De Fragee Prutia

s i x

Nami had spent the better part of the week ignoring Mal and any time she had to talk to her her words were laced with venom. It wasn't easy any time they both showed up to their lockers at the same time, like today. Mal gave her a brief smile but knew better than to try and say anything. The two girls both grabbed their stuff silently. Nami looked over at Mal.

What she wanted to do was yell and scream. She got where Mal was coming from but that didn't make it right, and to not say anything for so long. It made her pissed. But her acting out could potentially make Mal turn back towards evil and that wasn't what anyone needed. Mal should consider herself lucky she's a VK and Nami cared more about making them better. If it was an AK she would've held a grudge for at least four months, at least. Nami angrily kicked the locker before taking a breath and turning to Mal.

"As head of the VKA program, I'm marking these past events as a small slip up. Slight regression, to be expected nothing major. Five hours of extra goodness classes with Jane as a detention. But as a girlfriend I'm obligated to call this strike one, Mal. Let's not make this one a habit. Deal?"

"Deal."

Mal went to shake her hand but Nami pulled her into a hug instead. She had to go in all the way otherwise she'd let her anger take over again.

"Wait, you said girlfriend. So you and Ben."

"I didn't say anything."

"I just clearly heard..."

"I'm scheduling your first hour with Jane right now if you don't shut up."

Nami was still mad at Ben. A love potion wasn't supposed to magically erase all the emotions she had to go through and unlike Mal, Nami could afford to stay mad at him.

Nami, Ben, and Mal shared math together. When Ben made a move to sit next to Nami, she got up and moved to sit by Mal. He had been trying multiple times to be next to her in any class they shared and it was honestly, slowly breaking her down. Ben didn't push it. He let the girls switch places and didn't say anything. Mal purposely sat back in her seat so Ben and Nami were at least aware of each other. Ben smiled to himself every time he caught her looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Um, Mal, do you have the answer to number eight?" Nami asked. They were correcting tests in class.

"Nope, sorry. Math's not really my...thing."

"Ici. J'ai la bonne réponse pour ça." Ben slid over his test. (Here, I have the right answer for that one)

"Oh...merci," Nami said quietly as she tentatively grabbed the test.

She didn't talk to Ben or Mal the rest of class, just silently did her corrections. Any time she needed a correction she couldn't solve, she would silently reach across the table for Ben's paper. The bell rang dismissing everyone.

"Thank you, Mr. Clemmons." The class said in unison as they left.

The next day Nami walked quickly to her locker after class before Ben could try and stop her. She was there to drop off her math binder and pick up her poms. Yearbook pictures for some of the sports teams were that day right before lunch and Tourney Cheerleading was one of them.

Ben hid around the corner from his locker. He could see Nami from where he was. He watched as she opened her locker and stared blankly at a space in there. She stared at the ring in her locker. She had seen Ben wearing the birthday ring she got him lately but didn't expect his beast ring to be sitting in front of her.