It was dark out by the time Vallerie made it to the shooting range. She snatches an arrow left behind on display and plays with the point. Pacing around the range, she hated herself for letting Velt get to her. 

Monifa reaches her simmering friend and throws her a bow. Vallerie catches it and sighs. 

“I let my temper get to me again.” She groans, stopping in her tracks as her hands move to play with the bow’s string this time. 

“You handled it better than you would have before.” 

“Vallerie, are you okay?” Piko follows after, her breath ragged, trying to catch up with both women. 

“I’m okay; I just wish you didn’t have to see that, Miss Piko.” She slumps her head, her hands positioning the arrow and the bow together. “St. Lyashko was supposed to be the new school where I would get into the club and start fresh without my vile personality showing up.” 

Her arrow was now drawn back as she turned away from the women to aim at her target. “I really can’t control myself as a person. I’ll always be the same overcompensating girl.” 

The glow of the arrow streaked through the air as it landed with a thud in the farthest target Vallerie could see in the dark. Monifa threw another arrow as she caught it without looking back.

“Your temper isn’t the problem now; it’s your impatience. Be kinder to yourself, Val. There is no rush to this.” 

Vallerie draws the arrow and hits dead center once more. 

Monifa was right; her impatience would be her undoing. She’s here for the long game; there really is no point rushing anything. If she wanted the best possible outcome, she needed to wait and let time do the work for her. 

Vallerie takes a deep inhale before huffing to herself, “I’m over it.” 

She drops the bow and walks back to the women. 

“Any of you up for dinner? Hadn’t had the chance to eat as Velt completely ruined my appetite when we were still at the mall.” Her easy-going smile was back after cooling down and a few words from Monifa. 

“I know a place.” Piko smiles. 

“Always the darling. Have you and Monifa met, Miss Piko?” 

“We’re acquainted. If I’m being honest, I’m a little intimidated by Miss Monifa.” 

“Nonsense! As the newest Supreme Student Government president, I aim to be as welcoming as possible.” Monifa’s voice echoes through the air, her words clear and sure, confidence and power seeping through each word despite the mundane conversation between the girls. 

“O-oh, I’ll keep that in mind then.” Piko nods curtly. 

“So, about dinner, where should we eat?” Vallerie clasps her hands together, excited for food and her two friends having a proper meeting with one another. 

“I often go to this seaside diner; they have the best calamari,” Piko suggests. 

“Sounds good, I’ll drive!” Vallerie fishes for her keys before skipping to where she parked. 

Unfortunately for Sanne, he had been looking for the girls in the school building. Starting in the cafeteria, skimming through the dormers eating dinner in the hope of seeing at least one of them, the last place he looked was the student council room. 

Sanne slumps. Where else do girls go when they’re upset? The restrooms? He wasn’t gonna check either way. 

He enters the room anyway, sliding the window open to look down on the school courtyard. His anger still festering in him, they are so close. It doesn’t make any sense to Sanne; it’s so contradictory. Velt wants to feel love as much as the other three, so why is he trying to drive away the only solution they had?

As his eyes scanned further away from the building, he spotted the girls hop in Vallerie’s car. From what he was seeing, it seemed like they were in a better mood than earlier. 

“Ugh…” Being too far away to catch up, all he could do was groan. He really wanted to at least tell Vallerie that Velt wasn’t shit. The only thing keeping Sanne from going apeshit was the fact that she had good enough friends to be there for her and that she was seriously passionate about the club. 

He groans further when he realises that Velt might be right, that Vallerie wouldn’t quit that easily. But she shouldn’t be constantly tested. Sanne would have to put a muzzle on Velt for him to behave. 

The unfortunate thing is that the next day, he still wasn’t able to catch up to Vallerie. With Monifa returning, Vallerie opted to help and follow Monifa all day, catching up with her friend. 

“Seen Vallerie anywhere?” Sanne jogs up to Loukas. 

“Wasn’t she just outside giving out flyers?” 

“No, they just finished.” 

“Maybe helping the faculty with future events?” 

“That was hours ago.” 

“Try visiting the clubs that are hosting tryouts today.” 

“Got it, see ya!” Sanne runs off before Loukas can close his locker. 

“Wow, talk about girl crazy.” Velt approaches Loukas. 

“Shut up, Velt.” 

“Come on! Are you still mad? She’s okay, you guys are infantilising her. She’s capable of defending herself.” 

“You still had no right.” Loukas pushed past Velt, bumping his shoulder on purpose. 

“So what? Are we seriously going to start match-making again just for her? We act normal just so her expectations of the club wouldn’t shatter? That if we have her long enough, she would share her secrets with us like we’re in a sleepover?” Velt rants, catching up to Loukas.

His playful smile was still present, but the way he grabbed Loukas by the shoulder spoke otherwise. 

“If that’s what it takes, then yes.” 

Velt clenches his teeth before scoffing. 

“God, she has it so easy on you two idiots.” 

“I know we’re supposed to stay together as we are cupids, but keep this up, I dare you. I hope you realise that you are disposable.” Loukas flicks his hand off his shoulder. “Remember, Velt. We don’t have affection. I don’t understand friendship as much as you do. We are friends because Sanne and I chose to. We can also choose to cut ties with you.”

Velt was left speechless; he didn’t actually expect to be one of the people receiving Loukas’ brutal honesty. The intense ire in his eyes made him take a step back. He scoffed before shoving his hands into his pockets. 

“Way harsh, I’ll check back later when you’re less pissy.” Velt shrugs it off, walking away with his usual carefree attitude. Loukas could only roll his eyes. He wonders if Velt would ever take anything seriously. 

“Seriously, what the fuck did I miss? These two did a complete 180 on me.” Velt rants to himself, pushing past several other students out of his way. None of them can do anything to contest Velt’s more impressive frame. 

The flyers Vallerie stuck to the wall were torn apart as Velt passed them, dragging his hand against the wall before throwing the pieces into the trash.

“Move it, nerd.” He pushed past a student council member, flipping the pile of promotional flyers in the air. He was completely bulldozing through the crowd before he finally reached the person he was looking for. 

“Patches, there you are. Helping Monifa babes, aren’t you?” He sneers as soon as Vallerie is in earshot. 

The students she was talking to immediately left the perimeter when they saw Velt coming, dropping the flyer Vallerie was advertising to them. 

Vallerie takes a deep breath before picking up the dropped flyer, placing it back on the pile in her arms as she faces Velt again. This time, it was just her; Piko and Loukas were in class, Monifa was called back elsewhere, and Sanne was lost again.

The outdoor cafeteria bustled with activity, several clubs advertising their gimmicks, and even food was being served all around. But as far as they were concerned, the two of them were stuck in the Arctic with how cold they were being. 

“I got on the wrong foot with you yesterday,” She starts, “You were right, I was a total buzzkill.” 

Velt blinks; he fully expected another crashout. He was close to instigating it yesterday; he was so sure that he would be a lot more successful today. 

“You were just having fun, a little banter with club members, right? I have a bit of a temper. Sanne and Loukas are absolutely spoiling me rotten before you came along. I needed to be humbled.” 

Well, that completely threw him off guard. 

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Velt whispers incredulously, a smile creeping up his face despite his rising disbelief. 

“You think you’re better than me? That you’re the bigger person for taking the insults?” He strides closer until they are literally inches apart. Vallerie could only look up. 

His frame is a lot taller than hers by a head; she was sure this was his way of intimidating her. For her to shrink. 

As if. 

“I didn’t say anything.” 

“You didn’t need to say anything; it’s obvious as shit.” 

“Velt. We don’t have to get along; we can stand here all day and list every gripe we have with each other, but that won’t change the fact that I am now part of the club and I am here to stay.” Vallerie adjusts the pile of papers in her arms. 

“It also doesn’t change the fact that you are so insufferable.” She looks him in the eyes as she says it. 

There it is again. 

The casual dismissal of his existence, from a person who barely even knew him. 

He clenches his teeth. 

“But, as insufferable as you are, I would still like to know you.” She ultimately sighs, “As much as you can’t get rid of me, I definitely cannot get rid of you. Call me crazy, but I don’t want you to leave either.” 

“And why the fuck not?” 

“Yesterday was a really grounding experience. You don’t let me walk all over you like the other two; if I want to get better, then I need someone who wouldn’t be afraid to hurt my ego here and there.” 

Fuck her, honestly. Piece of shit. 

“You’re so pretentious.” 

“And you’re not?” Vallerie jabs her finger at his chest. 

Silence fell between them; the background noise was the only thing filling up the space. 

“We don’t have to be friends, just tolerant. I hate you just as much as you despise me.” She shoves the flyers into his arms. 

“???” He looks at the flyers, then back to her, “What’s this for?”

“To post them back to the walls, I know you tore some down.” 

“Or what?” 

“Monifa.” She points behind him. 

Monifa is standing behind them, her arms folded over her chest as she narrows her eyes at Velt. Her arrow tail was swinging behind her in agitation. 

“Velt Kolstad.” 

“Yes, Ma’am.” Monifa didn’t even finish uttering his name before he scampered off. 

“Snitch.” He says passing Vallerie. 

“You okay?” The taller girl approaches her friend, “Never better.”