"Hey, are you free today after school?" Blythe questioned me as she walked beside me towards the lunch table a few days later.

I frowned in response. "Sorry, I already made plans today after school," I stated in an apologetic tone. "How about we meet up tomorrow?" 

"Who did you make plans with?" she asked me, confused. "Eamon?" 

I shook my head and a small blush itched its way onto my face. "Uh, no. It is with a boy though. His name is Arrowe, apparently his dad was friends with my mom back when they were younger," I explained to her, smiling slightly. We eventually reached our table, where Lyra was mysteriously missing, and sat down. "I think our parents are trying to set us up, but I don't really know." 

"Girl, do not even think of going there. It would mean having to throw out the embroidered Eava blanket I had made," she joked and I rolled my eyes in response. She laughed at her joke before adding on, seriously, "But, honestly, I say do whatever feels right. If you want to get with this boy, go for it." 

"Are you ladies talking about me?" Eamon took the seat on my left, smirking. "Because I mean, you're great and all Nova, but I feel like we just met so that would be awkward. I mean, but I'm willing to try-"

I cut off his joking before I had a heart attack, "No, we're not talking about you, idiot." 

His smirk did switch to a frown, which confused me. "Oh." He paused. "Well, who are you guys talking about then?" 

"Arrowe," Blythe supplied when I stayed quiet. "They're 'hanging out as friends' today after school." She used finger quotations around 'hanging out as friends.'

"Friends, huh?" Eamon teased. "I thought you told me you didn't like him." 

"I dont," I immediately defended before turning to Blythe. "Stop putting ideas in people's heads. Especially him." 

"What's wrong with me?" Eamon asked, faking innocence. 

Blythe snorted. "What isn't?" 

We didn't get to finish our conversation when Serena and Mika walked over, confusion filling their faces. "What are you doing over here, bud?" Mika questioned. He nodded a small ounce of acknowledgement in our direction before turning back to Eamon. 

"I thought it would be fun to sit with Blythe and her friends here," Eamon told them, a grin on his face. "Guys, meet-"

"Poopy, yeah we know you," Serena said with a small snort and I shifted awkwardly in my chair.

"It's Nova, actually," I corrected, frowning. 

"How have you been, Blythe? I feel like we never get to talk with you," Serena asked, ignoring me and looking to Blythe's direction. I quickly got more uncomfortable and had to take extra care into not going into a quick fight or flight response. Especially because I was feeling the fight one more strongly. 

Mika glared at Serena, which surprised me. "What the hell?" he questioned her, rolling his eyes. He then gave me an apologetic glance. "I didn't know your name was Nova?" 

"It's Novena, technically, but yeah... It's Nova." I told him, biting my lip. I definitely would not be inviting Eamon to sit with us again if it meant Serena dragging herself here as well. "Eamon calls me by my middle name." 

"Your middle name is Poopy?" Serena snorted. "Because that's all I've ever heard him call you." 

"Seriously what's your issue?" Eamon questioned her, his tone of voice angry. I don't think I've ever seen him angry, so this was weird. "You know very well I call her Poppy." 

"Only recently," Serena bounced back. "So it doesn't count. What does count is what's going on between you two?" 

"I-"

"Hey guys," Lyra said awkwardly, walking up to the table. "Uh... what's going on?" 

"Nothing, we were just leaving," Serena responded, sending her a fake yet gorgeous smile. She gripped Mika's arm and pulled him away with her. I watched them walk away with Mika angrily speaking with her as she practically ignored him and shrugged her shoulders. 

Lyra noticed the tension left at the table and sat down on the other side of Blythe cautiously. "Are you guys all okay?" 

"We're fine," Eamon muttered, grabbing his things. "I'm gonna go see what stick crawled up her behind. I'm sorry Nova." He looked at me apologetically but I waved it off. 

"You're fine," I said, not really putting much energy into the response. I've never had anyone be so outright rude to my face, the closest I've had was Eamon calling me Poopy. Which now that I know him better, I'm aware that he genuinely did not mean it to hurt me but thought it would be funny joke. He just didn't realize we don't have the same humor at the time. 

He walked away towards his friends and me and Blythe shared the same wide-eyed wonder, mouths dropped. "What in the hell just happened?" Blythe rhetorically questioned. "I have never, in my entire life, seen her act so petty."

"I, for one, would like to know what just happened as well," Lyra stated, frowning. "What did she do?"

"Serena just waltzed over to the table and started talking crap straight to Nova's face when all she was doing was sitting here trying to eat her food! I'm so going to tell her mom about this." Blythe's face was contorted with anger and I was happy I was not on the opposite side of her wrath. 

"Honestly, she's probably just having a bad day or maybe a week and is taking it out on me. I don't want to worry about it," I brushed the situation off, letting out a deep sigh. "Besides, I want to stay in a good mood when I hang out with Arrowe tonight."

"Arrowe?" Lyra looked between Blythe and I in confusion. "Am I missing something?"

"He's just some guy," I supplied. "His dad was friends with my mom when they were growing up. He's a few years older than us." 

"He's also talentless so her parents, who think that she is also talentless, think he'll be on her matchmaking papers or something and they'll end up together," Blythe added on. "I think it's great and all she has another guy to add to her life when I can't even get one, but also I think someone's going to get hurt here." 

"I literally don't like any guys right now. They're both just my friends," I responded to Blythe in annoyance. "I seriously am perfectly happy being single. I'm only fifteen, I have time to find a guy who I actually connect with in that way when I'm older." 

"Honestly I'm all for the independent young woman, not needing a man thing," Lyra replied, grinning. "But also I still think that you and Eamon are cute together."

"I just can't imagine being with him. My parents hate his parents, his friends apparently hate me, I'd have to admit to my parents that I have an ability, and just... it all just doesn't work out." 

"But then there's Arrowe. His and your family's get along really well, you are his friend so I'm assuming there's no issues with friendships, and you won't have to admit to your family you have an ability."

"I don't like Arrowe."

"Good, because to be with him you'd also have to spend the rest of your life lying," Blythe added on to her previous statement. "I just think he's too easy, you know? Plus, personally you have no chemistry."

"First of all, you haven't met him," I pointed out to her, rolling my eyes. "Second of all, none of this matters because I literally do not want to be in a relationship right now and when you guys joke about it anyways it makes me feel uncomfortable so can we please change the subject?"

"We can," Lyra told me before Blythe could even open her mouth, giving Blythe a pointed look. "Like, let's talk about your training. How is it going?" 

"It's going pretty well," I replied, smiling slightly. "I don't know, I still get nervous about it but I've yet to burn anyone nor have I succeeded at burning the school down so I must be doing something right." 

"Well, let's hope you continue to succeed at that one," Blythe snorted. "I'm happy I don't have your guys' ability but at the same time I'm kind of sad that I'm the only one of us that doesn't have it." 

"Hey, I think your ability is super rad. And you're on the road to become one of the most powerful people in our generation," I immediately responded to her, grinning. "You would hate being a pyrokinetic." 

"I probably would," she said, thinking it over before shrugging. "Oh well. What about you?" She turned to Lyra. 

"I mean, mine is the same as always. I've been training for years and it feels like I've been stuck in the same place. I don't think I'm ever going to become a super powerful one, and honestly I'm okay with that." She shrugged before checking the time. "Guys, I feel like this lunch has been going on forever." 

"Me too," I replied, frowning. "But it ends in a few minutes, right?" Blythe nodded yes to my question. 

"We should meet up in study hall and make plans for something to do with the three of us," Blythe suggested. 

"Could we add one more?" Lyra asked. 

"Uh... I guess," Blythe replied, frowning. "Who?"

"My best friend," she replied cryptically. "We don't tell people we're friends because everyone would question how since we're so different and then we'd have to admit our abilities to everyone." 

"Oh." 

"Have an open mind," I told Blythe, knowing Lyra was talking about Genesis. "You'll be shocked and kind of mad at first, but then you'll actually realize that her best friend is a really good actress."

"Now I'm scared," Blythe stated sarcastically. "But, still, we should talk about this later. We can pass notes during study hall or something."

"Sounds good to me. I would love another sleepover," I said, smiling. "Just as long as you guys don't spend the entire time making a pros and cons list about Arrowe and Eamon." 

"Wait! I almost forgot that the whole reason it was brought up is because you're hanging out with Arrowe today! We can talk all about that at the sleepover." 

"See, this is the exact opposite of what I want to talk about at the sleepover. Sleepover is officially cancelled," I joked. 

"You wish. It's officially proclaimed as a thing that is happening by me, so thus it shall happen. We are having a sleepover this weekend ladies." 

---

this chapter is very much a filler but idk i just really wanted to show a nice chapter with nova just chilling with her friends. i mean as long as you forget the serena thing, which i promise will be explained. i know this chapter seemed all over the place but i actually have a plan for this book for once guys!!! be proud of me!!

i love this one author who does chapter questions and then shout outs the closest answers in the next chapter so i want to try lol:

in the next chapter nova has her little meet up with arrowe when a random person decides to join in. who joins the little "date"?