freaking desert up there!"
"Uh huh…" Yang commented, taking a bite of her lunch and grinning at Blake.
"Have you guys ever wondered what it'd be like to live in a desert?" Ruby continued without pause, forgetting the water fountain entirely. "Like how hot is it really?"
"Depends on where you are," Weiss commented absentmindedly. "Depending on the location and time of year, it can easily get into the triple digits."
Ruby stared at Weiss for several seconds before grinning.
"Why do we have a triple jump but not like...a fripple jump?"
The question made Pyrrha nearly snort out her drink in surprise.
"And what exactly would a fripple jump be?" she asked after coughing into her hand.
"Four jumps!" Ruby replied before her brow creased. "Isn't that what we call four of something?"
"Yup!" Yang answered before anyone else could. "It goes double, triple, fripple, for sure."
"Thought so." When Ruby nodded at the confirmation, Yang glanced across the table and caught an amused grin from Blake and an expression of disdain from Weiss.
"I have a twin in one of my classes," Ruby continued without fail. "Not my twin but like...half of a twin set. You know. I thought they always got the same schedules so they wouldn't be separated, but then I talked to him and he told me a whole bunch of cool twin things!"
Laughing while Ruby rambled on, Yang ate the rest of her lunch while throwing glances across the table every other second. Every time she looked up, she caught Blake's gaze and smiled.
It was an awesome, awesome lunch.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end...and lunch did when the bell blared obnoxiously, and students began emptying their trays and heading off to class.
"See ya guys!" Ruby said with a wave before walking off with Weiss, who was probably seconds away from explaining all the things Ruby got wrong over lunch. And, after prodding Yang towards Blake, Pyrrha walked away with a "Need to get something from my locker!" excuse.
Real smooth, Pyrrha.
But it suited Yang just fine - she and Blake emptied their trays and headed towards the spot where they'd part ways.
"So I'll see you after school?" Yang asked.
"Oh...actually, I have to go home early today," Blake explained, her expression one of regret.
"Ah." Nodding once, Yang tried not to let her disappointment show. "Then I'll see you...next week I guess."
"Yeah...sorry, my parents are dragging me to a wedding. We need to leave this afternoon."
The explanation wasn't necessary, but Yang felt better knowing that it was a family obligation keeping them apart and not Blake's decision to leave early.
"Hey, no problem. I hope you have a great time!" Yang replied with a grin. And she'd already partially turned away when Blake asked, "What about you?"
Turning back, Yang smiled.
"I'll be hanging out with Ruby. Maybe do some homework or help my dad out around the house. Depends on how motivated I'm feeling."
When Blake nodded, her eyes drifted around the rapidly-emptying room. It felt like she was stalling, but then again, that was probably just Yang's wishful thinking.
"I hope you have a great time, too," she finally said, meeting Yang's eyes one last time. "I'll see you on Monday."
"Yeah, you too!"
This time Yang was able to turn and hurry towards her next class, only having a minute or so to make it there in time. Still, she threw a glance over her shoulder and caught Blake's eyes right before the girl disappeared down a separate hallway.
God, she wished that it wasn't Friday.
And that was the first time she'd ever wished that.