"Why didn't you let us come to the meeting?" Jeveskia demanded.

"Uhm- what?" I asked, confused.

"The meeting with that authority dude yesterday," Jeveskia said. "Mrs. Golde told me. Why didn't you let the rest of us come?"

We were at recess. Both Giovanni and Jeveskia weren't at lunch for some reason. She caught me after Double Fanfiction Writing by the arm and, demanding to know why she hadn't been invited. I looked around desperately for someone to rescue me- Fiona, Lucas, anyone. But I had stayed behind after class to finish my chapter of the fanfiction I was working on, so I was on my own.

"Um-"

"Hey, Y/N, do you have a- oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?" A girl I had never seen before in my life came up and asked.

"No, no, nothing," I said, pulling my arm away and playing along. "What was it you needed?"

She hooked her arm around mine and pulled me away, yapping. Once we were out of earshot she turned and faced me. "You looked like you needed rescuing there," she said.

"I did," I told her. "Thank you so much. I'm Y/N."

"The victor. I know. I'm Theone Barlowe. Your local girl's girl and advice-giver. I'm a Titan's Curse year."

"Oh," I said. "Do you know Jacqueline?"

"Jacqueline Katz? Yeah, I've heard of her," she said. There was a tone in her voice that was either disgust or bitterness, though why, I didn't know.

I studied Theone. Her pin-straight shiny blond hair reached just past her elbow. Her eyes were azure blue. She had an upturned nose and the slightest dust of freckles. She was really pretty.

"Nice to meet you, Theone," I said. "Why aren't you at recess?"

"Detention," she said. "Arguing with the Digital Design teacher. I'm walking really slowly."

"Fortunately for me," I muttered. "Well, keep walking slowly, I guess."

Theone smiled. "I'll see you around."

I ran into Lucas on my way out to the usual spot.

"Whoa, there you are," he said. "Where were you?"

"Long story, I think the twins are mad at us," I told him.

"Because of the meeting?" he asked. I nodded. Lucas shook his head. "Who told them?"

"Mrs. Golde."

"Oh. Why do you think they're mad?"

"Jeveskia cornered me and asked why I didn't let them attend the meeting," I explained, glancing over my shoulder in a slightly panicked way. "Speaking of, I think she's coming. Can we walk?"

Lucas nodded and we began our usual route around the school. I told him about Theone and how she'd rescued me.

"Something's weird, though. I've never heard Jacqueline mention her once. And she talks about everyone. What do you think gives?" I asked as we made our way down the stairs we had just climbed two minutes ago.

"I'm pretty sure they have history of some sort. You said she sounded bitter," he said, scrunching up his face in that cute way when he was thinking. Delphine's words, of course. I nodded. "Maybe they were friends? I don't know. I don't really get girl drama. I'm still confused about what happened between you guys and Janet Lee last year."

I explained to him how I had chickened out of talking to Delphine for Janet and asked Fiona to do it instead, then Fiona panicked, babbled, and Delphine told Janet, therefore Janet got mad at us.

"Wait," Lucas said, frowning. "Why would Delphine tell Janet if she knew Janet didn't want to be friends with her? And couldn't Janet just tell Delphine herself?"

I blinked. "Huh. I've never thought about it that way."

"Girls are complicated." Lucas sighed. "I'm pretty sure the twins will cool off. Just give them some time."

"Are you sure? I don't want to get in more drama. It's so draining, and winter break is coming up."

"Don't worry. This time you have Theone, your girl's girl or whatever to back you up. And Jacqueline and Mitchell. And Walker. That guy won't let anyone mess with you. And," he smiled, a small, sort of shy smile, "you'll have me."

"You can help with complicated girl drama?" I asked, almost amused.

"No, but I'll be your moral compass," he said. "And... support. You know. If you need to talk and Fiona and Theone and all those people aren't available... I'm here."

"Thanks, Lucas," I said. It struck me just how much he always helped me. How many times I would thank him for helping me.

Had I ever done anything for him in return?

×~<♡>~×

I told Fiona and Delphine about the entire interaction, but left out the tiniest last bit where Lucas said he could help me. I felt like it would bother Delphine, and I didn't want to upset her, so I left it out.

"Well, that's awesome that we've basically got a big sister in school now," Fiona said. "When did we have so many friends?"

"No clue," I told her. "It was just the lunch table gang and then SHA-BAM- we know a lot of people."

"Some people I wish we didn't know," Delphine grumbled. "Like Janet."

Fiona snorted. "Real."

I had pushed aside my existential crisis over paying back Lucas to the side for the moment. I'd ponder it over later.

"Do you guys want to go somewhere after school?" I asked, trying to shove the image of his face out of my head.

"There's a new café that opened near the mall," Delphine said. "Delilah went with her boyfriend and she said it was really nice."

Delilah was Delphine's older sister. I'd never met her, but I'd heard that she was the one who turned Delphine into the curly beast she is today.

"Let's do that," Fiona agreed. "Y/N?"

"Sure," I said, only half-focusing.

We were in the last ten minutes of Shipping, the last class for the day. Ms. Ortiz usually let us do this, since 90% of our class was Percabeth and trying to get us to do debates or anything was pointless.

We piled into Fiona's mom's car when we were done. Mrs. Albert greeted us warmly. Normally, Freya would sit in the front while the three of us were in the back, but today she had Maya Platten, a girl Brandon swore was devil spawn, and some pretty Asian girl I didn't know at her heels.

"Where are we supposed to sit?" Freya said, wrinkling her perfect little nose.

"You'll have to make space," Mrs. Albert said with a shrug.

"Ooh, pile!" Delphine said. She stood from her spot in the middle and made herself comfortable on Fiona's lap, resting the back of her head on the left-side window. As soon as I moved to her spot in the middle she propped up her legs on my lap, and we all just cracked up.

"Selfie!" Delphine declared, and we took a bunch from each other's phones at different angles.

Freya, meanwhile, immediately kicked her friends to the curb and sat up front. Maya sat on the right-side window and the Asian girl sat on her lap, although she didn't seem to have nearly as much fun with it as Delphine did.

Mrs. Albert dropped Freya, Maya, and the Asian girl, who's name we learned was Maude, at their house, then took the rest of us to the café next to the mall. We ordered donuts, which were really good, then went to the mall. It ended up being a really good day. We got sad over the picture of Jason Grace on the cover of The Lost Hero (if you've been following my posts lately you'll know) at the bookstore, looked at some other books to remind ourselves about the Fight for the Fandoms, and then we went to the makeup store.

"Hold still!" Delphine ordered while she tested blush on me. "This looks really good on you, Y/N."

"I swear, Delly, you're going to finish all the tester products," Fiona said as she watched Delphine turn me into Barbie. She'd already "tested" lip gloss, mascara, and concealer.

"Good," Delphine said as she spread it on my face.

Fiona laughed and shook her head. We weren't the only girl trio trying on makeup. We were the only ones in school uniform, and definitely the youngest, but not the only ones. A girl trio was filming some cute TikTok dance near us.

"And done," Delphine said. "Quick, take a picture before the staff makes you take it off."

They took a whole album's worth of photos of me, eventually joining in. We were just cracking up at this point.

I had to wash the makeup off, because the staff wouldn't let me leave while it was on, so I did. It was 7: 30 PM by the time we called our parents to come pick us up.

"This was awesome," Delphine said as she opened the door to her mom's car. "Bye! Love ya!"

"Bye!"

Fiona and I left not so long after. The minute I got home I took a long shower and laid on my bed pajamas, lights off but not quite asleep.

Because without the girls to distract me, I was back to thinking about Jeveskia.

And Janet. I hadn't even thought of her since Walker told me she was his cousin, back at the very beginning of the reenactment. She wasn't one to go down without vengeance.

And, of course, Lucas.