The weekend had passed, and Coco found herself back at school, still dealing with the lingering attention from the other students. They continued to praise her for protecting the town, swarming around her with admiration. Normally, Cece would keep the overenthusiastic kids at bay, but lately, she noticed that Coco had been avoiding her more than usual.
Determined to find out what was going on, Cece decided to confront Coco during lunch. She found Coco hiding out in the school bathroom, standing at the sink and splashing water on her face, trying to regain her composure. Cece walked in with a knowing smirk, heading straight for a nearby stall where she began doing pull-ups on the top of the stall door with surprising ease.
"Still dealing with the weirdos, Coco?" Cece asked teasingly, peering down at Coco from above.
Coco sighed, the tiredness evident in her expression. "Of course I am. They're getting more, you know..." She hesitated, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Excited?" Cece guessed bluntly, her smirk growing wider as she continued her pull-ups.
Coco's blush deepened, and she quickly averted her gaze. "Yeah, how did you know?"
Cece chuckled as she gracefully dropped down from the stall, landing lightly on her flippers. "Because I've been sending them to you."
Coco's eyes widened in shock, the realization hitting her. "Why would you do that?" she asked, a hint of anger seeping into her voice.
Cece's smirk faded, replaced with a more serious look as she crossed her flippers over her chest. "Because you've been avoiding me, Coco. You know how bad my anxiety is, how much it hurts when you just disappear like that." Her voice wavered slightly, revealing the vulnerability she rarely let show.
Coco's anger melted away as she saw the hurt in Cece's eyes. She took a step closer, guilt settling in. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Cece. Things got confusing, and I panicked. I didn't know if you were serious, or if it was just a joke."
Cece turned away, her shoulders tense. "Are you avoiding me because of what happened at my house?"
Coco hesitated, feeling her throat tighten as she considered her response. "It's not just that," she admitted softly. "What you said, and... that kiss—it caught me off guard. I wasn't sure how to deal with it."
Cece glanced back at her, her expression a mix of frustration and sadness. "Do you really think I'd joke about something like that?"
Coco's face softened, and she stepped closer, her voice more sincere than before. "No, I don't. I'm sorry, Cece. I should have talked to you instead of running away."
Cece took a deep breath, her gaze meeting Coco's. "Just... don't avoid me anymore, okay?"
"I won't," Coco promised. "We'll figure this out together."
A small, hopeful smile tugged at Cece's lips. "Okay, then. Let's figure it out together."
But before Coco could fully process the heartfelt moment, Cece leaned in again, planting another firm kiss on Coco's mouth. Coco froze, her eyes widening as her face flushed a deep red. Cece pulled back, her smirk back in place. "See? I'm serious, Coco. I don't joke about stuff like this."
With that, Cece spun on her flippers and walked out of the bathroom, leaving a blushing, speechless Coco behind. Once she was out of earshot, Cece giggled to herself, her mischievous grin growing. "I can't believe she fell for that. Those acting classes are paying off after all," she whispered.
Later that night, Cece found herself tucked into bed, listening to the same bedtime story her mother always told—the story of the family's Icy Scythe of Power, an ancient artifact that granted both immortality and control over ice and snow. Cece had always found the story boring, but she humored her mother, nodding along as she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts wandering to more interesting matters—like her plans for the next day.
The following morning at school, Coco stood at her locker, struggling with the stubborn lock. Her frustration grew as the numbers refused to align properly. As Cece passed by on her way to her own locker, she couldn't resist a little mischief. She reached out and gave Coco's tail a quick, playful tug before continuing down the hallway with a smirk.
Coco jumped slightly at the sudden tug, her fingers fumbling with the lock as she turned around to see Cece walking away. "Really, Cece?" she muttered under her breath, feeling the familiar warmth of a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Just before Cece got too far, she called back with a teasing whisper, "Just to make you blush, Coco."
Coco's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red as she fought to focus on her locker. "Cece, you're impossible," she mumbled to herself, trying to shake off the flustered feeling. Meanwhile, Cece reached her locker, grinning to herself, satisfied that she had managed to catch Coco off guard yet again.
As she twirled her combination, Cece could hardly wait to see what other tricks she could pull to keep Coco on her toes. And as the day rolled on, she couldn't help but think, "Elementary school's going to be fun today."
