What's the matter, sweetheart? Did you have another bad day at school?
I was with this really cute boy and I said the nicest thing I could think of, but it came out weird and he just flipped.
Cheer up, miss Burnet. Life's way too short to go around feeling sorry for yourself all the time. Why don't we look for reasons to be happy instead?
Like what? I was on a date with a total dreamboat and I blew it. I bet he'll never speak to me again. I really thought we could be each other's other halves, too.
Were you expecting too much again, Beth? I thought you knew better than that. Foolish kid.
Breath stopped at 5AM, like a permeating calm
Biting my nails at the emergency exit – which way is tomorrow?
The da-
Bessie groaned. It barely felt like she had gotten any sleep at all.
The inside of her mouth tasted offputtingly salty and her pallet was dry and sticky. She was parched. She grabbed a bottle of water from her mini-fridge and as the cold liquid spread throughout her insides the rest of her started waking up.
Was I dreaming? Who was I talking to? What were we saying?
Oh, that's right. I'm attending the best school in the world and I can't even show my face anymore.
She readied herself for school and walked as quickly as she could. She kept her eyes toward the ground so she would not make eye contact with anyone. She hoped it would keep her from being noticed. Classes came and went and during recess she stayed out of the dining hall. There were things she needed to say and other things she needed to hear, but her mind felt like a thick fog and more than anything she just wanted to get the day over and done with so she could go back to sleep.
The practical lesson was with Present Mic and took place in a dense forest just outside the boundaries of the school grounds. As the class stood assembled on the forest's edge Present Mic began explaining the point of the exercise.
"All right, everybody!" he called out above the murmur of chatting students. "Sometimes a rescue mission or a chase can go wrong, and you can end up stranded, at the mercy of the elements. Today we will assess how good you are at finding your way back to civilization. We're splitting you up into groups of two or three and dropping you off in random spots in the forest."
The teacher began to divide the class into groups.
"Ashido and Yaoyorozu with Tsuyu. Mineta with Kaminari. Midoriya with Uraraka and Iida. Bakugo with Kirishima."
Please not Shoto. Please not Shoto. Please not Shoto…
"…Baaneto with Hanta."
Thank goodness.
The teacher went on until each student had one or two partners.
"E'rybody ready? Le'me hear ya say 'HEY'!"
Just as the teams were being separated the grim looking girl heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Bessie-san!"
"T… Todoroki..?" she struggled.
"I looked for you at lunch time but I couldn't find you anywhere. I need to talk to you."
"You… were looking for me?"
"I wanted to apologise for last night. I was caught off guard in the middle of some painful reminders. I perceived your comment as more insensitive than you meant it. I understand now that you meant no offence. Gomen nasai."
The fog cleared and Bessie's dream from the previous night came back to her.
"I'm sorry too," she answered. "I get it now. A relationship is not about finding another half to complete you and it's even less about being miserable when things don't go your way. It's about being your whole self for someone else."
"Now that we've both had a chance to understand ourselves better, I believe I still owe you a movie." Shoto said with a grin. "Saturday night okay with you?"
"I'd love t-"
The next moment the groups were separated and Bessie was among densely packed trees with the tape-elbow boy.
"Staaaaart!" Present Mic's voice blasted through the forest.
"I can use my tape to get above the trees and find the quickest way out." Sero offered.
"Sounds good." Bessie obliged.
He shot some of his tape at a branch in one of the higher trees and swung into the air. He remained airborne long enough to get a good view of his surroundings.
"We should go that way." Sero said once he touched ground again.
After walking for a few minutes they passed by a rather large tree and Bessie felt a hand covering her mouth. She tried to squirm free but she was being gripped in a powerful hold. Sero gasped.
"Make a sound and I'll snap her in two." The attacker threatened.
"Let her go!" Sero demanded. "You don't know who you're dealing with."
"I know exactly who I'm dealing with. Which is why I need a hostage. Now be a good couple of kids and come with me to- OUCH!"
The stranger let go of Bessie and blew on his singed forearms. She took a stance beside Sero and the two of them readied for a fight.
I just patched things up with Todoroki. I'm not about to become a damsel in distress! I hate when they do that in movies! Bessie thought.
"I'm pretty sure this isn't part of the lesson. Do you think he's with the League of Villains?" she asked.
"He just looks like a small-timer to me," Hanta ventured. "But he could still be dangerous. We should be careful."
"No worries. I'll torch this punk." Bessie said to her companion.
"No! You'll set fire to the forest!" Sero argued. "I say we see what he can do and work it out from there."
The attacker crossed his arms in front of his ribcage and produced two small white blades. A light bulb went up inside Bessie's head.
"He can make weapons out of nothing?" Sero observed.
"Not quite. But I know how to beat him. Can you use your tape to grab his weapons?"
"I can try." Sero fired a stream of tape at each blade. Fortuitously they curled around their targets and he pulled them out of the villain's grip.
The villain grumbled, brought his wrists together and produced two more weapons. These were notably longer than his previous two and were of the blunt force variety, not unlike a pair of batons.
"Grab those, too!" Bessie advised and Sero snatched them up.
The stranger's eyes flared. He reached down, stopping half a foot short of his ankles and produced two larger batons. He rushed at the pair of children, flailing his weapons. They managed to circle him.
"Do it again!" Bessie urged and Sero used his tape to disarm the foe once more.
The villain looked nervous but infuriated. He put his hand by his side and pulled out a large, two-handed club. He took a leap at the two students and swung sideways but they were able to dodge.
"Grab it?" Sero asked expectantly.
"Yup." Bessie said with a grin.
After being disarmed the attacker's expression changed to one of helplessness and he scanned for an escape route. Sero fired more tape which curled around the opponent's arms and legs and brought him down.
"We should probably turn him in." Bessie suggested.
It turned out the small-time villain had hoped to make his fortune by holding UA students for ransom. He had tried to single out what he thought was the weaker of the bunch but he didn't count on anyone understanding his quirk. Bessie and Sero were awarded bonus points for their impromptu success at facing off against a villain in addition to making it out of the forest timeously.
When Bessie returned to her dorm room her bed still wasn't made, her pillow still smelled of salt and her earphones still lay tangled on her bed.
Funny how things can just turn out okay, she thought.