𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐄𝐑, iron flame

chapter five

𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐓𝐘𝐍

"Hey, wait up!" I called out to Sloane the next morning before Battle Brief, clutching her gift tightly in my hands to ensure it wouldn't fall. She turned around, clearly taken aback by the sound of my voice.

When I finally caught up to her, I was panting heavily from the run. I cleared my throat, trying to regain my composure. "Um," I hesitated, feeling the words I had rehearsed all night slipping away. My mind went blank, and the carefully crafted lines didn't seem good enough.

I gave myself a mental slap in the face, frustrated. Taking a deep breath, I held out my hands, carefully offering her the gift wrapped in tinfoil. "This is for you, a bribe to still be my friend." I managed to say, my voice wavering slightly. I instantly regretted my choice of words, realizing how it must've sounded, as they hung in the air between us. Sloane furrowed her brow, cautiously accepting the foil-wrapped object from my hands. My heart sank a little as I let it go, knowing how much effort I had put into obtaining it. Her soft hiss of surprise hinted that it might still be warm.

"I'm really sorry for what I said," I began, my voice filled with remorse. "I was being selfish and inconsiderate... and I really didn't mean to hurt you. I can't imagine what you must be going through, actually, I don't want to imagine it..." I trailed off.

As she unwrapped the tinfoil, the steam from the potato still swirling around, my mouth watered uncontrollably. It looked so delicious that I almost felt a pang of regret for not keeping it for myself. That aroma... it almost brought tears to my eyes.

She glanced up at me through her lashes and raised an eyebrow. With a resigned sigh, she took the potato in both hands, splitting it in half. To my surprise, she offered me the larger portion.

"Here," she said softly, "I know how much you want this."

"What?" I squeaked in disbelief, "But it's yours..."

"You look like you're about to cry," she said, a hint of amusement in her eyes as she fought back laughter. She moistened her lips and continued, "I'm sorry too, I overreacted a little bit myself, your problems are still valid even if someone else has it worse." With a warm smile, she added, "Take it, I promise we're still friends."

Sniffling, I cautiously accepted the potato she offered, my heart swelling with relief and gratitude. "Sloaneeeee!" I exclaimed, launching myself into her arms for a tight hug, almost toppling us both to the ground. "I love you so much!"

She chuckled, awkwardly patting my back. "Yes, yes, I love you too. Would you calm down?" she teased.

"I can'ttttttt..."

Now, you might be wondering whether I ended up eating that potato during Battle Brief. Well, the answer is a resounding yes. This time, however, Sloane joined me in enjoying our shared snack, resulting in both of us getting scolded. But let me tell you, it was absolutely worth it.

First mission on my list: complete ✔

Now for the next one...

༻⁑᯽━━━━━━━━━━━━━᯽⁑༺

This next mission of mine was going to be significantly harder.

      As I entered the gym, I observed the first-year students diligently utilizing their extra sparring time on the mats, engaging in intense bouts with one another. However, their activities didn't hold my attention as I purposefully made my way towards the corner on the left, where the glass met the stone, and gently pushed open the door.