Chapter 8: Vacation Time!

Krista dragged her luggage over to the coach bus, looking for Ymir. The tall girl had yet to make an appearance, and Krista was worried she'd miss the boarding of the bus. Sure, it was rather early in the morning, but Ymir had promised to come and she knew if she didn't uphold that promise Krista would annoy her until graduation.

So, when she finally did spot her, she greeted Ymir with a bright smile and a tight hug. The brunette pinked, not used to such affectionate and intimate public displays. In order to regain her cool, she gently pushed the blonde off of her. Krista noticed she was panting slightly and appeared flushed.

"Did you run here?" she asked.

"Yeah. I woke up late, but luckily I packed last night after you called," Ymir answered, swinging her sports bag. Krista looked at her luggage and back at Ymir's bag. The blonde's was substantially bigger than her friend and she asked her about it. Ymir shrugged and smirked.

"It's just for two weeks. What, do you have a different outfit for every day, princess?" she teased. Krista frowned and was about to retort when someone called her name. She turned around to meet Sasha, who had taken to dragging Mikasa. Mikasa was also dragging Eren, who in turn dragged Armin with him. It was quite comical, since Sasha ran straight into another student and caused everyone to collapse. She quickly got to her feet, rushing to Krista with her huge backpack.

"Krista! Glad you could make it!" Sasha exclaimed happily.

"Hey, Sasha? Why do you have such a large bag?" Krista asked.

"It's for food, silly!" Sasha chirped.

"You do realize they'll be feeding us breakfast and dinner, right?" Ymir deadpanned.

"But what about in between?! I'll starve before they give us our next meal!" Sasha whined. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she turned to Ymir. "You!"

"What about me?" Ymir grumbled, crossing her arms.

Sasha gaped. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened and closed again. She turned to Mikasa and asked her to slap the back of her head, to which the black-haired girl eagerly complied. Rubbing her head thoughtfully, her expression shifted to joy and she laughed, hugging both Ymir and Krista. "This is great!"

"Hey! Let go of me, moron!" Ymir complained.

"Stop being rude and just enjoy the hug, Ymir!" Krista snapped. Ymir grimaced and her expression remained sour until Sasha let go of her. The other students around them stared in awe at Krista, who blushed at the attention and tugged on Ymir's sleeve. They weren't wearing uniforms, just their casual wear. Many of the girls, including Krista, wore short skirts. However, Krista decided to wear a light black vest over a white tank top. Others, like Ymir, simply opted for jeans and a shirt, but Ymir's was black and she wore an unzipped light hoodie over it.

"Alright, you maggots!" Keith shouted. "It's time to board the bus. We have enough students to comfortably fill three buses, but the Scouting Legion will be riding separately in their own van for technical purposes, along with principal Erwin. Due to an uneven number between genders, we have generously decided to allow you to pick the bus of your choosing. Stop cheering! There are ninety of you, thirty allowed on each bus, so make sure to pick wisely, since there is no second choice. This will be the same bus you take back to school. The extra seats will be for punishment purposes and for teachers."

Sasha clapped at the end of the announcement and Keith glared at her. She squeaked and hid behind Mikasa, who sighed and turned to Eren for help. He shrugged and grinned, elbowing Armin. Armin understood the joke and laughed with his friend, ignoring Mikasa's blank expression.

"Also, if you happen to be on my bus, let it be known that any food I find will be swiftly eaten by me, and I will not reimburse your products."

"Well, let's get going," Ymir muttered, grabbing Krista's wrist and dragging her to a bus. Krista smiled at Ymir's enthusiasm and allowed the taller girl to grab her luggage and throw it in the storage compartment, along with her sports bag. They climbed on board and took a seat in the middle. Ymir immediately reclined her seat and leaned back, sighing and closing her eyes. Krista giggled and looked down the aisle way to see Sasha and Mikasa, as well as Eren and Armin, climbing on. Sasha noticed her and her eyes lit up, walking quickly to the paired seating beside her and taking the side closest to the aisle, like the blonde. Mikasa sat at the window and motioned for Eren and Armin to sit in front of her, the brown-haired boy sitting at the window and Armin taking the aisle seat.

Connie and Annie boarded as well, Connie sitting in front of Krista. Annie decided to take a seat in the front in order to avoid Mikasa and Eren, though she did catch Krista's eye and offered a small smile in greeting. Other students piled in, and a boy named Tomas sat next to Connie. He noticed Ymir and swallowed nervously.

Connie pretended to ignore Ymir's presence, offering a greeting to his friends and turning around to face the front. After the maximum number of students entered the bus, two teachers boarded. Sasha wailed in despair while Eren grit his teeth in frustration; Keith and Levi smirked.

"Alright you piles of meat, here's how it's going to happen: you will chatter, not shout. You will stay seated at all times, and you will absolutely not eat a single piece of edible anything for the entire duration of the ride. Failure to comply with these rules will mean you have to spend the rest of your ride away from your friends and next to delightful, old me instead. Got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"What Keith forgot to mention," Levi added, "is that the number of this bus is '104'. I don't care how you do it, just remember it." Both teachers took a seat in different locations: Keith in the front and Levi in the back. Keith gave Sasha a warning look while Levi playfully flicked Eren's forehead on the way. Mikasa glared at the back of the short teacher's head, but otherwise remained still.

Krista turned to Ymir, grin fading at her sleeping form. "Aw, Ymir, why are you sleeping? The bus ride is always fun!"

"'m tired. Go 'way," Ymir mumbled, turning on her side and facing the window. Krista raised an eyebrow at her behaviour but shrugged, turning to Sasha and chattering excitedly about the trip. Ymir remained still, eyes lidded and watching Krista through the window's reflection.

"This is boring."

"Yeah, I know."

"Man, I wish I was on the same bus as Miss Hanji and Mister Mike. They're fun teachers."

"Same; I only came here 'cause I thought Ymir was gonna start something and entertain us."

"No way, not with Krista tightening her leash like some sort of dog. She's totally whipped."

"In a way, I'm sort of jealous. I wish a girl like Krista would give me that kind of attention."

"Why would anyone give a guy like you attention at all? You're a moron!"

Such were the conversations at the back of the bus. The boys laughed boisterously until they were harshly shushed by Levi. He was sitting across a paired seating, novel in one hand and the other hand holding a soft drink. Levi slurped noisily and students around him gave annoyed looks, but didn't voice a complaint.

Tomas was part of the group of boys, having moved away from Connie when he could no longer take Ymir's presence. She unnerved him greatly, since he had heard the nasty rumours surrounding her cruelty and mean streak. Watching her doze was like watching a lion crouch before pouncing. He opted to join his other friends and forced Dazz to sit in his place instead. The boy was shivering in fear but appeared comforted by Krista's presence.

Tomas preferred the company of his friends, since they made him feel like he belonged and had a place to be. He had a reason with these boys. Nack, Milius and Samuel were cool dudes, Tomas thought, leaning back with his arms behind his head.

"Why does Krista hang around Ymir anyway? Isn't it dangerous for her?" Tomas remarked airily, not expecting a response.

"You know, I think he's onto something."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah! Why should Ymir have Krista all to herself? We're great guys! We can show her a good time!"

"I'm not sure that's a good idea. Remember those three guys who tried to 'show her a good time'? I heard that Jean, Eren and Marco were on their cases like moths to light. Imagine what Ymir would do to us if we stole Krista away from her."

"We don't need to 'steal' Krista away from Ymir. We just need to push them apart."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, the only reason Ymir hasn't threatened, hurt or killed anyone yet is mainly because of Krista's influence. What would she do if that was gone?"

"You have a point, but I'm not going to be satisfied with the way things are now. Krista needs to be kept away from dangerous people like Ymir. She's too sweet and kind for her negative influence."

"Whatever you say."

Levi was too absorbed in his novel to pay attention to what they were saying, and thus had missed the opportunity to set them straight and prevent a catastrophe. Tomas hesitated, not sure what to do with the way the conversation was going. His little comment had caused an evil plot to brew between his comrades, and Tomas could only pray that they wouldn't do too much damage to the girls' relationship. He may not have liked Ymir very much, but he was not so cruel as to wish immense emotional, mental or physical harm onto another human being. However, even he couldn't resist peer pressure and failed to protest to their plans.

"Ninety-nine bottles of pop on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of pop! Take one down, pass it around, ninety-eight bottles of pop on the wall!"

Ymir's eye twitched at the incessant singing going around the bus. Keith was asleep, Levi was being a lazy ass and reading, and Krista's high-pitched voice was driving her up the wall. She pressed her palms to her ears and grit her teeth, eyes widening and twitching. Krista clapped her hands to the song, along with Sasha, and many other students, such as Eren, Connie and Armin, were singing with them. Their voices were horrible, off-key and squeaky, but that didn't prevent them from having a good time.

For the fifth time in a row.

"Eighty-seven bottles of pop on the wall, eighty-seven bottles of pop! Take one down, pass it around, eighty-six bottles of pop on the wall!"

A growl made its way up her throat and she was ready to strangle Krista and throw her out the window. Ymir glanced at Mikasa, who seemed to ignore the singing, but when she looked closer, she saw a yellow ear bud placed comfortably in her visible ear.

"Lucky bitch," Ymir muttered.

"What was that?" Krista asked, ceasing her singing and facing Ymir. Ymir put on a shaky grin and was about to shout her aggravation when the song stopped all of a sudden. Sasha had her arms raised up, upper body over the seat and staring at the back of Keith's head. She suddenly squealed and pulled out a tin foil lump from her pocket.

"You have got to be kidding me," Ymir deadpanned.

"I think she's serious, Ymir," Krista whispered nervously, glancing at Keith.

Eren, Armin and Connie watched with wide eyes as Sasha unwrapped the tin noisily, crunching it into a ball. A steamy, boiled potato laid within, and Sasha nearly moaned in pleasure when its scent wafted through the air. She bit into it eagerly, munching quickly. She dropped the ball of tin on the floor, and it rolled down. Connie cursed, reaching out to grab it, but missed. The ball rolled with the bus' movements until it finally reached Keith's seat. By then, the bus had narrowly avoided driving into a ditch and tossed the teacher out of his sleeping position.

Keith grumbled as he came to, but narrowed his eyes at the ball of tin. He pinched it between his fingers and sat up, looking behind him to investigate. He saw a peak of hair over a seat, and realized that someone was ducking their head from his vision. Why would that be? he wondered. He noticed that Sasha was not to be seen and grinned evilly, crushing the tin ball in his hand and walking up the aisle. Eren and Armin hugged each other in fear, Annie watched with interest, Connie cowered and Krista clutched Ymir's arm, offering her condolences to Sasha in her prayers.

Keith stood beside the paired seat of Sasha and Mikasa, watching with disgust as the short girl stuffed a boiled potato into her mouth. Mikasa saw his reflection and turned around, unplugging her noise-cancelling ear buds. When she saw what Sasha was doing, she put them back in and stared out the window again.

Keith took the hungry girl by her collar and dragged her back to his seat, throwing her at the window. She continued to eat her potato, unaffected by Keith's intimidation. When she finally finished, she sighed in relief. She looked at Keith and paled, finally realizing her situation. Keith crossed his arms.

"Give me your sweater," he ordered.

"But I'm cold!" Sasha whined.

"YOUR SWEATER. GIVE IT TO ME!" he roared.

Sasha flinched and hurriedly complied, giving him her sweater. Keith flipped it upside down and watched the treats pile onto his seat. His expression was blank as he dumped all of Sasha's hidden snacks. Soon enough, all that was left was a tiny bread crumb and the pile had reached the head of the seat. He threw her the sweater and put his hand out.

"Whatever is in your pockets, I want it."

Sasha nodded and pulled out packets of pocky, gum, chocolate, rock candy, sour candy and gummies. The other students observed in awe, amazement and wonder as the pile of treats continued to grow. Sasha had hidden everything in her front pockets, back pockets, and even little compartments in her belt. Finally, Sasha had nothing left. Keith nodded with satisfaction. He grabbed an armful of snacks, sat in front of Sasha, facing her, and unwrapped every single one, shoving them into his mouth. Sasha, horrified, could do nothing but watch her teacher eat her precious stash of treats she'd been saving specifically for the bus ride. Of course, she had more in her backpack, but now she would suffer the rest of the ride in hunger.

It was the worst day of her life.

Finally, the buses pulled into the driveway overseeing the entrance of the living area of the resort. The welcoming sign read: 'Welcome to Colossal Resort - Where Having Fun is a GIANT Blast!' There was a van already there, and Krista leaned across Ymir and waved excitedly out her window when Jean came into view. He was carrying his guitar case and looked annoyed, but when he saw his friends at the window he smiled and waved as well. He called out behind him and the rest of the band showed up, laughing and waving.

Ymir pushed Krista off of her, giving her an annoyed look before nodding her head to the front of the bus. Krista followed her instruction and watched Keith stand up, appearing dizzy and sick. He looked ready to say something, but his cheeks puffed up suddenly and he gagged. He grabbed his stomach and yelled at the bus driver to open the door. The students watched their normally intimidating teacher run away from the bus and into a public restroom. His retching could be heard clearly.

Sasha sighed in disappointment, but walked back to her seat next to Mikasa. She deflated at the black-haired girl's smugly blank expression, but perked up slightly when she patted her head. Armin and Eren giggled like school girls at the interaction between Mikasa and Sasha, making heart shapes with their hands. Mikasa's brow twitched but she kept her face clear of emotion.

Levi sighed and walked to the front of the bus, tucking his novel into his satchel. He turned his bored eyes to the students and his lips twitched upwards slightly.

"What I say now is important, so listen up. This is the only free vacation you'll ever get from the school, and even then, we still have tight rules around the proceedings. Do not break them, because we have no problem sending you back home by cab. You are all responsible young adults, I hope, and you better behave according to our expectations. First, I'll hand out the schedules for the trip. Yes, you are required to follow them, since this trip is supposed to be somewhat educational. Don't ask why, I don't know the goddamn answer, okay?

"When you get off the bus, you will grab your stuff and head to the mess hall. You will then eat breakfast. After, we'll have a formal assembly after you eat and we'll split you into activity groups. At the moment, they're permanent, but if problems arise then we will take appropriate action to change things. This group will be your 'buddy system', essentially. You will do activities together as a team. You will also live together in the same room for the two weeks we're here. Speaking of the dorm rooms, after grouping, you will grab your luggage and dump it in the room we assign you to.

"There is one room for four people, and the rooms are all in one 'dorm', so to speak. Both dorms are separated by gender. If I, or any other teacher, see one fucking person crossing where they aren't supposed to, you're going back home in the morning. Just like that. So watch what you do, and if you do try anything, don't get caught like a moron. The rest of this shit should be on your schedules, so just check it out while you eat or something. Now get out of here already, you're all eyesores."

The teens eagerly stood and stepped off the bus, but Ymir held Krista back and waited until they were last before standing. Krista gave her a questioning look but Ymir simply sighed, shrugging. She looked out the window and Krista followed her gaze, nodding in understanding when she saw the students piling up on top of each other in search of their luggage.

"I think you saved my life, Ymir."

"Then you owe me, squirt. Let's get off of this thing and watch these idiots wrestle."

Krista sighed at Ymir's insult to their classmates but followed her off the bus, standing off to the side. When the flow of students was regulated somewhat, Ymir walked in and retrieved their luggage, tossing Krista's to her. Krista struggled but eventually managed to set her luggage properly to drag it by the handle. Ymir followed behind her, almost lazily, and they checked their schedules to try and figure out what they had to do for today. Ymir matched her pace with Krista, and the little blonde smiled up at her before pressing to her side.

They walked up to the mess hall and entered. Ymir couldn't say she was surprised when Krista had forced her to join Sasha's table. The girl was already eating from the food available on the wooden surface. Ymir sat at the end of the bench, in front Annie, who pointedly ignored her. Next to Annie was Reiner, then Bertholdt, Marco, Jean and finally Connie. In front of Connie was Armin, then Eren, Mikasa, Sasha, Krista and ending with Ymir. Reiner pretended not to notice Ymir while Bertholdt smiled apologetically before turning to Marco for conversation. Ymir rolled her eyes and wondered at the nature of true friends before turning to Krista, hiding a smile in her palm.

The students offered their thanks before digging into the delicious breakfast. It was only a matter of time the students pulled out their schedules and inspected them, per Levi's orders. The schedule mentioned that breakfast was a mandatory event every day at 09:00 sharp. Krista figured it was for the announcements at the beginning of each day. Their dinner was at 21:00 and their curfew at 22:00, however it said that lunch was to be provided by the students themselves. Those who brought money to spend lucked out, it seemed. Roll call was a must as well, once at 10:00 sharp and another at 22:00, just before bed.

"Attention!"

All eyes turned to the elevated platform at the front of the mess hall. A man with neatly combed blond hair stood straight, arms behind his back. This man was the principal of Rose Academy: Erwin Smith. On his right was Levi, Keith, who still looked a little sick, and Petra. On his left was Hanji, Mike and another teacher named Auruo. This man had a strange tendency to bite his tongue while he spoke, and so resigned mainly to visual methods of teaching.

"First, I'd like to thank you all for performing wonderfully on your exams and taking time to come here. However, try not to get too cocky; we did pay for your trip, after all."

The student body erupted in laughter and the adults smiled wryly.

"This is your reward for representing Rose Academy so well, we hope you'll enjoy it and treasure it fondly as a memorable trip. Levi and Hanji will explain the proceedings for today, as well as announce the groups, and they will stay if you have any other questions after the session. Enjoy your breakfast." And with that, Erwin left, every teacher but the aforementioned following him. Levi nodded to Hanji and the woman smiled brightly, adjusting her glasses.

"Hey guys! I just wanna add onto what principal Erwin said by saying that I'm glad to be here, and I hope we can all cooperate together for a great time! After we assign your groups, your first assignment for today will be to unpack your things at the dorm and try to get to know each other better until 12:40, then we want you all at the front of your dorms for roll call at 13:00. Keith will be most happy to welcome the boys and I will be there for the girls."

Levi put his hand on her shoulder to show he was going next. She smiled at him and nodded. "After roll call, you will have exactly six hours and thirty minutes of free time, with your group, to explore the resort and make a plan of the things you'd like to do. Of course, it's just for today, and you can go on your own or with your friends tomorrow. Maybe you want to go to the water park, or the beach, or the arcade. I don't know, just make sure you don't forget anything. If you wanna swim or play, fine, but I want all of your asses here by 20:40. Then we'll have dinner, roll call and after that you go to sleep. And you will sleep; we have set up surveillance routines to watch your every. Single. Damn. Move. So don't think it'll be easy to get away with anything after curfew.

"In your dorm rooms there will be four pass cards and bracelets to allow you entry into the resort and water park. Make sure you get them, and if anything's missing or you have trouble, come to either me or Hanji immediately. We want all of you to have a good time, believe it or not. Now, Hanji will announce the girls' teams while I announce the boys after her."

Krista turned to Ymir and smiled. "I hope we're on the same team," Krista said hopefully.

"Sure, doesn't matter to me," Ymir responded carelessly. Krista rolled her eyes.

"First team! Ymir, Krista, Mina and Hannah! Your room number is room three!" Hanji announced. Ymir banged her head against the table. It was just her luck, she thought, that she ended up with Mina, her biggest hater, and Hannah, the other half of the most annoying couple in the school. Sure, she was glad she was with Krista (and if her wide smile was any indication she was too), but those other two could cause some serious problems for Ymir due to her temper and impatience. She had a sneaking suspicion that it was done purposefully by Erwin: the man had an aggravating habit of interfering.

Hanji continued calling out names and when Mikasa's name was mentioned, Krista perked her ears.

"Mikasa, Sasha, Jane and Annie, you're group ten! Room four!"

Krista gasped and Ymir smirked, chuckling. Mikasa and Annie in the same dorm room?

This was sure to be entertaining, Ymir thought wryly.

Students who finished their meals stood and left, meeting with their groups and heading to their rooms. Ymir stood as well, following Krista with her sports bag. Krista looks happy, the little shit, Ymir thought grouchily. She skipped and pulled her luggage along, not a care in the world. However, inside of Krista, feelings of apprehension and worry brewed. Mina was in their room, and she was already established as one of the people against Ymir. Krista knew it was only a matter of time before things escalated between them and Ymir eventually acted. Why weren't they placed with Mikasa and Sasha? And what was Mikasa doing in the same room as Annie? Was this all planned beforehand? Krista thought that the teachers were trying to get enemies to get along, but what they didn't know is that they had just lit the fuse for many troubles in the near future.

The two girls reached their room before their teammates. Ymir turned the knob and they entered, marvelling at the inside. Krista looked back and smiled at Mikasa and Sasha, who had luckily received the room across theirs. Sasha waved but was abruptly cut off by Ymir slamming the door.

"Ymir!"

"What? She was annoying me."

"She wasn't even waving at you! She was waving at me."

"Whatever."

Krista grinned at her victory and examined her new home for the next two weeks. It was Spartan-like, with little decorations. There was a window that opened to a screen on the wall facing the door, and a sofa underneath it. The left wall adjacent to the entrance was where the beds were. However, there were only two beds, but they were large enough to have space between two occupants. In between the beds was a night table and a lamp. Under and against the beds, on each side, was a pair of drawers for the belongings of the occupants. On the right wall adjacent to the entrance was the bathroom, which held a shower, a sink, a mirror and a toilet. There was a table beside the bathroom door, on which were the items Levi spoke of.

Krista jumped on the bed closest to the room entrance while Ymir grabbed the passes and bracelets they both needed, tossing the ones that belonged to Krista to her. The blonde received them to her head and briefly complained before the door swung open and Mina and Hannah walked in, conversation stopping abruptly. Mina glared at Ymir but smiled at Krista, sitting beside her and greeting her. Krista sat up and frowned, but returned the greeting and called out to Hannah. Ymir rolled her eyes and walked to the bed closest to the window, claiming the drawers on the same end. She started to unpack her things, messily folded clothes shoved into the compartments. Ymir already decided she was going to share a bed with Krista, since she couldn't stand Hannah and Mina was most likely going to strangle her in her sleep.

She heard the bed creak in front of her and looked up from her kneeling position to see Krista smiling down at her. The blonde then noticed the messy way in which Ymir folded her clothes and clicked her tongue, sliding to Ymir's side. She gently took the clothes out and folded them properly, Ymir watching her. The brunette felt a strange sense of comfort, watching her friend fold her clothes for her and place them neatly in the drawer. It was like Krista was taking care of her, and it made the tall girl feel warm deep in her chest.

"...that it?"

Ymir blinked and asked Krista to repeat what she said, scowling at the giggle.

"I said: is that it? Do you have any other clothes to put away?"

Ymir shook her head and stood up, throwing her bag in the corner of the bed and wall. She grabbed her wallet though and stuck it in her back pocket. Krista nodded and moved to her side of the bed, silently taking Ymir's wordless offer of sharing a bed. They were comfortable with each other now and they knew how to read each other well enough that sometimes they didn't even need to communicate their desires, feelings or thoughts. It was a rare form of friendship, the kind that appeared in movies or books, and sometimes never heard of in real life.

Ymir watched as Krista unpacked her things, placing them in her storage compartments. Her eyes then shifted to Hannah and Mina, who were chattering noisily as they cluttered their drawers with large stacks of clothing. It wasn't practical, nor was it necessary. It was simply what they wanted, and Ymir hated that. Though her desires always came first, practicality had come a long way in her survival in the world, and it was an unspoken rule that when it came down to it, it was better to be practical than fashionable.

The brunette followed the blonde, who had finished unpacking her clothing, into the bathroom with their hygienic tools. The sink was actually built in a vanity with four drawers on each corner and a cabinet for cleaning equipment and easy access to the pipes. Ymir claimed the top left drawer, throwing her comb, shampoo and other such items in. Krista took the one under hers and they both placed their toothbrushes on the left side of the sink. Krista had brought a toothpaste tube while Ymir had forgotten hers, something the blonde enjoyed teasing the brunette about.

Mina and Hannah waited until the two were out before taking their turn and organizing their things. Ymir lied back on the bed, shaking her sneakers off, while Krista rested her back against the headboard, feet also devoid of shoes.

"So we have to wait until 12:40 exactly?" Krista asked.

Ymir chanced a glance at the clock beside the window. "Yep. That's a good hour and a half from now. Oh god kill me before I have to deal with those two morons," Ymir complained, ignoring the kick to her ribs.

"Ymir! Be nice!" Krista snapped, frowning. Ymir turned on her side and ignored the additional kick to her lower back, grumbling under her breath. Krista sighed, turning away as well and closing her eyes in thought. She may not have been a big fan of Mina but at least she was willing to get along with the girl. She was nice, really, but her resentment towards Ymir was a deal breaker in Krista's eyes. They could like each other, but they were not going to be close friends any time soon. Reiner was an exception, since he had a bad history with Ymir. Speaking of bad history...

"Hey, Ymir."

A grunt answered her.

"Are you…" Krista hesitated, before deciding to plunge in. It was all or nothing. "Are you ever going to tell me about your past? With Berik and Reiner?"

Ymir turned around so fast Krista didn't even hear the springs squeak, hearing her own voice instead coming out nervous before Ymir's hard gaze. The brunette's expression was blank and her eyes calculating, testing Krista. The blonde swallowed nervously and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, frowning worriedly.

"Are you–"

"Don't ask me that again," Ymir interrupted sharply.

"What?"

"I said: don't ask me about my past again. That's none of your damn business, so keep out of it."

Krista's lip trembled but she pulled it into her mouth. "Why not? We're friends, aren't we?" Krista argued defiantly, crossing her arms.

"I don't care if you're my friend or not; my business is exactly what it sounds like, MY business!"

Krista nodded and looked down sadly, playing with the hem of her shirt. Ymir sighed and rolled her eyes, turning to face the window again. Mina and Hannah came out just then and sat on their bed, talking about boys and Franz, Hannah's obnoxious boyfriend, and the trip, and boys, and the food, and boys.

"Will you please shut the fuck up?" Ymir shouted.

The girls jumped, including Krista, and all but the little blonde glared at the brunette. However, when faced with Ymir's icy stare, Hannah looked away in fear while Mina leaned back slightly. Krista tugged on her sleeve, frowning, but Ymir was simply too annoyed to listen to what she had to say.

"I swear, the minute you girls walked in, you've been speaking non-stop. Not all of us like to talk about boys or whatever the fuck you girls were chattering about. It's beyond obnoxious and it pisses me off like you wouldn't believe. If we're going to get along for the next two weeks, you either need to learn how to fucking whisper or to just shut the hell up. If not, heads will be rolling." And with that Ymir put on her shoes and went to the door and slammed it open, stomping out.

Mina and Hannah gaped while Krista scrambled to follow Ymir, offering a hurried apology on the way out. The blonde rushed down the hall, muttering excuses to the other students. She stepped out of the girls' dorm and whirled around, trying to find Ymir. The mess hall was between the boys and girls, and the entrance to the other facilities of the resort were past the girls' dorm and down a wide road.

Krista ran down the road, looking for the tall brunette. She couldn't have gone far, Krista thought, she must be somewhere around here. And she was, however it was not with joy and relief that Krista greeted Ymir, but with anger and fury. Ymir was picking up a boy from his collar, and Krista vaguely recognized it to be Nack Teaz from Miss Hanji's class. The boy had a look of absolute terror, trembling under Ymir's fists. Ymir's clothes were slightly scuffed, meaning the boy had toppled her over on accident and Ymir was overreacting, again.

"Ymir! Put Nack down right now!" Krista ordered, stomping next to her.

Ymir grit her teeth but complied, releasing her hold and allowing Nack to fall on his behind. The boy thanked Krista profusely, sprinting away to the boys' dorm, most likely to change his clothes. Krista tried to make eye contact with Ymir but the taller girl was looking up at the blue sky instead, ignoring Krista.

"You overreacted, you know," Krista commented.

"..."

"You shouldn't have yelled at Mina and Hannah. They were just excited, you had no right to tell them to behave in a way you want them to."

"Are you serious? You think I care about what you say when you 'scold' me? I hate to break it to ya, but I don't, so stop treating me like a kid, you brat, and learn that this is my way of dealing with things. You should've realized this the minute you became best friends with me. I'm not gonna change into some goddamn angel just 'cause you tell me to, got it?"

Krista simply smiled. "We're best friends?"

Ymir rolled her eyes and turned away, muttering something about 'selective hearing' and 'bipolar tendencies'. "Yeah, now leave me alone."

Krista shook her head. "No, we are going back to the room and you will apologize to Mina and Hannah. We have to try and get along for two weeks, Ymir, and you cussing them out isn't going to help us."

Ymir scoffed and faced Krista with a smirk. "Fine, I'll go back, but I'm not apologizing. I don't think I was wrong when I spoke my mind."

"You're so difficult!"

"Not everything in life is easy, princess. I certainly don't have butlers and maids waiting on my every whim like you do."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, let's go back."

Krista watched Ymir walk away with apprehension, clutching the cloth above her heart tightly. Something didn't sit right with the way Ymir said the princess comments. It was like she knew, but wasn't willing to admit it. Like she was waiting for Krista to confess her true identity.

"It's your call, Historia Reiss."

The memory came to Krista with a jolt and she shook it away, catching up to Ymir and walking beside her.

No, she was simply imagining things, that's all.

12:40 came later than Ymir would have liked, having been forced to endure the bonding process between the other three girls. She kept to herself, laying on the bed, while the other three chatted on the sofa. Occasionally, Ymir would throw in a negative comment to piss them off, but did nothing else otherwise. At some point, they had heard a crash noise from across the hall, and when Ymir left to inspect it, she only found Sasha waving at her from the door frame. It made Ymir slam the door again, scowling.

When the call for students to get out of the dorms came by, Ymir happily walked out, waiting for Krista to join her before dragging her out the dorms. Krista pulled on her arm and made the brunette wait for their other teammates before continuing. They came to a stop in front of the dorms and were welcomed by Hanji, who stood with a clipboard in hand.

Ymir stood next to Krista and slouched. This was boring, incredibly so, but it was better than listening to their mindless gossip and babble. Soon enough, all the girls appeared, but Annie and Mikasa were glaring at each other so fiercely that Sasha had to step in between to prevent a fight from breaking out.

Hanji called out the names of each girl, marking down absences and alleged bathroom breaks. Finally, when she was finished, she raised her clipboard to display a green sign and a whistle was blown.

"Alright girls, go have some fun, but remember, we want you all back by 20:40 at the mess hall for dinner. That is all. Dismissed."

The girls squealed and cheered, running down the road and screaming about day spas and tanning. Krista pulled on Ymir's wrist and they both walked as well, Hannah and Mina following behind them. Ymir decided that they shouldn't try anything out now, just simply planning their activities like Levi had suggested. When she vocalized this, she wasn't all too surprised when Mina was the first and only person to protest.

"Well I want to try some things out."

"You have two weeks. That's plenty of time to try everything out three times over," Ymir pointed out.

"Yes, but, I want to try it now."

"Fine, go ahead, see if I care. However, when a teacher catches you alone, we won't be there to help you out," Ymir retorted airily, smirking.

Mina's face boiled. "You! Ugh, fine, we'll do it your way, but things will be different tomorrow."

"Well, yeah, we don't need to do anything together tomorrow for free time. It's just for today – for bonding purposes."

They finally reached a centre, in which there were four routes that led to separate areas. One was for the water park, the other was for a facility with indoor activities, another was for the beach and finally the last one was for the other guests and residents who stayed at the resort. Ymir walked to the road that led to the giant establishment and her team followed her inside. There was a sudden rush of cool air and the four girls sighed in relief. They were in a lobby with stores everywhere and more exits to other facilities.

Hannah spotted Franz and rushed to him, greeting him with a kiss and a hug. Franz chuckled and lifted the girl into his arms and spun her around. Ymir rolled her eyes while Krista had hearts in hers.

"Aren't they just adorable?" Krista gushed.

Mina appeared by her side and squealed. "I know, right?! They're totally made for each other."

"I wish I had someone like Franz." Krista sighed.

"Yeah, me too," Mina agreed, nodding.

Ymir remained silent, arms crossed and fingers tightly clenching the fabric of her sweater. Krista turned to her with a sweet smile and Ymir felt her breath hitch. The lighting, the smile, the look in her eyes, so innocent and sparkling... there was no doubt she was a goddess to many.

"What about you, Ymir? Do you want someone like Franz?"

"Ha, knowing her, she'd probably eat them alive or drive them out from sheer frustration."

"Mina, please stop. You shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not? It's true, isn't it?"

"Just ignore her, Ymir. So? What's your answer?"

Ymir shrugged and refused to meet Krista's eyes. Her throat felt dry and her mouth felt like it was sown shut. She couldn't think straight, her breath was short. All this because she thought of the strangest thing:

I don't want a Franz. I want a Krista.

After they had taken notes on what they wanted to do, the girls realized they were hungry, so they stopped by a restaurant just on the shore of the beach. It was themed after a place called Hawaii and featured girls with coconut bras and grass skirts. They had flowers around their neck and in their hair, and were gently swaying to a song while serving the customers.

The girls took a booth at the end of the establishment, commenting on the realistic straw roof and coconut cups and plates. Ymir sat next to Krista and in front of Hannah. Simply being next to the blonde caused Ymir to break out in a cold sweat, and she quickly tried to shove any of those thoughts away, focusing on the leaf-shaped menu.

They all ordered something of their choosing from the menu and watched the hula girl dance with amusement. Ymir was particularly entranced with the girl's movements and felt herself blush, hiding her cheeks in her palm as nonchalantly as possible. Was she really into girls? She'd never really given it much thought before, never having to deal with romance. She was preoccupied with trying to survive in school and keep up her reputation as heartless, thus disallowing any semblance of love to enter her thoughts. She'd always thought of Berik as a brother.

It was Berik that sobered her thoughts and allowed her to refocus her attention on something Krista said. She watched her blond friend speak, smiling into the lines of her palm. Krista was so gentle and kind, far too much for the cruel world that lay below her. Ymir didn't want her to lose that and wanted her qualities for herself. Krista was kind to everyone, but especially nice to her, and she wanted to keep it that way. No one was going to see the Krista that cried in front of her, or the Krista that introduced herself, or the Krista that gave her a hair clip.

Ymir put her hand to the back of her hair and pulled out the clip, fingering it lightly. She clipped her hair back again and leaned away as their food finally arrived.

Krista was her best friend, and it would remain that way.

Finally, the time for dinner came around and all the students sat at their tables, establishing a set code and placement. Tomas' gang always sat in the back, Mina's crew at the side and Eren's friends in the centre. It was uniform and simple.

Dinner was already available at the tables and the students were invited to help themselves. The teachers were eating together at the front of the room, however Keith and Petra were missing. Apparently, Keith had to get his stomach pumped due to an over consumption of unhealthy foods and indigestion.

Krista swirled her spoon around her soup, not feeling very hungry. Her thoughts were all over the place from the day. She had so much fun, simply hanging around Ymir and the other girls. They saw the entire resort, since they didn't stop by anything to try it out. With their ideal schedule set for tomorrow, Krista was planning on showing Ymir a great time and making sure that none of them regretted it. Krista looked at Ymir to see her already finished with her dinner and simply staring into her empty bowl. Krista tapped Ymir's shoulder and smiled at Ymir's grunt.

"Are you okay?"

"Tired."

"I can tell: your vocabulary shrinks when you're tired."

"Shut it."

"Two words? Wow."

"Shut up, you brat."

"Four words! Good job, Ymir!"

Ymir growled and bumped her fist atop Krista's head, snickering at the girl's indignant shout. There was a sudden clanking noise and all the students turned to see principal Erwin on the platform, spoon against his glass. He smiled and passed the items back to the table.

"Hello, everyone. I hope you all had a great time, but I'm afraid the day has come to an end. If you'd all please line up in front of your respective dorms, we will begin the final roll call and you will all return to your rooms. I assume you know the rules, so if you are found to be doing something you are not supposed to be doing, such as sneaking out of the dorm after curfew, or entering the opposite gender's dorm, you are to be sent home the following day by cab, which will be paid for by your parents. So, with a toast to a wonderful vacation, I will allow you to leave. Make sure to follow your schedules for tomorrow. That is all, and cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The students piled up at the double doors and exited, boys going left and girls going right. They lined up, waiting for roll call, and after that was done, walked to their rooms. Upon entering their room, Ymir and Krista started fighting over who was using the bathroom first.

"I'm not gonna take that long, so just sit tight and wait!"

"But Ymir, that's not fair! I want to go first!"

"Just deal with it you brat!"

At the sound of the bathroom door opening, both girls turned to see Hannah smiling through the crack of the doorway and shooting a thumbs up. She closed the door and thanked Krista and Ymir for their generosity. Ymir stomped to the door and banged her fists on it.

"Get the hell out!" she roared.

"Ymir! Shut up, we're going to get in trouble!" Krista hissed, pulling on Ymir's arm. Ymir scoffed but relented. She sat on the bed and tapped her foot anxiously. Krista sighed and sat next to her, placing a hand on her thigh. The brunette swallowed and moved away. Krista's hand fell to the comforter and the blonde frowned slightly but shook it off. Ymir was just being a grump, as usual.

"You can go before me," Krista mumbled, turning away. Ymir glanced at her and rolled her eyes.

"Thanks," she muttered.

When Hannah came out, teeth brushed and pyjamas on, Ymir quickly rushed in with her night clothes and shut the door. Krista lied back and closed her eyes, dozing for a bit, and jumped when someone shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes and almost gasped. Ymir was leaning above her, body on the bed, and her hair was down. Her expression was neutral, but she looked troubled. Her face was close to Krista's and her fingers lingered on the blonde's shoulder longer than appropriate. She was wearing a t-shirt and boxers.

"Your turn," Ymir whispered, moving up the bed. Krista sat up and watched Ymir lift the covers before sliding in. The blonde smiled fondly at Ymir's back.

She couldn't wait for tomorrow.