chapter 37: fern's entertainment

~fern~

       Harlow closes her notebook before resting her head on the table. "I give up," she mutters. "I'm just going to accept my failing grade."

       "You're not going to fail," I assure. "You're doing great in your classes. It would take a really bad grade on your final to end up failing the entire class."

       Harlow sighs. "I know. I just hate exams. They're stressful and annoying. And no matter how long I study for, I always feel unprepared for the exams." She sits up again but doesn't make any effort to continue studying during our lunch period. "How do you two do it?"

       "Do what?" Kiro asks.

       "Get such high grades so effortlessly," Harlow says. "You two are literally the school's top two students."

       "It's not effortlessly," Kiro says. "We study too. All the time. Why do you think I'm over at your house with Fern all the time?"

       "Because you're madly in love with her," Harlow says. "Was that supposed to be a trick question?"

       "No, that's not..." Kiro sighs. "Never mind. That's always the answer you give, so you're not going to change your mind."

       Harlow's phone suddenly dings with a text, as does Kiro's shortly after. Harlow picks up her phone, but Kiro ignores his to continue studying. We're nearing the end of this semester, so most of our classes are having final exams soon. Kiro and I like to study every chance we get around this time of the semester to make sure our grades stay as high as they are.

       "Oh, sweet," Harlow says as she looks at her cell phone. "I got my target for the assassin game."

       "The what game?" I ask.

       "The assassin game," Harlow repeats. "You didn't hear about it?" I shake my head. "It's for the grade elevens and twelves. Basically, anyone who participates is assigned a target and has to take them out with a water gun. Then they get their target's target, and the game lasts until there is one person left. There's a bunch of rules too, but that's the basics."

       Kiro grabs his cell phone to check the text message he got. "I got my target too."

       "You're playing?" I ask.

       "Yeah, I thought it would be fun," Kiro says. "There's a grand prize for the winner too. A gift card for a hundred dollars. I mean, I'm in it more for the experience and because I get an advantage from not living in the city."

       "How is that an advantage?" I ask.

       "You can be assassinated at any time," Kiro says. "There are some restrictions, like not being assassinated during school hours or when someone is at work. Other than that, it's free game. Only me and Harlow out of all the students live in Port Orthos, so our assassin is going to have to travel there to get us."

       "Unless you're my target," Harlow says. "Just think, I can eliminate you the moment you step foot in my house. Being madly in love with my sister is going to be the death of you, so maybe you should just not come over to my house for the time being."

       "I know you're just using that as a reason not to have me over," Kiro says. "And I know I'm not your target. One of the refs said that they're not going to make any friends targets of each other since that will give them a huge advantage by knowing where they live and stuff like that."

       "I don't like you being so smart," Harlow says. "But since you are so smart, want to help me eliminate my target?"

       "No," Kiro says.

       "It's Viktor."

       "I change my mind. I'll help."

       Harlow smiles. "Perfect." She looks at me. "Do you want to join the game? It's not too late to join. Deadline is Friday for any latecomers."

       I shake my head. "No, thanks. I'd rather not have a complete stranger come up to me when I'm unsuspecting and shoot me with a water gun. I think I'll get enough entertainment just watching it."

       "That's fair," Harlow says. "And Kiro might murder the person who is assigned to kill you."

       "I would not," Kiro says. "Stop acting like I'm some kind of murderous person who will kill someone for so much as looking at Fern."

       "You would."

       Kiro sighs. "I'm not going to argue with you."

       The three of us continue to eat our lunches and study at the same time. Well, Kiro and I study. Harlow refuses, saying that she doesn't want to fry her brain when she still has two classes left.

       Lunch soon ends, so the three of us head to our next class. I make sure to really focus in the final two classes of the day so I can do well when the exams roll around. I've always been at the top of my classes and I don't want to fall behind now.

       Now might not be the best time for this assassin game to start since people might be stressing over both the game and studying for exams, but at least I'm not participating in the game. I can just watch from the sidelines. And root for Kiro and Harlow.

       When school ends, Kiro and I head out to the parking lot to his car. As we're driving home, I ask, "Who is your target for the game, anyway?"

       "Someone in grade twelve," Kiro says. "Earle. Should be easy once I found out everything about him. Wow, this game is going to make a lot of people seem like stalkers. It definitely is a good thing you chose not to join."

       "I know, right?" The thought of some random person possibly finding out where I live or anything else in order to shoot me with a water gun makes me feel nervous. I can barely handle one-on-one conversations as it is, even with people I'm familiar with.

       But that doesn't mean I won't watch the game from the sidelines. If a lot of people in the school are going to take part in it, then it will surely be entertaining.

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part of me wanted to make either harlow or kiro be each other's targets because it would be funny, but i decided against it lol.