Private/Closed Misunderstanding

[kageyama]

Oh? Someone looks a little upset, Miya thought with a mental sneer. She stepped up to the machine and eyed it before pressing the button. Just before she swung at it, the thought of the fake relationship passed in her mind, immediately filling her with rage. As it dangled still in front of her, she reared back and threw out her left arm with intensity, definitely using the anger as a base to hit hard. hitting the bag square in the middle, it flopped up and down wildly before her points read across the screen. 855. Miya almost couldn't believe it herself. "What a twist of events," she murmured under her breath delightfully. After that, the line progressed rather quickly and the tests came to an end.

Each worn-out student stood in the clearing, staring forward at the head teacher. "Results will likely be posted on the board around dinnertime. From here on out, you each have free time. Come to the cafeteria at six o'clock for grub," he said, then dismissing everyone with a wave of his hand. Miya glanced at Kyran coldly for a split second before heading off to her dorm room to shower.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran matched Miya's glare with a sharp glance of his own before he parted ways with the class and headed to his dorm room. Taking a quick shower with cold water, he dried his hair and put on a black tee and white trousers before sitting on his bed, pulling out a new novel (he had finished the previous novel while he waited during the test). The students had about an hour and a half until dinner was served in the cafeteria, so Kyran used that time to relax and get some sleep (which he would do after he was done reading). It seemed that if he could at least take his mind off of his "relationship" with Miya and only seem to care about it when the other girls were around, he might be able to manage for the time being.

 

[kageyama]

Miya spent her hour and a half sprawled on her bed in a white long-sleeved tee and blue tempo shorts. Her hair was swept back in its usual style, and a large book lay in front of her. Her roommate was putting up a one-sided conversation with her, with Miya occasionally responding with an "uh-huh," or, "mhm." Eventually, the pitchy voice got to Miya and she fled from the room to avoid getting a headache. She was about fifteen minutes early to dinner, so she explored the grounds for a bit before spotting a group of kids in a sandpit with a volleyball net. They beckoned her over, and soon enough, an intense match of beach volleyball struck out amongst them.

After about ten minutes, a kid piped up and said dinnertime would commence soon, which put the match on hold as everyone traveled to the commons. Numerous groups of students were huddled around the bulletin board, leading Miya to the assumption that the results were in. "A tie between star crossed lovers... dreamy, isn't it?" She heard a voice sigh. Immediately, Miya angrily slipped through the crowd and stood in front of the board. Next to both her and Kyran's names was a gold number one. She groaned internally for ages as she slipped back out of the crowd and towards the lunch line.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

"A tie between star crossed lovers... dreamy, isn't it?"

So, it was a tie. Kyran couldn't say it wasn't frustrating, but it was to be expected. He had faltered in the punching test, and as a result, the scores put him and Miya at the same rank. He sighed with resignation as he lined up, not caring too much about the results. He grabbed an apple and a slice of cheese pizza before heading to a vacant table and beginning to eat. He finished his pizza and bit into his apple, scrolling through the daily news on his phone. Miya had shown up yet in his line of view, and neither had the other girls, so he was safe for now. Hopefully he would remain undisturbed for at least a good portion of dinnertime.

 

[kageyama]

Miya only grabbed an apple, which was a very portable fruit, meaning she had no reason to sit next to Kyran when she caught a glimpse of him. Instead, she walked back over to the sandpit, which was enough time for her to finish the snack and toss in a nearby garbage can. Soon enough, people returned to the game and it started up once more. It was safe to say that Miya shone pretty brightly with her ridiculous jump height.

The game carried on for the evening, and more and more people came to hang outside and chill with one another. A bonfire was slowly getting started nearby, and a couple of games of cornhole began around the grounds. All in all, the atmosphere was hearty and warm - a well-needed change of environment for Miya. However, the fun didn't last forever as fatigue started to catch up with the blonde. After one last spike, she dismissed herself from the hangout and head back to her dorm room, where she tidied up herself and slipped into bed.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran had opted to stay at the dorm room during the evening until lights out, playing solitaire and shuffling his cards as he tossed and riffled them around with his hands. He then washed up and went to bed.

The morning began at 6:00 AM with a light stretching routine as a whole group out in a field. Once the routine was concluded, the teacher stepped forward with a microphone and announced, "Good morning, everyone; I trust that you are all well rested and ready to start the morning, even at a time as early as this," he quipped sarcastically and with a yawn, prompting a number of chuckles from the students. "For the entire day, the admin and teachers will be conducting a field day for you all, so get ready for a fun time of sports and other activities. You all will be split into 8 teams of different colors and will participate in events like a scavenger hunt, a number of different sports like dodgeball, volleyball, soccer, capture the flag, etc. If you need help or get injured, there will be at least 2 helpers on every site to assist in any way they can. With that said, I will split you up into teams and assign you to your first event."

Much to Kyran's dismay, he was put on the same team as Miya, and their team, team blue, was directed to the gym for their first activity, volleyball. The teen sighed with a dull expression on his face as he walked with his team to the location.

 

[kageyama]

Even though they were about to compete in Miya's favorite sport of literally all time, she couldn't help feeling negative over the fact that she was paired with Kyran. As the team approached their side of the court, everyone huddled. Luckily for them, the majority of their teammates understood the concept of or played volleyball, so there was no issue in deciding who did what. Each person offered what role they could fill. "I can hit middle," Miya offered blankly, receiving several nods. There were 12 players on each team, which was enough for a totally new rotation should everyone want to sub out. A built male, the boy's volleyball team captain, pointed to Kyran. "Whatcha doin'? Know how to set?" he asked him.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran nodded in response. “Sure, I’ll toss for you guys. Just jump, and I’ll send it your way; all you have to do is swing downward.” The team broke the formation as the two teams got into their array on both sides of the court. The opposing team had the first serve, and the server hit the ball in an underhand arc toward the team. The captain received it easily, hitting it to Kyran to set up a spike. From his periphery, he saw Miya running up to hit for a quick, and he jumped up with both arms outstretched in the setting motion. However, once he was in the air, Kyran dropped one arm and swung downward with the other, slamming the ball straight down at a steep arc, rather than setting it for Miya. The volleyball hit the other side of the net almost instantly as the court fell quiet, aside from the soft bouncing of the ball. Kyran landed on the ground, seeing the other team with their mouths agape, and turned to glance at Miya, a dry look on his face. I don’t like teaming up with her.

 

[kageyama]

Miya scoffed under her breath. What are you, five? She thought with a scowl as she faced the net, awaiting her teammate's serve to go over. Truthfully, though, she probably wouldn't set for him either if she had the choice to. The ball went over her head to the other side of the court and was received fairly well by a back-row player. Miya watched the setter closely before determining the set would get sent to the middle. "One, two..." she mumbled before springing up, her hands high over the net in a kill-block form. The middle hitter slammed the ball into her palm, immediately getting shut down. The ball hit the ground and was rolled back to the server as Miya faced the net once more.

The ball went over, was received and went up to the left-side. The ball grazed Miya's fingers as she accompanied her fellow blocker. "One-touch!" the blonde said loudly, already swinging back to the 10-foot line. As she began the steps for a quick, she glanced at Kyran icily, challenging him to set to her.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Seeing Miya run up to the net once again, eyes sharply fixated on him, he rolled his eyes in annoyance. Fine. As he jumped up to set the ball, he watched as his teammate jumped up, hand poised for a spike. There it was; just at the apex of the downward arc of Miya's hand. A set required a delicate touch and unwavering precision, and that was exactly what Kyran delivered. He tossed the ball straight across, watching the ball fly almost parallel to the net and collide perfectly with Miya's swing. Nailed it. The ball hit the ground across the net with a resounding thud, prompting a multitude of shocked murmurs as the two dropped back to the ground. A student on the opposing team whispered to another, "They're dating, right? No wonder they have such synergy." Upon overhearing the remark, Kyran abruptly turned away from the net, eyes narrowed, though he let out a reluctant, "Nice kill." to Miya.

 

[kageyama]

Hearing the exclaim as well, Miya let out a 'tch.' She glanced for a second at Kyran before grudgingly muttering, "Nice toss."

The rest of the match was an inevitable win for the blue team, who crushed their opponents quite generously. From there, each team rotated to a new station. Miya followed the head of their group, who took them to play the round of dodgeball. Everyone gathered in their respective team's huddle to strategize. Miya kept quiet as the blue team concluded to basically give it their all. With that, the round of dodgeball began. In only a matter of seconds, Miya struck out the first player, competitiveness rising in her.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Upon the start of the dodgeball game, Kyran ran to get a ball set at the center line, retrieving it and retreating back to his original spot. In the corner of his eye, he saw Miya throw one that struck a player on the other team and look rather confident and competitive. However, in her triumphant stupor, it seemed she failed to notice a ball being thrown at her from the corner of the court. He called out rather dryly, "Hey, look out!" and hurled his ball at the one flying toward her. The two spheres collided, knocking each other off course. In his effort to keep his teammate in the game, he was able to spot a ball flying at him this time, at the last moment. Muttering a curse under his breath, he ducked back and stuck out a hand, catching it while he was leaning backward.

 

[kageyama]

Miya stood still as she watched the ball get knocked out of course. She turned her head to see the aggravated Kyran who kept her in the game and raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him, before turning back to the game and pelting opponents with every chance she had.

That's weird, Miya mentally queried as she drank out of her water bottle, following the group leader to their next activity. Dodgeball was another success for the blue team, and they even had time to spare after defeating the opposing team twice. The next activity was soccer, a sport that Miya found uninteresting and overrated. However, that didn't stop her from keeping her 'play all-out' mentality. The teams set up and readied, and soon enough, a whistle blew to signal the start of the scrimmage. Because she had no interest in the sport, Miya primarily focused on assisting and passing to her more devoted peers.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

It seemed that Kyran had adopted the same mindset as Miya, having burst past through two or three opponents at almost every play and scoring easily. As he juked through a double team during one play, he approached the goal with the ball, the goalie assuming a defensive stance. Miya appeared in his field of vision, approaching the goal as well, but from the goalie's blind side and free of defenders. Kyran pulled a leg back, acting as if he was preparing to shoot, but at the last moment, he dug his foot under the ball and lobbed it to Miya past the goalie's blocking range. The ball was tapped in with ease, and the whistle blew, signalling the addition of one more point for the blue team. Kyran sighed and walked past Miya, sneaking a quiet but still dry "Good finish." as he walked back to their side of the field, giving the rest of his team a high-five before the beginning of the next play.

 

[kageyama]

The rest of the activities only proved further the compatibility between Miya and Kyran, even if they were desperate to deny it. As the 'capture the flag' segment began, Miya was quick to use her agile features to sneak around and swipe their opponent's flag. As she ran back to her home base, she was blocked by a few burly opponents who were closing in on her. Miya glanced around calmly, spotting Kyran up ahead with nobody to guard him. She exhaled sharply before yelling, "Heads up!" and launching the flag out to him, where he was easily able to bring it to their home ground. I don't think I like this ally stuff, Miya thought as she rubbed the back of her neck, hopping back into the newly reset game.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

I wouldn't say this to her face even if someone paid me to, but we don't make a bad team. Kyran sighed yet again as the blue team went on to dominate Capture the Flag and every subsequent game they played, and they finally arrived at the last location, basketball. During the third quarter, although the team had maintained a constant lead by a wide margin, Kyran and Miya continued to play with equal intensity as the first event of the day. As Kyran dribbled the ball to the other team's hoop, he jumped for a lay-up at the front. However, two opposing team members caught up with him and formed a wall in an effort to stop the two point play. Luckily, Miya had ran up to his left, wide open. Kyran noticed her and brought the ball behind his back before striking it with his elbow in a quick pass to his teammate. The girl was left unstopped as she made the lay-up, and the two made their way back to their side of the court, ready for the next play. Once again, Kyran muttered a "Good shot." to his teammate before diverting his attention back to the game and marking his opponent with tight defense.

 

[kageyama]

To absolutely nobody's surprise, the blue team dominated the final challenge of a basketball game with ease. Each worn-out team stood before the head of the camp at the end of the day. "Excellent work today," he started. "Congratulations to the blue team, who took first in every challenge. Please receive these medals." He ushered the team over, hanging cheap golden medals around each of their necks. "Get cleaned up before dinner in two hours. After eating, everyone is required to help set up equipment for the formal tomorrow night. Dismissed."

Everyone in the blue team received a friendly pat on the back and a congratulation as members started to head back to their dorms. As Miya turned to go, she felt an arm thrown around her neck with a cheerful laugh. She looked up uncomfortably to see the volleyball captain smiling wide, his other arm around Kyran's neck. "Great job to you two. We definitely couldn't have done anything without your natural ability to work together," he said proudly, Miya stiffening under his grip. He let them go and waved goodbye, heading back to his own dorm. Miya stood quiet for a moment before sighing and muttering, "Nice work today." Then, she quickly head off to her room, where she showered and promptly collapsed on her bed before dinner.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran looked up at the volleyball captain and shrugged. "It was nothing, really." Upon hearing Miya's compliment, he scoffed before replying, "Likewise." with an eye roll as he walked back to his dorm room. After taking a cold shower, he changed into a sleeveless shirt and black shorts, dried his hair, and yawned as he flopped onto his bed, taking out his phone and scrolling through social media. The school social media account had uploaded photos from the field day earlier with surprising speed, and as he scanned them, Kyran wrinkled his nose at the sight of him and Miya working together. However, what had him the most confused was the picture of him playing volleyball. It featured him setting the ball to his teammate, but despite their obvious dislike for each other, they seemed to be smiling. That was odd; he hadn't recalled ever smiling like that during the field day. Whatever; so long as she doesn't confront me about it and make things more annoying, everyone else will assume it's normal, and the plan will go smoothly. He continued to read various updates on his phone and played with his cards until it was time to go to the cafeteria for dinner.

 

[kageyama]

Miya slept for about an hour and a half before drowsily stretching outwards and sliding off of her bed. She checked her phone, blinking at the several notifications of an image forwarded to her. She opened the first one, almost dropping her phone at what she saw before her. That's edited, right? I didn't smile today, and he definitely didn't smile today... She thought before turning her phone off and running a hand through her hair. I'll just keep quiet, I guess. He's probably surprised at it, too, Miya reassured herself, scoffing out loud anyways.

She stepped out of her room in a black tee and white athletic shorts, her white sneakers on and her hair tied in a half-ponytail. Miya made her way to the commons where several groups of people were hanging out. Ignoring interaction, she leaned against the bulletin board and waited for the lunchline to start forming. When it did, she stepped into it as well, received a plate of watermelon and a grilled shish kebab, and seated herself at a nearby table. Quietly, she scrolled through her phone and ignored the group of girls trying to pester her over the image on the school website.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran changed into more fashionable clothes ten minutes before dinner, putting on a white v-neck, a black dress shirt, navy jeans, and white sneakers before heading out of the dormitory building. He entered the cafeteria, taking a paper plate of grilled chicken alfredo and a handful of grapes and cherries before making his way to a table. He sat in the seat across from Miya out of instinct due to how many times he was pestered to do so at school and the day prior and ate a piece of chicken. He quickly polished off the rest of his dinner and began playing solitaire on the table, taking no heed to the girl in front of him. If she had anything to say, she'd say it, so he didn't need to start the conversation.

 

[kageyama]

Miya paid little attention to her comrade across from her, but instead finished her food and let the gaggle of females gawk at the pair sitting together. After several minutes of silence between the pair, it was broken by the voice of the headteacher summoning the students to help set up equipment. Miya slipped away from the table, tossed her plate in a nearby garbage can, and walked over to the teacher. He pointed at a stack of tables folded on the ground, telling her to get started and unfold all of the legs. Obediently, Miya head over to the pile and easily dragged the top table off, flipping out its legs and standing it up. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing to set things up.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran, on the other hand, took care of all the heavy lifting, moving speakers and coolers for different beverages to tables and other places. As he moved equipment around the area where the formal would be held, he tried to keep as much distance between him and Miya as possible. Once he was done moving the last speaker, he got the attention of the teacher and asked for his next task. To his dismay, he was directed to the stack of multiple folded tables, where Miya had been setting them up for relocation. Kyran nodded once and walked over to his assigned location, where he went up to Miya's side and silently alternated with her movement, taking a table when she was busy folding one, and folding one while she took another from the stack.

 

[kageyama]

Stifling a sigh of annoyance, Miya continued to help arrange the order of the tables with Kyran. Soon enough, everything was set up with the help of Miya and Kyran's focus on the tasks beforehand. The whole event already looked enjoyable and lively, with streamers hung on poles and a large court-like panel secured into the ground as a place to dance. Miya wiped her forehead as she overlooked the finished product, a blank stare on her face. She sighed before turning to Kyran shortly. "Get ready for a hell of a lot of pictures tomorrow," the blonde muttered before turning to head to the dorm already. She felt pretty drained after helping carry the blue team all day. On reaching her room, she hung up her dress on the closet door in the room. Miya found herself staring at the dress vacantly before sighing loudly and crawling into her bed, wasting the rest of the night on social media.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran responded with a curt "Yup." before heading to his own quarters and changing into a more comfortable outfit for the night, a sleeveless shirt and shorts. After reading a number of pages from his novel, he turned off the lamp next to his bed, put the book away, and fell asleep.

The students were given free time for the majority of the next day, aside from their assigned breakfast, lunch, and dinner times. Kyran had spent all of it in his dorm room, either playing with his cards, scrolling through social media on his phone, reading, sleeping, or mentally preparing himself for the headache that would soon arise. Soon enough, the formal rolled around, and people made their way to the grounds where the event would be held. Kyran put on a black dress shirt, black slacks, a navy blue necktie, and a black suit jacket, using a small amount of gel to smooth his hair to the left. He then put his phone in his pocket and put on a pair of black dress socks and well polished black dress shoes before making his way to the formal site himself. The teen arrived rather promptly, and it seemed the festivities had begun already, but he chose to instead wait, so that his arrival wouldn't cause too much of a scene yet.

 

[kageyama]

Miya spent her morning in a similar fashion to Kyran and only started getting ready when her roommate was pressuring her about it.

Her dress was a satin navy coordinating to Kyran's tie and had long, fitted sleeves, a somewhat deep v-neck, and a slit in the skirt. Miya's roommate insisted that she was excellent at styling hair, and adorned her with a braided crown and curled the hair that fell on her shoulders and back. Miya couldn't help but give the girl credit, and even let her doll her up a bit with light makeup. When all preparations were complete, Miya blew out a breath of air to brace herself for the night ahead. Then, she stepped into her black heels and head out to the event. When reaching the clearing, she approached Kyran with a disinterested look as she glanced around at the people staring at them. Then, she averted her gaze to him and cleared her throat. "You look sharp," she said, then looking around at the decked-out scenery.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran saw Miya approaching and nodded in response, adding curtly, “You don’t look too bad yourself.” The two stood there for a good few minutes before an administrator tapped a microphone, getting the attention of the students before announcing, "Good evening. I trust that you are enjoying the festivities thus far, and rest assured, the night will only get better. I just want to announce that the link to vote for the formal 'king and queen' for this year is now live, and it will be posted on the bulletin board next to the food stands. That is all, enjoy the rest of your night; you've earned it." Many of the students rushed to the board to type in the link on their phones and vote, and Kyran watched before letting out a sigh of dejection. "Gee, I wonder who they're all gonna vote for."

 

[kageyama]

Miya watched the eager voters with disappointment. She sighed and shrugged. "Just a couple of days," she reminded herself as the voting continued. After a couple of minutes, slow music started playing and people gathered on the floor. A slow song to start off? Miya thought yawned as she gazed around before catching the stares of a group of girls whispering. "Unfortunately, I think we should start dancing," she said uncomfortably, sharply turning away from the gaze of the females. Great start to a simply wonderful night - truly. I get to waltz with the hate of my life, the blonde thought in despair as she tucked a curled strand of hair behind her ear.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran shrugged and complied, making his way to the dance floor with his hands in his pockets. The speakers were playing the soft piano opening to the theme of Howl's Moving Castle, a piece Kyran knew well from his orchestra background. He sighed in resignation before offering his hand to Miya just as the theme started to play; the dance had begun. It was bad enough that the two were matching in outfit color scheme; now almost all eyes would be on him and Miya as the two waltzed, and it was something he wanted to get over with as soon as possible. Hopefully I don't smile like I "did" during the volleyball game; that's the last thing I need.

 

[kageyama]

Avoiding any eye contact, Miya placed her hand in his, then setting her other hand on his shoulder. All of the eyes on the pair made Miya beyond uncomfortable, but she kept a cool composure and made sure not to express anything. There's no reason for us to be so fricken compatible in everything, she mentally cursed. It was true; the duo were dancing as if it were the most natural and easygoing thing in all of the world. It didn't take long for most couples to step back and gaze at them in awe, giving the two most of the entire floor as a field. No! Get back on the floor! Can somebody please show us up or something? Miya pleaded silently. As the song drew near to its end, Miya was naturally twirled by Kyran. To an onlooker, it was graceful and flowy, as if they'd practiced for ages. Many different gasps and awestruck breaths rippled among the other students as Miya was dipped at the end of the waltz, held for a few moments as people clapped. She met Kyran's gaze for a moment before straightening up and dusting off her dress. Couples started gathering back on the floor, still sneaking glances at the couple. "I'm gonna get a drink," Miya mumbled before heading off to the punch table.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran's mind was a frenzy of wild curses. It definitely shouldn't have gone as well as it did, and now the he and Miya were the center of attention. He replied quietly, "Me, too." and walked the other way. He avoided the excited compliments from those around him with a chuckle and a small nod of gratitude as he made his way to a bench near the concession stands, sitting down and leaning back. Desperate for something to help him decompress, he pulled out his deck of cards once again and began shuffling, trying to engross himself as much as possible in what he was doing. However, the thought of him and Miya dancing continued to linger in his mind. Throughout the trip, the two had consistently shown to be as compatible as star-crossed lovers, and yet, that was exactly what they had tried to avoid. Could this plan be doomed for failure? Kyran prayed against it as he continued to play with his cards, feeling the cool evening breeze against his face.

 

[kageyama]

After downing her third cup of punch, Miya jumped at the touch of a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around to see the usual group of girls that got her into the relationship mess in the first place. They had dreamy looks in their eyes as one of them said, "You guys have definitely been dating for much longer than we thought." They all nodded and agreed with each other as Miya raised an eyebrow. "Like, wow, you guys were so perfectly in sync! How long did it take you to practice?" Miya nervously chuckled and looked away. "Um... we just came up with it, actually," she said hesitantly. Maybe I shouldn't have told them anything, she thought as they blinked at her. A second of silence passed before they broke out in unintelligible shouts. Miya flinched as they pestered her further, insisting that she was lying. Definitely shouldn't have told them anything.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

A few minutes later, Kyran was snapped out of his attention to his cards by yet another announcement by the same administrator from earlier. "If I could get everyone's attention; the poll for 'king and queen' has now closed, and I am proud to announce that the two winners for this year's fall trip formal are... Kyran Bennett and Miya Cony! Please make your way to the dance floor for your award and picture; the rest of the students are welcome to come and support." Kyran sucked in a sharp inhale of breath before standing up, flicking the entire deck of cards from one hand to the other and depositing it into his pocket after securing it with a rubber band. He headed to the dance floor and arrived at about the same time as Miya, where the two were awarded a certificate after taking a picture together. Kyran put on a fake smile and reluctantly put an arm around his "partner's" shoulder as the camera flashed, prompting squeals of delight and applause from the audience. The two were dismissed, and the teen immediately retracted his arm before heading to the drink stand for a cup of ginger ale. He couldn't help but feel a slight pang of pity for Miya; no doubt, the girls would pester her about the whole event for hours. At least Kyran's friends didn't care as much.

 

[kageyama]

When Miya's friends quickly snatched her back over to the punch table, they congratulated her and gawked over for a good couple minutes. Growing very tired of this routine, Miya opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by one of the girls who shoved a gift bag at her. She blinked, looking down at the present. "We figured you'd get crowned queen, but they don't even crown you! So we got this," a girl said, sweetly smiling. Miya reached in the bag and pulled out a studded tiara. She stared down at it before slowly breaking out in a smile. "Thanks, guys," she said softly. Someone took the crown and offered to put it on her, then proceeded to place the tiara carefully on Miya's head. The girls grew quiet before wallowing different compliments. "You look like a real princess, Miya," somebody said, sounding very emotional. Miya chuckled, feeling the warmest and fuzziest she had all night. "We'll be back!" The group congratulated her once more before returning to their own dates. With a faint smile, Miya seated herself at one of the benches near the table, leaning back and sighing tenderly as she tiredly watched couples dance with spunk.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

“Well, excuuuuuuse me, Princess,” a voice scoffed next to Miya, as Kyran watched the formal go on next to her. Was it coincidence that she had sat on the same bench as him? No; it was probably her finding somewhere to sit without thinking. Though his remark could have sounded rather dry and harsh, further scrutiny would prove that despite the lack of a smile, there was a playful glint in Kyran’s eyes, and it seemed that he had also been drawn in to the appeal of formal events such as this one. Watching her sit, he noticed that Miya, now adorned with an ornate tiara, had looked rather happy, despite the depression of the situation. Making a mental shrug and digging no deeper into the matter, the teen once again diverted his gaze to the dance floor and concession stands, shuffling his cards mindlessly. “Those were some moves you pulled on the floor,” Kyran remarked after a few minutes of silence. “Did you take lessons before?” In all honesty, he had no idea why he had suddenly been striking conversation with his nemesis, but he had to admit, shuffling cards for hours did get boring every now and then.

 

[kageyama]

Miya turned her head at the scoffing quip beside her, shocked to see that she sat in the one bench housing Kyran. But she was in high spirits for the first time in a while, and couldn't even find a reason to start an argument with him. "My mistake, I didn't see you," she yawned, watching people dance ahead of her. She was debating quietly slipping away, but the thought was broken at the question Kyran asked her. Though she was currently paying less attention to detail, she would have never expected anything but an insult come out of his mouth, and she turned her head at him with a surprised look. The expression softened, though, as she turned back to stare at the teens partying hard. "I've never danced in my life," she said bluntly, eyes half-open as she studied the colors and flashing lights. "I just did what felt right, honestly."

For a few more minutes, idle small-talk carried on between the two as couples started taking their leave and heading back to the dorms. Miya's eyes felt heavy as the conversation became quiet once more. Soft music was playing over the speakers, causing another yawn from the blonde. In a matter of seconds, the girl dozed off, head softly leaning against Kyran's shoulder.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran didn't move a muscle. As Miya's head leaned against his shoulder, he slowly put away his cards in his pocket before getting up from the bench. He gently held the girl's shoulders, guiding her down into a fetal position on the bench without waking her. He watched her sleep for a good minute, thinking, This is a rather cliche moment. Kyran sighed and gently held Miya into an upright position before gingerly hoisting her onto his back, arms draped around his shoulders. In about 5 minutes' time, the teen arrived at Miya's dorm room, knocking on the door twice. It was opened by Miya's roommate, who would have immediately squealed with delight had Kyran not quieted her urgently. She closed her mouth and nodded, attempting to prove her silence by putting a finger over her lips. She walked back into the room, and Kyran followed her in to gently set Miya down on the bed. He removed her studded tiara and set it on the nightstand before tucking her in and taking his leave, giving a small wave to the swooning roommate. There was no way she wouldn't tell Miya all about it next morning. Kyran arrived back at his dorm room after a few minutes of walking and took a quick shower, toweling off and changing into his usual bedtime attire. He decided to retire to bed immediately rather than check his phone due to exhaustion, so he plugged in his phone to his charger and fell asleep.

 

[kageyama]

Miya slept for only a few hours before the limited movements of her dress got the best of her. She sat up in the dark, listening to her roommate softly snooze in the bed beside her. The girl slipped off of the bed and directed herself to the bathroom, flinching at the light before examining herself in the mirror. Still adorned in all of her formal garments, she thought for a moment in attempt to recall the end of the night. When nothing came to her, she sighed and began removing the gown, then taking off her makeup, and undoing the braid in her hair. Tenderly, she showered for a few minutes before tossing on a white tee and flopping back into bed.

Miya woke again a couple of hours later when light began filtering through the window warmly. After rubbing her eyes, she opened them to see her roommate excitedly kneeling at the foot of her bed. “Guess what!” the girl said, not giving Miya time to reply before immediately spilling all of the details of last night. Slowly through the story, Miya’s face contorted into one of pure confusion. What, are we on good terms now? None of this is making any sense. Miya put on a fake smile and shrugged to the girl, then slid out of bed and began packing up her belongings. Progressively, she grew more annoyed at the thought of him carrying her back. She muttered to herself as she zipped up her suitcase, grabbing a pair of colorful tempo shorts to step into. Her usual headband sat neatly on her head as she put on her white sneakers, dragging her suitcase behind her with her drawstring bag loosely on her back. From there, she head outside to grab a seat in the back of one of the buses. Miya shoved her suitcase under the seat, still muttering as she pulled out her phone to browse mindlessly through social media.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran took the seat next to Miya without a word, occupying himself with his phone. After scrolling through various social media apps, he dozed off for a small portion of the drive as the students began to leave the campsite. The two sat there silently, and soon, the buses arrived back at the school. The teen took his bags and left promptly, fortunately being able to elicit no response from either Miya or the other girls. He soon arrived after a few minutes of walking and took a long, cold shower before changing into more comfortable attire and tossing all of his dirty clothes from the trip into the laundry bin. He yawned as he flopped onto the couch and opened his laptop, finding a notification from Hemlock High News. The email was sent to all of the students, hoping they had a good trip and are now resting well at home. As Kyran mindlessly skimmed through the message, what caught his eye was a link to an album of photos taken during the trip, and most of them were from the formal. He wrinkled his nose as he saw picture after picture of him and Miya working together, but with unknown smiles on their faces; basketball, capture the flag, soccer, volleyball, and the other activities. The final sprinkle of salt on the wound was two pictures taken unbeknownst to him: the two, waltzing with-- unfortunately-- bright smiles, and Miya, fast asleep and leaning on Kyran's shoulder. The teen closed his laptop abruptly and sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. She's not gonna take to this too well; I wouldn't be surprised if she finally snaps at me about these.

 

[kageyama]

Miya's fare home was one of little interest. Her brother picked her up, took her to their house, and that was it. On reaching inside, Miya sorted her own dirty laundry before trudging upstairs and collapsing on her bed. She whipped her phone out, greeted once again with an array of notifications from her flamboyant female comrades. Immediately filling with dread after reading the first notification, she snagged her laptop and opened it with hostility. Upon reaching her email, she clicked the link and crossed her fingers. The small gesture hoping for luck, however, did not prevail, and Miya instead dropped her jaw and quickly scrolled through the images. The final image sent her jumping off of her bed, grabbing one of the stress balls off of her dresser, and promptly swinging it at her wall. A moment of silence followed as she stood in the middle of her room, her face filled with disgust. A knock came at her door, followed by a, "...You alright?" from her brother. "Just peachy!" she replied loudly, dismissing the male back to whatever nonsense he was preoccupied with previously.

Monday came, and Miya was impatiently shoving her things in her locker. As she turned on her heel, none other than Kyran was walking a few feet ahead of her. She sharply exhaled and sped after him, grabbing his arm with a scowl on her face. "Mind telling me what the sudden change of heart is about? You've seemed a lot softer, pal, especially after that stunt you pulled by carrying me to my room," she hissed, eyes narrowed as she looked up at him. Over the weekend, Miya spent hours contemplating the slow shift of attitude, losing a good few hours of sleep in the process.

 

[OmnipotentOnion]

Kyran made no face as he was pulled around from his original course as Miya glared at him, letting loose a ramble of interrogative questions. Well, it was to be expected, after all. However, the fact that his previous assumptions had been correct didn't stop him from contorting his face into a scowl upon hearing her final accusation. "Stunt? What kind of stunt would I be trying to pull? The formal was over; you think I would just leave and let you lay there in the cold?" A solid 5 seconds of tense silence filled the air between the two before Kyran muttered a curse under his breath before pulling his arm away. "Let go; I'm gonna be late for class." As he turned back around, an ever so slight flush of pink touched his face as he resumed walking toward his first period course. Although he maintained a monotonous face after the conclusion of the whole ordeal, his mind was a swirling mess of frantic thoughts and insults. You absolute imbecile! What were you thinking? Now your nemesis is going to think you actually like her, all because you couldn't keep your mouth shut! As Kyran trudged into the classroom, he sat down and dropped his head forehead first onto the desk. Did he dislike her? Of course! Was it still the same amount after the trip?.. Well, he sure as hell didn't know anymore.