I’m My Own High School Rival: Rika’s Arc: Of Fate and Future.

  I stretched, letting out a long, satisfied groan before collapsing in place on the soft, red comforter. I stared at the ceiling, lost in thought, before catching the smell of salmon. Well, Kami. You’ve proven not to be a total creep and brought food.

  I rolled out of bed and tore into the plastic bag, peeling open the styrofoam and grabbing the food, taking big bites of the salmon until the sickly aftertaste hit. I hate it when Sakura’s right. Whoever cooked it let it sit for too long.

  I searched the bag for something to drink; nothing. Damn it, Kami.

  I swallowed the last bit and went to the bathroom to drink some water from the faucet. I went in and closed the door. I may as well shower, too. I turned on the water and the faucet, rinsing my tongue of that icky taste. The bathroom was small, with green tiles, not suitable for an overnight stay. The mirror was stained with…something I couldn’t identify, leaving one clean spot to check my reflection.

  My hair was starting to frizz. I sighed because I couldn’t go home and ask my dad to fix my hair… Why did hair mean so much to me? I looked for something to tie my hair, so I could shower without causing more damage. I found someone’s scrunchie in one of the drawers.

  Gross, but I didn’t have a choice. Once tied, I jumped in the small shower. I heard the front door close. I listened as water rained down from the shower head in uneven patterns, trying to figure out who it was; I just wished that I wasn’t in such a compromising position. The bathroom door creaked open, but not fully, not enough to jeopardize my dignity.

  “Yo, Cross.” I waited. So did she, as if she didn’t know I was in here.

  Only Kami’s voice entered the bathroom. “What is it, Kami?” I said, slightly irritated.

  “I see you got the food; that’s good, real good. Can I ask you something, and be honest?”

  “Sure, but can you hurry it up. You’re letting the steam out.”

  “Fair. Is someone looking for you?”

  “Kami, I just robbed a lot of people—”

  “I don’t mean them den bitches, Cross.” I stayed quiet. Would Kami believe me if I told her the princess of the Iron Court wanted to make me her…plaything? Hell, would I believe me?

  “I hope not.”

  “Cross, don’t fuck with me.”

  I let the water do its job and kept my eye on the door as Kami waited for my answer. “Hey… can we talk about this when I’m finished?”

  I started cleaning myself while watching the door.

  “Fucking—Cross, hurry up.” The bathroom door slammed closed.

  ***

  “She’s up to something. Her silhouette is pacing back and forth.” I leaned against the wall next to the vending machine. If I didn’t know any better, Antwon’s picture sparked something within her, but she kept her composure.

  “If I didn’t know any better, which I do, she’s an Ashborn.” Trish’s voice buzzed from my front jacket pocket.

  Why would Antwon associate himself with the Ash? Though I don’t know how long he's lived in Kokiri.

  “Rika, you should kill her for the Iron Fan—”

  “I’m no longer a blossom; I’m not obligated to kill anyone, your grace.” The silhouette vanished. Maybe she went to the bathroom.

  “Rika, killing her would spark the flames of war—the war I’ve been building toward—please.”

  I rolled my eyes. Trish was always looking for the next war to bolster her name. When I stepped down from being her Blossom, she begged me to stay, saying she couldn’t fight without me by her side. Long live the Queen of war, I guess.

  “I’m not aiming to kill anyone, your grace… that’s not who I am anymore.” Faint echoes emitted from behind me: Something wheeling closer.

  Her silhouette reappeared in the window.

  “Excuse me… do you need any help?” I turned; a woman was standing behind me in a brown janitorial uniform. Her face and hair matched the area's profile; she was of the Veil. She was a bit shorter than I was, but a lot younger. Her pants were shorter than the typical uniforms I’ve seen, and there was something… on her ankle, but her socks were too high to make it out.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “No, I’m just taking in some fresh air, thank you. How about you?”

  She sighed and rolled her neck. “Just cleaning up another room… I’m not opposed to a little fun during the day, but some people make such a mess… not saying you did, or anything.” She pushed her yellow mop bucket past me, heading towards the rooms.

  “Must be some mess if you need a bucket.” She nodded and kept moving.

  I looked up, and two silhouettes were visible. This didn’t surprise me because she said that she was with a man… I just need to make sure it isn’t the boy I’m looking for.

  “Hey.” The janitor stopped and looked back at me. “Can I ask you something?” She walked back to me, leaving her mop bucket in place.

  “Sure.”

  “Have you seen this boy?” I produced the picture of Carter and his sister, holding it up to her as she reviewed it. She studied it.

  “Who’s the girl in the picture?” Is that who you’re looking for? She asked, ignoring that I said “boy”.

  “The girl in the picture is his sister; however, I’m looking for the boy.”

  Her eyebrow raised, and she gave me a quizzical look. “They’re related?

  I sighed. That wasn’t the point. “Step siblings”

  “I see. Why not ask his older sister?” I raised my own brow, trying to gauge how much she did or didn’t know. “Okay… I saw the boy on the bus this morning and asked him if he was traveling alone; he said that he was meeting his sister in Gifu, so I didn’t think anything of it.”

  “A boy traveling alone, and you didn’t think to stop him or tell a Veil patrol?”

  She ran her hand through her hair. “Come on, a boy traveling alone in the early ass morning, and you think that I want to be the one to say anything… and get labeled as… and on top of that, a gaijin boy… in Kokiri.”

  “Did you see him come here… to this hotel?” She thought for a moment and shook her head no.

  “He asked me about the fastest way to get to Tokyo, so I told him about the fifth line.”

  Fuck. If he takes the fifth line, getting him back will become a political issue.

  “Hey, thanks,” she nodded and started toward her mop bucket. I decided to avoid confronting the strange woman and check out of the hotel.

  ***

  While Rika was talking to the Janitor.

  “Fucking shit, Cross… the hell is wrong with you getting me tied up in your mess!” I paced the room, trying to figure out just what the fucking queen would do if she snagged me in Veil territory.

  “I don’t see why you’re uptight about it. It’s not like you helped me run away; if anything, you saved my ass when I was in danger.”

  “Just stop talking… fifteen; you're a fucking babe, who should be in school, not in some fucking love hotel… with me.”

  “Why are you freaking out!?” I stopped and walked over to the bed, sitting down next to Cross. I could feel him looking at me, but making eye contact felt wrong.

  “Look, listen. Some of the clans are on friendly terms… say, the Veil and Court. They’re both in bed together. But… some clans fucking hate each other… like the Moonbind and Orchard… the Court and Ash… The Ash and the Veil—”

  “Seems like the Ash is just hated… My sister said that they are a bunch of sex crazed fiends that turn men into joytoys.”

  My eyes snapped to Cross, “That slimy cunt…” He looked at me with those stupid green eyes in that “You fucked up” look. “Okay… okay. I have something to tell you, and please don’t freak out…”

  “I’m not promising you anything, Kami,” he said, crossing his arms. I pouted because I didn’t want this shit, and he reached up and pressed my bottom lip in… I considered biting him for touching me… but damn if that wasn’t cute.

  “Look, I was an Ash sprout… okay?”

  “Was?”

  I gritted my teeth and looked him in the eyes. “I stepped down from reign and rule.” Cross covered his chest and scooted away while giving me a pathetic look. “Oh, fuck off.”

  He smiled, grinning like he did something, “Relax, I always suspected you of being… something, and now I know that I was partially right.” I clenched the red comforter with both hands.

  “What did you think I was, huh?”

  “I thought you were the knife killer, or… ya know,” he said, looking around the room.

  “Talk to me when you’re considered an adult, Cross. So, what’s next? And just how much money did you snag?” Cross looked at me sideways. “Look, damn it; My ass is on the line, so the least you can do is tell me how much I’m worth.”

  “Come on, Kami, you’re priceless,” he said with wide eyes.

  “Nope, it was fun when I didn’t know you needed training wheels, but now that I know what I know, cut it out and tell me.”

  He shrugged, “We only ran out with ￥230,000, but I instructed the boys to hit the vault.” I whistled because that wasn’t a bad steal. “They said to meet them in a safe location called… shit, I don’t remember.”

  “This is interesting, Cross, but the woman looking for you,” I said, nudging him, “may still be outside, so we should… Fuck, I don’t know—run?

  ***

  I walked to the front counter of this dingy little… love hotel to check out. I’ve never felt more embarrassed leaving this place… alone. I shouldn’t think like this. “Checking out already?” the woman at the front counter asked.

  I sighed. “Yeah, I’m supposed to meet someone here, but he never did show. Maybe you’ve seen him.” I took the picture from my pocket and presented it to the woman.

  “Seen him?! I can’t unsee him if you know what I mean.”

  “Oh! Was he here?” I asked.

  She looked away and stuck her bottom lip out. “You sure you wanna know?”

  I considered her posture; she was preparing to let me down easy… and I was going to play along. “Look… I’d rather know than continue like this, ya know?”

  “Damn… damn me for seeing too much. Okay, I checked him in with some strange-looking girl. The two seemed pretty close.”

  “Damn him. How could he do this to me… again?”

  “Again… Fucking men. They run around all protected, and shit, just to break hearts like it’s okay.”

  “I… I’m just going to leave… I’m tired of this—”

  “No!” She reached down and pulled out a bat and slapped a key on the counter. “Room twenty-seven. You take your ass up there and beat the shit out of her, and give him a few slaps to remind him who’s the fucking boss.” I grabbed the key and the bat. I placed my room key on the counter.

  “Thanks. This means a lot to me.”

  “Don’t think anything of it… Takao!” she yelled, and an old woman in a janitor's outfit came from the backroom.

  “Don’t worry about it; the other janitor is over there.”

  “Hun, there ain’t no other janitors. Takao’s old ass has been the only one going on twelve years.”