One Perfect Year at Stevenson High

Chapter 15

Adora didn't intend to spend most of her weekend mad. In fact, she hadn't even started off angry: she started off worried.

Worried she had screwed up. Worried she had done something wrong.

As soon as she got home from the dance, Adora went straight to Catra's room, where she was met with stony silence and a locked door.

When she tried again the next morning, Catra was already gone.

How long are you going to avoid me? Adora texted when Saturday night came and she still hadn't heard a word. Up popped the read receipt, followed by nothing.

That's when she got mad.

"Fine!" she shouted at her phone, as if it were some voodoo stand-in for her best friend. "Be a stubborn brat — see if I care!"

The problem was, she did care. And that just made things worse.

Adora vented her frustrations to Glimmer and Bow in a group chat.

A: She hasn't said a word to me since the dance. I don't even know where she is right now — she's been gone all day.

B: What exactly is she mad about? What did she say to you at the dance?

A: She said I'm ruining Operation: One Perfect Year

G: Uhh... what?

Adora hesitated. It wasn't that the plan she and Catra had was embarrassing, but something about sharing the details with other people felt like a betrayal. She decided to keep things vague.

A: It was just a plan we had... She thinks me being part of Vocal Rebellion is ruining it

G: Being part of VA? Or being friends with us?

A: I dunno... probably a bit of both

G: Yikes

B: I'm sure she just needs some time to cool off. She's your best friend — she'll come around!

Adora grimaced, her thumbs flying across her phone screen as she typed her reply. Maybe. But tbh I'm too mad to talk to her right now anyway. I don't even think I wanna be here when she comes home

G: !!!!!!

A: .... What?

G: You know what this means??

B: Yes! Sleepover time!

A: Sleepover time?

G: SLEEPOVER TIME!!!

When Glimmer and Bow made up their minds about something, there wasn't much anyone could do to talk them out of it. Within fifteen minutes, they were parked outside of the group home. Adora heard the thumping bass from the speakers of Bow's dads' car before she even got Glimmer's text announcing their arrival. Grinning, she scooped up her bag—packed with everything she'd need straight through to Monday—and shouted a quick goodbye as she darted out the front door.

In the loud backseat, with Bow smiling at her in the rearview mirror and Glimmer twisting around to shake an open bag of candy at her, Adora's tension melted away. It wasn't until Bow was pulling away, and she had turned to pull her seatbelt over her shoulder, that Adora saw it: a silhouette perched on the garage roof. Two pointed ears, black against the night sky.

Shit.

She didn't hear a word from Catra for the rest of the weekend.

Glimmer and Bow did their best to keep Adora distracted. Camped out on Glimmer's bedroom floor, Adora let them shove bowls of ice cream at her while she seethed.