The Academy of S.I.D.E.

No. 34: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

"I still can't believe that the year's almost over," Patton marveled. "It feels like it went by so fast!"

"If only the same could be said about last year," Logan muttered, taking a sip of coffee. "The one good thing that happened was Biden winning the election."

Virgil blinked. "You're Canadian."

"Exactly."

"I actually have a very amusing video of Logan celebrating," Janus said, holding up his phone. "I'd be happy to play it for you if you like, Virgil."

"I'm good, actually." He took a sip of his own coffee. "But yeah, 2020 sucked."

"If you ask me, Janus got off easy," Logan said. "He got to go back to his boyfriend's place and quarantine there until they could go back to the Academy. Me and Patton had to stay here."

"The thing about the Academy is that a lot of the classes can't really be social-distanced," Patton explained. "We had to have some magical ops come and make us immune to the virus just so we could continue having classes."

"Also, I would hardly call an entire summer of dodging Isabelle De Luca easy," Janus added.

Logan sighed. "Yes, well, Isabelle is deranged, and you have the unfortunate luck of being her type."

Janus sat forward. "D'you think if I told her that I'm dating her cousin, she'd back off?"

"From my very dim memories of meeting her at a family function when I was younger?" Logan shook his head. "I'm afraid Isabelle is a burden you'll simply have to bear."

Janus groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Why have the gods cursed me with being so devastatingly attractive?"

"That is definitely one way to describe you," Virgil told him. Patton giggled.

Logan tugged at his scarf. "You know, without the twins, the atmosphere is so much more refreshing. It's like we've been polluted by stupidity, and now the air has finally cleared."

"That's my boyfriend you're talking about," Janus and Virgil said at the same time.

"JYNX!" Virgil shouted, pointing at Janus. "You owe me a strawberry soda!"

"Damnit," he muttered.

"It does actually feel a little calmer," Patton admitted. "We should honestly do this more often during cast-only rehearsal days."

Logan frowned. "Speaking of which, aren't you part of the cast, Janus?"

Janus took another sip of his coffee. "I am, yes."

"Then why aren't you at rehearsal?" Virgil asked.

"They're not doing any scenes with me today. Larry said I could skip if I wanted to."

Patton raised an eyebrow. "Is that true?"

Janus gasped, clutching his chest. "Do you not trust the words of your best friend in the entire world?"

"I'm just taking into account that you tend to fudge the truth a little bit sometimes."

Virgil let out a massive snort. "Sometimes."

Logan blinked. "How do you fudge truth?"

"Well, then, here," Janus said, handing Patton his phone. "That right there is the cast and director group text, featuring Larry telling me and a few others that we're not required to come. So there."

Patton squinted at the screen, then shrugged and handed his phone back to him. "All right, I'll lay off of you."

"Thank you."