The Book of Firsts

Fifty-Eight

"So delicious! What’s the flavour?"

"Lemon pepper." I tilted the bucket so Sean could grab some more. "So, is the Sports Carnival all dramatic rivalries and tripping each other in the relays, or just a fun day without lessons?"

"From the popcorn, I can see your attitude," Sue said. "For the rest of us, it depends on who it is. In theory you want to win points for your Home Room, but in practice it’s either clubs or personal rivalries that matter."

"Is there anyone whose nose we’re supposed to rub in the dirt?" I asked, cheerfully munching.

"I wouldn’t mind tripping the Boxing Club," Anika said. "Arde and that Craig."

"Have they been snatching resources again?" Rick asked.

"The number of supplies that have gone missing from Gardening and Gymnastics are enough to start their own store. And they’re outright intimidating if you go looking."

"I’ll add petty theft initiatives to the SC agenda," Lania said, leaning across Sean to grab some popcorn. "See if anyone can think of a solution this time around."

"Hidden cameras?" I suggested, amused, then said: "I thought you were doing Student Council stuff today, Lania."

Lania waved a hand. "Someone made an anonymous accusation of a rigging and betting scheme, so the faculty took most of the organisational responsibility off us."

"Scandals!" Sean said, excitedly. "I always said Kyou had the heart of a mafia boss."

"I don’t think anyone actually believes it—they’re just covering everyone’s back. The Executive said they could handle what little’s left themselves." Lania turned her head, and then quirked one eyebrow. "Mostly by providing eye candy, apparently."

We all looked at the Student Council’s tent, located at the pivot point of the three spokes of sporting fields currently seething with students. I’d taken a slow walk past on my way to the stands: it was one of the tents that had been used at the Festival as a snack shop, with a heavy metal frame, and a wooden counter built into the front. Inside was a table stacked with clipboards and a dozen bottles of water. And four chairs, a white outdoor variety. The transparent streak of brown at the front of the seat had only been noticeable because I’d been looking for it.

Bran and Kyou were currently sitting on the counter, and had very obligingly taken off their shirts. They swapped, and put the replacements on, completely ignoring the little chorus of shrieks that rose up around them.

"Do—do you suppose they somehow accidentally got them mixed up getting dressed this morning?" Sean asked, sounding breathless.

"Probably," I said. "Though, given they’re similar builds, I’m not sure how they could tell they had the wrong shirt."

"But they were already dressed when they came to school," Sean said excitedly.

Happy speculation followed, which I listened to with half my attention, the rest of it on Rin. He’d been leaning languidly against a pole, but now circled the tent and went inside. I’d arrived early so that I could choose seating in the stands that had the best view of the inside of the tent, but hadn’t anticipated Kyou and Bran sitting in the way. I could barely make out Rin standing by the table flipping through one of the clipboards. Having established that, I returned to trying to spot Tomas, with little luck until I grew some sense and looked for Meggan’s fiery head instead. And there was Tomas, hardly five feet away from me, watching Rin. Waiting for Three Kings to fall into his trap.

I hated to think about how effective it might have been if the phone tracker hadn’t been active. I’d spent some time Googling topical poisons the previous night, which had given me a couple of unlikely but rather awful candidates. Presumably the brown stripe had dried already, but if a hot, sweating person wearing shorts sat down, there was a reasonable chance that some of it would end up on the back of that person’s thighs or knees. Unless it had immediate effect, symptoms might never be linked to the chairs.

The call went out for contestants to assemble for the first round of events. Since I was only signed up for one race late in proceedings, I promised to watch everyone’s belongings, and settled in with my popcorn to enjoy Rin, Kyou and Bran thoroughly indulging themselves teasing Tomas. There was always one of them at the tent, and they constantly popped in and out, but somehow they never quite managed to sit in the chairs. Rin stacked two of them together and tidied them into a corner. Kyou piled the tracksuit jackets they’d previously had tied around their waists onto another. Bran sat cross-legged on the table.

The day wore on. Tomas and Meggan both went off to participate in events and came back. Meggan cheered Tomas on in the two hundred metres, where he came third behind Rin and Kyou. Tomas came back, and Meggan left. Lania placed fourth in shotput, but took it philosophically, especially when Rick and Sean joined her in the Fourth Place Club."

"You have to do your best to join us, Mika," Lania said. "No trailing along at the back of the pack."

"Sure," I said, comfortably. "I’ll do my best to just miss out."

"Eye candy alert!" Sean said, urgently.

We all immediately looked at the Student Council tent, where Bran seemed to be showing Kyou a shuffle routine. Indeed worth watching, but I’d seen something potentially far more interesting, and took out my phone.

"He’s been in such a good frame of mind since he found his college girl," Sean said. "It’s the only thing that makes up for him not being on the market anymore."

I started filming. Not Bran and Kyou, but Tomas, who had spotted Meggan and Celeste coming back from the hurdles race on the far field. He shifted a little as the two girls paused to watch Bran’s display, and then went still when Rin waved at Celeste, and started up a conversation.

"They all seem to be in a good mood today," Sue said. "Chatting with anyone who passes. I should go push my luck and ask Rin if he’s in the market for a date to the dance."

"I already tried," Sean said, with a sigh. "He said they’re all planning to run solo this year."

"Doesn’t that translate to them going with each other?" Rick said, laughing.

Tomas stiffened, head up, eyes wide with concern. Glancing away from him, I saw that Rin was leading Meggan and Celeste around behind the tent, and could almost hear him gently offering them a place to sit out of the sun, and some water to drink. Unable to keep back a slight curve of my lips, I made sure to catch the moment when Tomas shot to his feet, and then bounded down the stands, scattering backpacks and jerseys in his haste.

"What the hell’s up with him?" Rick said.

"Meggan!" Tomas shouted, not even trying to be low-key. "Meggan, wait a minute!"

Bran stopped dancing. Kyou turned around. Rin, inside the tent, had already pulled out a chair and Meggan, though clearly startled by the shout, sat down automatically. I had to wonder what Rin would have done if she hadn’t, and couldn’t help but remember his ice-cold Noted, back on the school trip, and the song he had written to mark the end of their friendship. Smiling fox that he was, he’d never shown a hint of anger to Meggan, and now he handed her a bottle of water, and said something with a wry expression that was enough to keep her seated as he pulled out another chair for Celeste.

"Serious over-reaction," Sean said. "What does he think Rin’s going to do to her?"

"Ask her to the Seniors' Ball?" I suggested.

"Unlikely," Sue said. "Even though Bran’s moved on, I think Kyou and Rin wouldn’t ever Go There."

My grip on my phone tightened, and I had to control myself to keep the image straight. Tomas' outright panic told me more than enough about whatever was on those chairs, what he’d been willing to inflict not only on the Three Kings, but everyone else in the Student Council. I no longer doubted that he was responsible for my swift shove down the stairs: anyone so lacking in a sense of proportion would consider it a minor matter to break a random girl’s bones to check whether Bran was dating her.

I’d not noticed any outright security presence, but multiple teachers started to converge, so promptly it was clear they’d been waiting for developments. Fortunately, Tomas was blind to anything except Meggan, sitting in his own personally created nightmare. He raced straight into the tent, shoved Rin aside, and pulled the highly startled Meggan to her feet. Then he grabbed a water bottle from the table and tried to upend it over the back of her thighs—an action hampered by Meggan’s not-unnatural instinct to avoid him.

The tent was too far away for me to hear what was said, now that volume had been reduced below a shout, and the entire gathered audience were murmuring their astonishment. I could guess some of it, as Rin played a nice game of hero protecting damsel, and Meggan continued to avoid, until Tomas said something that made Meggan look horrified, and then hastily grab the wet cloth Tomas was waving at her, and swipe at the back of her knees.

Teachers arrived, and pulled Tomas out of the tent while he shouted frantically at them, the whole of his being focused on Meggan. Rin followed them out, and leaned forward, saying something to Tomas that turned him to a statue. And then the shorter boy broke from the two teachers and threw himself at Rin, only to be intercepted by Bran, who hauled back and punched him.

"This school sure is dramatic," I said, and finished the last of my popcorn.