𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐈 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐘𝐎𝐔 + sokeefe and horror

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔: a new couple?!

The next morning, when Keefe woke up, Ro was standing over him with a wicked grin.

Keefe screamed, toppled off of his bed, and rolled around in his sheets for a minute until he could extract himself. Realizing he was wearing nothing but his boxers and a t-shirt, he pulled the sheets over his body, his face entirely neon red.

"Smooth." Ro scoffed. "Daddy Dearest says you have to go back to Foxfire today, by the way."

"WHAT? But -"

"The Mysterious Miss F's still gone, I know, I know." Ro said smoothly. "But, according to him," she shifted her voice up and did an almost perfect impression of his voice, "Learning, and, in extension, intelligence, does not wait for anyone."

"I'm not the only Polygot in here, apparently." Keefe praised, grinning.

Ro flipped one of her tiny pigtails. Then she narrowed her eyes and snapped, "Get ready."

---

Keefe pulled on his uniform and ate a rushed breakfast before leaping to Foxfire with Ro glaring at the walls.

He'd forgotten how glittery and neon the building was. He squinted, struggling to see in the neon light. Ro stomped and huffed about how "ridiculous" and "sparkly" everything was, looking extremely annoyed.

"Hey, Keefe!" An overly cheerful voice called from behind him.

Fitz, Tam, and Dex were emerging from the Leapmaster. Fitz had a maniac smile on his face, and was skipping around as if he was happy as could be. Dex had puffy red eyes and gave Keefe a weak smile.

"Hello! Aren't you so glad to be back?" Fitz asked in that cheerful voice. 

"Sure." Keefe mumbled, feeling a flash of fury at Fitz for not being as upset as he was.

"I'm SO happy to be back. Foxfire is so pretty, isn't it? I'd even say gorgeous! Yes, Foxfire is gorgeous this time of year! Well, it's gorgeous the entire year, but -"

At that point, Keefe tuned him out. Fitz continued in a deranged ramble, smiling that crazy smile the entire time. Finally, Fitz said, "Well, I've got to get to class! Bye, Keefe! Bye, Dex! Bye, Tam!"

Then he strolled away, flashing everyone around him that crazy smile.

"So... what happened to him?" Keefe asked.

"Mood enhancers." Dex replied quietly. "According to Biana, he was so upset that he started clawing at his own hair and skin. Elwin had to force it down his throat, and now it's so powerful he won't stop being like that. It's creepy."

Keefe looked down, his eyes filling with tears for his best friend. Tam was quiet.

"I've got to get to check in with one of my professors. Bye!" Dex failed to end the moment on a happy note, because his voice cracked and he stumbled away with tears in his eyes.

"Hey." A quiet voice said from behind him.

Biana, Marella, and Linh were standing there, all looking different from each other, but all equally miserable.

Biana had deep circles underneath her eyes, so dark they almost seemed like bruises, and was staring absently at the walls. She was obviously super sleep-deprived.

Marella looked like she hadn't combed her hair in weeks, and her uniform was even more wrinkled than usual. She probably hadn't been getting much sleep either.

Linh was there, too. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her nose was also super red as though she'd blown it too much. Her hair was styled as well, but it was clear that she was just as miserable as the other two.

"Hey, guys." Tam mumbled, his face going neon red.

Biana flushed too, breaking out of her tired coma.

Marella and Keefe narrowed their eyes at the exact same time. 

Meanwhile, Linh said in her usual bubbly voice, "So when did it happen?"

"What? W-what are you talking about?" Biana asked nervously.

"Yeah, Linh, what are you talking about?" Tam said, his eyes widening.

"This. You two. Together." Linh gestured at the two of them.

Biana and Tam shared a look that seemed to mean The gig is up.

"About a week ago. A couple days before... you know."

Keefe smiled broadly. "I'm happy for you guys."

"Ick. That's what you say when people get married." Marella said, wrinkling her nose. "They aren't getting married. Right? You aren't?"

Neither of them said anything - which made the entire group burst out laughing. For a second, just a millisecond, just a moment, the world was right and okay and - just for that moment - it was like Sophie was right there with them, laughing and smiling and blushing. 

And it seemed like everything might be okay.