Welcome to My World

Chapter 54 Rayla's POV {THE NANOERS ARE CRAZY}

For some reason, Ravi stays for our annual New Year's BBQ session. I still haven't forgotten that... y'know, incident, so I just kinda avoid him. Callum's backyard is big enough so that I can easily avoid him, especially with all this chaos.

Ellis and Aanya are playing some sort of dangerous game with the barbeque tongs while Ez is doing some elaborate dance around them, and Callum is being a nuisance, standing around in the middle of the yard with not one, but two comics in hand- the raccoon, and the one about astronomy. Seriously, the things teachers choke into you these days.

The NaNoers are doing some wild, whooping war dance. I suspect it's an initiation ceremony. Poor guy, whoever they're sucking in. I hope he doesn't die.

Callum's, Aanya's, and gulp! my own parents are dancing. Like, waltzing dancing. Gren is playing music while Aunt Amaya does suspicious things with the BBQ set.

Alesa wanders up to me, her Nintendo in hand.

"Hey," I greet her. "Whatcha playin?"

"Pokemon Platinum." She replies, which I groan at.

"PLEASE don't tell me Callum sucked you into that Pokecraziness." I plead.

Alesa bursts into laughter, doubling over. "I'm kidding. Gods, you're gullible. It's Mario Kart."

I sigh with relief as a barbeque stick flies across the yard, and I duck just in time to keep my head. Soren has started fencing with Callum, and he disarmed him of his stick with one deft movement. "Hey." I call. "Lemme try."

Soren smirks. "Sure, beanpole."

I roll my eyes. Soren has started calling everybody 'beanpole' because he claims we're way skinnier than him. Ya know, because he's 'loaded' with muscles. Pfft, yeesh. He has about as many muscles as this author has frequent updates. Just then, I heard a sharp crack. I whirl around, looking for the source of the sound. "What was that?!"

Raine, folded over the fence in a precarious position in which her front half is dangling into our backyard, gives me an answer. "Nothing. Just the sound of the fourth wall breaking."

"Sure it is." I reply in a tone that says "Sure it isn't."

"DESPERATE TIMES! CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES!" She yells in reply.

"You're weird, you know that?" I say conversationally.

"'Cause moonlight guides my way! Even if I'm so aFRAAAAAAAIIIIIDDDD!!!"

I turn my back on her singing. "All this empty hate! For that magic laaaaaaaannd!" Instead, I pick out two sturdy barbeque sticks.

"Two? Interesting strategy." Soren says. "Well beanpole, are you ready?"

I answer him by charging forward and using my sticks to simultaneously attack and defend. Soren yelps on a high pitch that most men find embarrassing.

We whirl around the yard, dodging random other people and falling NaNoers as we attempt to jab at each other without getting poked. Eventually, I fling Soren's stick into the BBQ thing, where it erupts in flame, setting fire to Aunt Amaya's burger patties. She signs aggressively at me. I point to Soren, and she turns to him with the tongs before Callum's mom tackles her to the ground to extinguish her flaming apron, which reads 'Be nice to the cook, or she may poison you.'.

"Hey, you never told me you were so good at fencing, beanpole." Soren comments. "You actually beat all this muscle." He adds, flexing. Every girl rolls her eyes, but every boy gawks. Except my dads. As Runaan puts it, he and Ethari have too much muscle to ever get jealous.

"What can I say? I practiced." I brush off the compliment with a small shrug, but that makes me feel weird. I get the feeling that I've fought him before. The feeling is familiar, like two handles of butterfly blades smooth against my palms, the ridges curving out a secure hold.

Soren nods, offering his hand. I shake it.

"The time ticks away in seconds and at breakneck speeeeeeeeeeed!" Raine continues to sing.

I sigh in irritation. "What songs even are those?! Why do you keep singing them?"

Raine grins at me crookedly from her crooked position on the fence. "One, because I love Small Folk's Dragon Prince: What We Do Makes Who We Are album, and I spent the whole afternoon listening to it on Spotify IRL. Two, because this is majorly breaking the fourth wall."

"First," I retort, "What even is Dragon Prince? Second, this is In Real Life. This isn't some fanfic. Third, WHAT THE HECK EVEN IS THE FOURTH WALL?!"

"First, The Dragon Prince is an amazing TV series on Netflix. You should watch it." Raine replies like we're having a causal conversation, not like I'm arguing with her. "Second, how do you know that for sure? Look at your parents. Look at your boyfriend. Look at you, Rayla. Gods, how can you not see? Third, breaking the fourth wall is when a character mentions the fact they're in a story, which is what I'm doing right now."

"Fir- What? What do you mean, look at me? I look like I've always looked like. And also, we are definitely NOT in a story!" Rayla yelled.

"Watch it tonight, and I promise that will answer your questions." Greenie and Raine say at the same time.

I'm about to whip out a snappy reply, but then Callum pulls me away. I whirl on him. "What?!" I glare. "If this is about your astronomy book-"

"No, it's not. I just wanted to ask you something." Callum says cautiously.

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Yea..?"

"What do you think of Derek?" He blurted out.

Startled by the question, it takes me a second to reply. "Um, he's ok I guess."

Callum looks downcast. "Oh. Like, good or bad?"

"Um... He looks a little odd, but who am I to judge? He's decent." I answer truthfully. "Why?"

"Uh... So you don't like him." Callum said.

"No, he's ok." I answer firmly. "Why?"

"Nothing. Just... curious." He said finally.

Then he practically jumps out of his skin as a NaNoer yells. "WHIP WHIP RUN ME LIKE A RACE HORSE PULL ME LIKE A RIPCORD YOU BUILD ME UP WANNA BE THE SLIP SLIP WORD UPON YOUR LIP LIP, LETTER THAT YOU RIP RIP BREAK ME DOWN AND BUILD ME UP I DO WHATEVER IT TAKES! 'CAUSE I LOVE THE ADRENALINE IN MY VEINS WHATEVER IT TAKES! 'CAUSE I LOVE HOW IT FEELS WHEN I BREAK THE CHAINS! WHATEVER IT TAKES!"