Monday morning I waited for Alexy and Armin at the corner of their street with my hands encased in thin white mittens, a cute white hat, and a new warm winter jacket Auntie bought for me after watching a movie that weekend. The weather had taken an extreme turn on Sunday and the weathermen were predicting snow in the next few days. I was extremely excited since I hadn't ever seen snow.

"Good morning, Opal!"

I turned around to see Alexy and Armin jogging up to me. Alexy was wearing a bright orange jacket and a green hat that looked like a frog while Armin had a grey winter coat and a thick black scarf that covered his neck up to his nose.

"Do you not like the cold, Armin?" I asked, trying to hold back my laughter as he gave me a withering look.

"Less talking, more walking," he mumbled through the scarf. Both Alexy and I laughed as we followed him toward school.

As we walked in, I blinked in shock as I took in all of the flyers plastered onto the walls. When I recognized Dajan in the picture going in for a layup, I walked up and read the poster which was announcing a Basketball team vs. Student Council match this Friday.

"Hey, that looks like it'll be fun," Alexy said as he came up next to me to read the poster. "Did you know about that, Opal?"

"No, Dajan didn't mention it," I replied, honestly feeling a little surprised that I hadn't been told.

"Everyone must have been too focused on the talent show," Alexy observed and I nodded, suddenly feeling guilty.

I hope Dajan didn't tell me about it then I forgot, I fretted, making a mental note to ask him at lunch.

Walking into Government I was nearly bowled over by an intense feeling of nervousness when I caught sight of Lysander's familiar frame. With the mention of my father ignoring Auntie's messages, I had completely forgotten about rejecting Lysander's feelings. Talking with Auntie had helped me let go of the guilt in some ways, but seeing him sitting there I was shocked at the extreme sadness that coursed through me knowing that I caused him pain.

It's like Mother all over again... I just bring sadness wherever I am, I thought despondently as I hugged my textbook tightly to my chest.

"Good morning, Kate." 

I jumped in shock and looked up to see that Lysander had looked up from his seat and his eyes were meeting mine. Slowly, a ghostly smile parted his lips as he looked at me from across the room and waved me over, beckoning me to take my usual seat diagonal from him. He gave me a questioning look as I stood rooted to the spot. Blinking, I moved mechanically to my seat and sat down, placing my books on the desk and attempting to smile at Lysander.

"How was your weekend, Lysander?" I asked awkwardly and again he gave me his half-smile.

"It was good. I never told you how much I enjoyed your talent. It was truly an exquisite performance," Lysander said calmly, but I could feel the sincerity from his eyes and my nervousness began to fade.

Lysander did say he would forget what had happened... but can anyone really act so natural after something like that? I thought to myself in confusion and cleared my throat to give myself some time to respond.

"Thank you. Your band was much more impactful, but I had fun," I said cautiously and he shook his head.

"You shouldn't compare your act to ours; they were quite different after all." 

I nodded and tilted my head slightly. "Is... is this really okay?" I whispered, glancing around the room to make sure no one was listening in. Lysander blinked slowly and raised one eyebrow up at me in a silent question. "I mean... this isn't painful for you?" I asked, feeling myself flush out of misery as I looked between the floor and him awkwardly.

Lysander's eyes widened and then slowly his expression became thoughtful. To my surprise, after a few seconds, he reached out and gently patted my head. I blinked over at him in surprise as his hand retracted and he smiled with such open affection that I felt my heart twist in my chest from guilt.

"It would be much more painful for you to ignore me, Kate. Please do not hold back and treat me as you always have," Lysander said firmly. 

His kindness brought tears to my eyes and I could only mutely nod my acknowledgment as I held a hand to my mouth and tried to keep myself from crying.

"Opal? Are you alright?"

I immediately clapped my hands against my face, blinking rapidly to try and push my tears back down at the sound of Nathaniel's concerned voice. Once I had myself under control, I parted my middle and pointer finger so I could see out of the small space and saw Nathaniel and Lysander both giving me looks filled with concern.

"Mmhmm," I intoned, still trying to clear the lump from my throat. 

Lysander looked sad for a moment, but then his usual serene expression overtook his face and he looked up at Nathaniel.

"We were just having an emotionally stimulating conversation, Nathaniel. Kate will be well in a moment."

Nathaniel frowned as he looked between Lysander and me, but I gave Lysander a grateful smile as I lowered my hands. I dabbed at the corner of my eyes to get rid of the last evidence of my tears before smiling at both Lysander and Nathaniel.

"Sorry to worry you," I said sincerely.

The bell rang, cutting off any further conversation, and Castiel walked into class a few minutes later. The morning went by quickly and I was feeling much better after leaving AP Psychology with my most recent test that had a large 102% circled at the top of the paper.

"Hey, Sato!" I grinned up at Dajan and jogged over to him.

"Hi, Dajan, how was your morning?"

"Good. Did you see the signs about our first basketball game?" he asked. I laughed, looking at the posters that were stuck onto the lockers lining the hallway every couple of feet.

"It took me a while, but I noticed them eventually," I teased and he grinned.

"All my boys and I put them up this morning. We want a big turnout to get the school pumped for Basketball season. Our first real game is next weekend so we figured a little school-wide competition would help bring in supporters," Dajan explained as we walked to my locker.

"How did you get Nathaniel to agree to it?" I asked curiously while putting my books away and grabbing a five dollar bill for lunch. 

Dajan didn't reply for a second and I turned to see him giving me a sheepish grin.

"I might not have actually asked him..." he admitted with a shrug, "I suggested it to the principal and she said to go for it. I didn't even think to ask Nathaniel."

I shook my head slightly at him and frowned a little. "I hope he isn't too shocked," I said, feeling a little worried. Nathaniel was already so busy that I wondered if he had time for an event like this.

"It'll be fine. Nate's a cool guy when he tries," Dajan said casually.

"Nate?" I repeated curiously. 

Dajan didn't respond though, so I silently mulled it over. It surprised me that I hadn't known that Nathaniel had a nickname. I tried it out in my mind and cocked my head to the side. It wasn't terrible, but it seemed weird to me for some reason.

I followed Dajan into the hamburger line, listening to him as he described all the plays he had been teaching the team. We walked over to where Troy, Sterling, and Jason were all sitting and I blinked when I saw a familiar head of silky brown hair.

"Kentin?"

He turned and grinned broadly before jumping up, and taking my tray from me. I blinked in confusion as he set my tray down and then wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around. I yelped in shock, angling my feet so I didn't accidentally hit Dajan's legs, and stumbled a little when Kentin put me back down with glittering eyes.

"Opal, your talent was amazing!! That was one of the coolest things I have ever seen!" Kentin exclaimed excitedly and I couldn't help but laugh. I was surprisingly dizzy after the unexpected spin and I felt Dajan reach out and wrap a gentle arm around my shoulders to steady me.

"You're famous now, eh, Sato?" Dajan asked with a broad grin. Another laugh bubbled up my throat and I waved my hand dismissively.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, Kentin. Are you eating lunch with us then?" I asked happily and he nodded before sitting back down. I slid in between him and Dajan and smiled down at my hamburger.

"Hey, you got chocolate milk. Do you remember when you bought me that to cheer me up?" Kentin asked and I nodded.

"Of course I do! A lot has changed since then, but I'm glad we're still friends," I said sincerely. Kentin cocked his head to the side and I blinked when he stared hard at me. "What is it?" I asked and was surprised when his cheeks turned a flaming red.

"You, know... I was thinking about it. And I realized you're kind of like a cool big sister," Kentin said with obvious embarrassment. 

I blinked in surprise, but then Troy hit his hand against the table and pointed at Kentin with a grin.

"That's exactly how I feel too! Sato is like the perfect older sister that's got your back no matter what and that you can talk to about anything," he exclaimed with sparkling eyes turned towards me. A strange happiness mixed with pride surged through me and I beamed brightly at both Kentin and Troy.

"That is so sweet of you to say. I would gladly be your older sister," I said seriously. 

Troy whooped excitedly and when I turned I was confused when I saw Kentin's eyes turned down sadly for a moment. When he noticed my look though he smiled and shrugged.

"I've always wanted a sibling. But I'll definitely be a protective brother," Kentin commented with a teasing grin. I chuckled and reached for my chocolate milk, not able to keep my smile from stretching my lips out.

"Sato, you're coming to our game against the student council, right?" Troy asked eagerly.

"I'd like to for sure! When is it?"

"Friday right after school!" Jason said exuberantly, leaning forward and accidentally knocking against Brandon's elbow. "Sorry, man," Jason said absently.

I was surprised when Brandon looked up at me but then turned away and just shrugged. Iris was sitting next to him but she was talking to Melody and Rosalya. I wondered if something might have happened between them, but I turned back to smile at Jason and Troy.

"I hope lots of people come to watch. Do you think the match will be difficult?"

Troy and Jason both laughed loudly and I felt Dajan reach under the table and kick them lightly, prompting them to be quiet. I looked over at Dajan and he shrugged with a smile.

"This is more of an introductory match to get people excited about basketball season. Not many of the student council members are athletically inclined, so we're expecting it to be a pretty easy match," Dajan explained and I felt my shoulders slump sadly.

"Well that's not very nice to challenge people who have no chance of performing well," I said with a light frown and Troy shook his head fiercely.

"Not all of them are good, but at least Nathaniel will give us a good challenge," he said firmly. I blinked, feeling my eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Nathaniel plays?" I asked in surprise and Brandon finally looked up to join the conversation.

"Nate and I were in the same middle school basketball club. He didn't hit his growth spurt until high school, but even though he was short he's got a ridiculous vertical and he's an awesome shot. I asked him how he did it one time and he was telling me how he can see the angles or whatever when he goes to throw it or something nerdy like that," Brandon said with a small smirk, quickly looking down at his food when our eyes met.

"Truth be told, I've tried to recruit him several times," Dajan said with a shrug. "But he's been too busy with the student council to even consider it. I'm interested to see how he plays now that he's a decent height."

"Huh," I responded. 

My mind wandered to when we were in the orientation race and how Nathaniel had been able to jump straight up and snag a leaf from the gigantic tree at the end of one of the trails. 

"I'm excited to see that as well," I said quietly, feeling happy that I would be able to see a new side of Nathaniel.

With that thought in mind, I quickly finished my meal and stood, leaving my friends to finish their lunches. After dropping off my empty tray, I turned and made my way quickly to the student council room. I knocked twice, but before I heard a response I opened the door. Nathaniel looked up from his desk where he was eating a sandwich and he blinked in surprise.

"Hey, Nathaniel. Am I interrupting?" I asked, feeling bad that this was the second time I came in while he was eating lunch. Nathaniel quickly swallowed his bite and shook his head.

"It's always nice to see you, Opal. Come on in," Nathaniel invited while waving me forward.

I smiled happily and immediately did as he said, snagging a chair as I went by and placing it in front of his desk so I could sit across from him. Nathaniel stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth and I glanced to the side to let him finish eating in peace. Once I heard him swallow, I looked back and was surprised to see Nathaniel regarding me with a concerned expression.

"Are you feeling better now?" Nathaniel asked with a frown. 

My eyes widened as I remembered what happened earlier this morning and I bit my bottom lip and began playing with a strand of my hair awkwardly.

"Oh, yes. I, uh..." 

I searched my mind to try and find some way to explain my strange behavior without coming out and saying that I felt guilty for rejecting Lysander's feelings and still talking to him like we were normal friends. I sincerely doubted that Lysander would want people to know what had happened though and I chewed on my lip as I tried to come up with a plausible excuse.

"You don't have to tell me if it's that difficult," Nathaniel said soothingly, and I looked up to see him regarding me with a serious expression. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

I released the strand of hair I had been playing with and felt my smile slowly return as I looked into Nathaniel's straightforward expression. He blinked in mute surprise at my change of expression and I chuckled quietly.

"Unfortunately I don't think you can. But I really appreciate the offer, Nathaniel," I said sincerely.

He blinked a few more times before he propped his elbow on the desk and leaned his chin into his palm, loosely covering his mouth with his fingers.

"Anytime," he mumbled behind his fingers and for some reason I started to feel shy. 

Glancing down at my lap I cleared my throat delicately, but then I remembered why I had come in the first place and I looked up.

"Brandon told me that you used to be on the basketball team in middle school," I relayed, scooting forward a little in my excitement. 

Nathaniel's elbow slipped and he jerked forward before pulling back and coughing slightly. His cheeks turned a faint pink color as he looked at me with his head slightly turned away.

"Does that surprise you?" he asked with obvious embarrassment and I cocked my head to the side with a grin.

"I've only ever known you as the student council president, so it was a little surprising. But then I remembered your jumping skills and I got really excited to watch you play," I said happily. Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"You're talking about all of those posters right? I didn't even know that was happening until this morning," Nathaniel said with a frown. 

My shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment and I tried to look as sympathetic as possible.

"I was worried you wouldn't be happy about it. Dajan told me this morning that he only asked the principal but didn't talk to you about it. Is it inconvenient for you? Do you need my help with anything?"

Nathaniel blinked at me but then he smiled, letting out a breath through his nose as he shook his head.

"It's not that I'm unhappy. I just don't like to be caught unprepared. There aren't any more big events to worry about for a while, so I don't think I'll be swamped with work or anything," Nathaniel said with a soothing smile and I felt my previous excitement returning.

"Really? That's great then! I'm excited to see the match," I said while bouncing slightly in my chair. Nathaniel chuckled but then his face fell and he looked at me with a slightly guarded expression.

"Who... will you cheer for?" he asked slowly. I blinked, surprised by the question, but it didn't take long for me to smile again.

"I'll cheer for everyone. Dajan said this is more like an opening game to remind everyone that basketball season is coming, so whoever wins I'll just be happy if lots of people come!"

Nathaniel's face relaxed into a small smile and he chuckled. "That sounds just like you, Opal. I guess I'll look forward to you cheering me on then," Nathaniel said before letting out a small yawn.

We ended up talking for a few more minutes until the bell rang and then we made our way to AP Bio together.

Melody waved at both of us when we walked in and I smiled brightly as she talked excitedly about the basketball game coming up. Apparently, Melody was on the student council as well and she had been on the girl's basketball team in middle school, so she was excited to show off for her boyfriend. It made me so happy that Melody and I were on good terms now and I told her that I would be cheering for her as well.

At the end of the school day, I made my way home with Armin and Alexy, which was always fun. I waved happily to them as we parted ways and when I got home I set up on the dining room table and immediately tackled my homework for the day. I was nearly finished with my AP Bio packet when the door opened forcefully for the second time in only four days.

"Unacceptable! I can't believe he pulled this on me, the little..." Auntie slammed the door behind her and I immediately jumped up from the table in response to her anger.

"Auntie, what's wrong?" I asked, feeling extremely concerned. 

Is it something to do with Father? Or maybe Grandpa? Was I wrong to suggest she contact him? I worried inwardly. Auntie looked over at me and sighed, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart; It's not about your dad. He still hasn't gotten back to me," she said, her expression turning dark and I pursed my lips together with worry. She quickly shook her head though and came over to stand next to me. "I shouldn't be so angry, but with everything going on I'm a little tense. And to add to all that, my boss told me today that the employee that was supposed to go to the upcoming board meeting isn't prepared enough, so he told me that I have to go."

"Oh..." I said hesitantly, feeling my own stress mounting just from seeing how upset this was making Auntie.

"But it's not JUST a board meeting. It's also a sales pitch of sorts and it's going to take four days, and with the flight there and back that's five days that I would be away! I told him after the Japan trip that I didn't want to go on any more business trips until you graduated," Auntie steamed and I blinked, surprised at the pang of loneliness that went through me. I quickly licked my lips and tried to ignore the feeling so I could focus on what was best for Auntie.

"But Auntie, it's only five days," I pointed out calmly and Auntie vehemently shook her head.

"I promised you I wouldn't leave you again and I don't intend on breaking that promise," she said fiercely. 

Her expression was hard and I wondered if she was thinking of how my dad had abandoned her family when she was young. Heaving a sigh, I hugged her tightly, leaning my chin on her shoulder and rubbing her back.

"Thank you, Auntie," I whispered, and I could feel her arms tighten even more around my back. I blinked away the tears that were attempting to form and I smiled to make sure my voice sounded light. "Obviously I'll miss you, but I don't want you to get in trouble with your boss."

Once I was sure my tears were under control, I pulled back slightly and smiled at Auntie. She frowned heavily at me though and shook her head.

"Opal, I can't leave you now with Aaron's strange behavior. What if... What if he is sick and we need to go and visit him in the hospital or something?" Auntie asked, but I was surprised that instead of looking worried she almost looked accusing as she turned and looked at her phone.

She knows that's not the reason, I thought sadly to myself and guilt plagued me. I was sure that Auntie's constant updates on my life had finally pushed him over the edge and that was why he was refusing to communicate with her anymore. But it made me sick that he would abandon the sister who loved him just because she thought she was doing the right thing as my guardian. Pushing my feelings of guilt aside, for now, I gave Auntie my best smile and gripped her hands in mine.

"Father is the healthiest person I know. I'm sure it's just because of a scam like you said that he changed his email and phone number," I said, trying my best to be positive. 

Auntie frowned sadly at me but she squeezed my hands. 

"I think it's awesome that your boss relies on you so much though. If he wants you to go, then you should go." Auntie's frown deepened, but I could see the hesitation in her eyes so I continued. "I'll be fine. It's not even a week, and I'm sure this would be a great opportunity for you, right?"

She nodded slowly and I grinned at her supportively.

"Are you sure, sweetheart? You won't be too lonely?" she asked with genuine worry in her expression. I threw my arms around her shoulders and squeezed her, rocking us back and forth crazily and making her laugh.

"I'll call you every night!" I promised enthusiastically. She giggled lightly, pulling me into another tight squeeze.

"You're such a good girl, Opal. Thank you," she said with a slightly guilty expression. "I'll let you know if I hear anything from your dad, okay?"

I nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond to that, so I just changed the subject. 

"When will you leave?" I asked and she rolled her eyes.

"Friday evening."

"That soon?" I asked in surprise and she sighed.

"My boss can be a little eccentric. We've been planning this meeting for a month but less than a week before it happens he decides that I would be the better choice as the leader. I argued with him, but he told me to go and think about it and call him when I decided to accept," she said with obvious annoyance and I couldn't help but giggle. She gave me a wry grin and reluctantly took her phone out of her purse. "I'd better call him. What do you want for dinner?"

"I've already got teriyaki chicken in the crockpot. We just need to cook the rice and choose a veggie."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Auntie said with a smile and walked towards her room with the phone to her ear, picking up her heels on the way.

I watched her walk down the hall and couldn't help but notice the sag in her shoulders. Biting my bottom lip, I thought of what I could do to help relieve some of Auntie's burdens that I had unintentionally caused.

An idea came to me and I instantly balked, not wanting to even consider it. However, I steeled my resolve and let out a long, controlled breath. Going over to the table where I had left my phone, I took it and quietly tiptoed into my room where I shut the door and then, for good measure, walked into my closet and shut those doors as well. Taking a deep, calming breath, I slowly scrolled through my phone contacts until the name of my father's karate school came up.

Before I lost my resolve, I quickly clicked the call button and put the phone to my ear. It rang twice before the familiar voice of my father's receptionist, Victor, came on the line.

"True Strength Karate. How may I help you?"

I gripped the phone tightly against my ear, remembering all of the times Victor had respectfully addressed my father when I was attending as his student. Gathering my courage, I forced myself to speak.

"Hello, Victor. This is Opal Sato," I said slowly, hoping that Auntie was too busy with her own call to hear me.

"Opal?" Victor repeated with obvious shock in his voice. There was a slight pause and he let out a small sigh. "Look, I know you're Sensei's daughter, but I don't think it's a good idea to talk to him right now. He's been even tougher than usual since the divorce got started and he's having me screen all calls from family members."

My throat clenched in automatic fear just hearing about Father being in a bad mood. I quickly shook my head though and licked my dry lips so I could speak.

"I don't need to talk to him, Victor. Could you please just leave a message? Auntie is really worried that he's been hospitalized since he won't speak to her. Could you ask him to please just respond to her so she knows he's alright?"

Victor let out a deep sigh and I thought I could hear him scratching his head.

"I really hate being stuck in the middle of family drama," Victor complained. I bowed my head automatically, but immediately realized he couldn't see me.

"I truly am sorry, Victor. I'm just really worried about Auntie. Honestly, I think she is getting to the point where she wants to go and check on him personally and I doubt that is what he wants."

Victor let out a groan on the other end of the phone before he sighed again. "You're right about that. He's in no mood for visitors. I'll see what I can do about getting him to contact your aunt. What was her name again?"

"Yuki," I responded immediately, although the fact that he hadn't remembered her name made me suspicious that he hadn't actually been taking any messages when she had called him before.

"Fine. I'll let him know. No guarantees that he'll do anything about it though," Victor said with a warning tone.

"Thank you for doing that, Victor," I said, letting out a shaky breath. "Oh! And you don't have to tell him I was the one that called. Just give him the message," I added quickly, not even wanting to know how he would react if he heard that I had called.

"Yah, yah. See you later," Victor said, not sounding at all interested as he hung up the phone. My heart clenched and I looked at my phone screen and frowned deeply.

"No," I whispered to it in the confines of my closet. "I hope you will never see me there again."