Bulletproof [Sneak Peek]

5

OV THREW AZ'S SWEATSHIRT on and headed for the cafeteria. It was practically hers at this point; she'd been wearing it for years. The ends of the sleeves had begun to fray, but she didn't care.

It had been a day since the REALM exam and her incident with virtual AZ, and the events still left her shaken. She took a deep breath and picked up a tray to get her food.

The cafeteria offered a wide variety of dishes, but OV decided on a salad. She didn't think she could handle eating much more than that with the way she was feeling.

She slipped out of line and headed for her usual table. AZ, PK, and QB were already there. OV sat down next to AZ as the small group laughed at QB making milk come out his nose.

She chuckled. He'd been showing off that trick since they'd been twelve, and it had never gotten old.

AZ looked up at her and smiled. "Hey... How are you? Any better than yesterday?" he asked.

OV shrugged. "I mean... I don't know, a lot happened in REALM. I just have to keep reminding myself that everything that happens in there isn't real."

He nodded and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Yeah, what happened in there?" QB asked, wiping the milk from his nose with a napkin. "You came out of the test and just ran to get back in REALM. I didn't think you even liked being in there. And then you came out a second time, but you wouldn't tell us what happened. You looked really shaken." He lowered his voice. "Don't tell him I said this, but AZ was a mess last night. He was up until two pacing the halls; I think you really scared him."

AZ kicked him from under the table.

OV sighed and squeezed AZ's hand. "Sorry..." She shook her head. "I just... It was weird. I don't really want to remember anything." She shivered as the number written in the air duct flashed in her mind.

Ninety-five percent.

"Hey, don't worry about it," AZ said. "If you ever want to talk, we're all here for you."

PK nodded. "Yeah, you can stop by my dorm any time."

"Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. But I'm fine, I promise." OV moved her salad around her plate with her fork. "So, have any of you had your exams yet?"

"I did," QB said. "Well, the REALM one, anyway. I scored in the lower nineties."

"Wow, that's really good! Congrats!" OV said.

PK smiled and tucked a piece of her dirty-blond hair around her ear. "I know, right? He's so good at REALM!"

"Thanks," QB chuckled. "My other exam is tomorrow, so hopefully that'll go well, too."

"Wait, what time is yours at?" OV asked. "Cuz mine's tomorrow, too."

QB rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh... I don't remember. I have to check the schedule again, but I think it's sometime in the afternoon. When's yours?"

"Two-thirty. Maybe we'll see each other."

He shrugged. "Maybe. If whoever goes first makes it out alive..." He smirked.

PK elbowed him. "Don't say stuff like that," she laughed. "Besides, when was the last time someone died in the arena, anyway?"

"Actually," AZ thought for a second. "I think there was someone maybe four increments ago... I'm not entirely sure, since we were pretty young and I wasn't really paying attention to the selection class at the time, but I vaguely recall hearing something about it."