Let's Make a Game Plan!

☄️🔭📘

This limo always felt so stuffy and cramped, like I was concealed within the crushing grip of some sort of monster that wouldn’t let me go.

Dad had been trying to lock eyes with me, sending smiles my way as if there wasn’t any sort of tension between us. I just couldn’t smile back and kept to my phone.

Hade better be right about this announcement thing getting dad off my case. If it doesn’t change his mind, I’ll never see the light of day again, let alone another twinkling star at night!

He’ll probably board up my windows and get a dragon to guard my door.

That’s if I’m lucky. Which according to Hade, I’m not.

Darn it… The view count wasn’t going up at all on my post from last night. Well, it was going up, but because I kept refreshing the page. That was so disheartening that I just stopped looking into it altogether.

‘Andromeda,’ dad signed to get my full attention. ‘Tell me the truth about that boy you were with,’

Is that what he wanted to talk about? UGH…

Hade told me not to ruin the surprise here. He didn’t want dad getting any info before the reveal. I couldn’t imagine why, but maybe the shock value was going to have a bigger impact or something.

Honestly, I didn’t have a clue why I was trusting his confidence. I must have liked him a lot more than I thought. Hee hee…

‘What is there to tell?’ I signed, not wanting to give away too much. ‘He’s part of the broadcast club,’

‘Were you really with him for the reason he said?’

‘He did ask me about the satellite, yes.’

‘Sure. He may have asked you,’ dad signed. ‘But he never said that was the only reason.’

Dad was smart and could pick up on little verbal things like that, which was why so many feared him in the courtroom.

Growing up was a nightmare because of that. I could never get away with a fib!

So because we were alone now, he probably figured he could get me to reveal what’s been going on.

What would Hade do in a situation like this? He’d probably say something stupid like ‘listen up, pops. I’m the coolest thing, blessed by the gods to walk on the sun. What I say is law, got it? No lies come out of my mouth because I make the truth.’

Hah! As much of a narcissist as he was, it’s been a while since he talked like that.

‘What are you so suspicious of?’ I signed, somewhat angry that he doubted me. ‘Are you worried about something?’

‘I’m worried about you, Andromeda.’

‘Do I look broken to you?’ I patted my shoulders to prove I wouldn’t break easily. ‘I’m not fragile, dad. You always act like I’m some sort of glass statue ready to crack when someone throws a stone.’

‘You better not be getting rebellious with me.’

‘What if I am? Are you going to sue me for it?’

I touched a nerve with that comment. He wasn’t immediately angry, more shocked that I’d even suggest something like that.

‘Andromeda-’

It was a low blow from me. I never got this feisty with him, despite how he drove me nuts. This probably wasn’t going to help my cause at all.

I took in a deep breath and finally tried to smile. It was a weak grin, but enough to show that I wasn’t going to be upset forever.

‘Dad, I’m going to be okay,’ I assured.

‘How can I be sure about that?’ he asked. ‘I can’t lose you too, Andromeda.’

He was thinking about mom. My lips folded in and my brow furrowed, leaving me a grimacing mess. That stung a lot because there wasn’t any talking around it.

But I really didn’t want losing her to define my future. That’s why I had to do this. I had to stand up beside Hade and show dad that what I wanted to do was no more dangerous then what he wanted for me.

☄️🔭📘

When we got to school, dad and I shared an awkward nod as I left the limo. Before the car drove away, I made sure to sign ‘I Love you.’

He signed it back.

Yeah, I was upset with him. But he was still my dad.

My tensions both somehow eased and got a million times worse. It was such a draining feeling this early in the morning.

I just went straight to my locker and started stuffing things inside it… I always thought it was funny that I had to change my shoes after going into the school. The little things like that made Japan a cute place to me.

…

What the heck is this girl next to me looking at?

Hey, your wide eyes are freaking me out!

I turned behind me to see nobody was there. So, was she looking at me?

I flipped out my phone and took a look into the selfie camera, but there wasn’t anything wrong with my face.

She poked my shoulder.

‘Are you The Foreigner?’ her lips moved.

Why’d she say that like I was some cowgirl in a spaghetti western? Gee, I wonder if the blond haired blue eyed girl is Japanese.

‘No,’ I said, expressing bold disappointment on my face so she knew it was sarcasm. For once, I just wanted to see what would happen if I answered dishonestly.

‘Are the rumors true?’

This attention was weird and socially draining me fast.

‘Are what rumors true?’ I asked, my brow arching.

‘About you and Hade-kun…’

Wait, did she know about the comet? Holy cow, Hade! I didn’t realize he was going to make the announcement so soon! Darn that himbo!

‘W-what did he say?’

She pointed to a bulletin board just beyond the entrance lockers. People were crowded around it, especially a group of very sad girls.

Oh God, what was this about? It looked like some of those girls were really cryin’ it out over there…

The moment I stepped up toward the crowd, everyone turned to me like I was the culprit in some crime. Like, EVERYONE. This was the most eyes I’d had on me since my childhood trauma, and there was no shortage of stink eyes in there to match.

I could feel the vibrations as girls screamed and whaled in agony against me.

‘I didn’t even get a chance!’ one girl cried while facing me. ‘How could you do this to us?’

‘Whaaat is going on here?’ I said.

The students parted like the red sea and gave me a view of the bulletin board…

‘Oh my God.’

There were photos up there of Hade and I. Quite a few of them from each of the nights we’d been together stargazing.

But there was one in particular that stood out above all else. One that looked extremely passionate, like it was taken at a wedding, just as the vows had been sanctified…

‘You kissed Hade-kun!’ sharply screamed a girl. ‘You were his first!’

📻🎤👑

Meda was chasing me around, holding that rolled up photo like she was going to beat me over the head with it, shouting “Maka-sama!” repeatedly.

It took Mimi’s full strength to hold the blond alien back from her vicious attack.

“Is this your idea of a ‘big announcement!?’” Meda shouted out loud. “You Maka idiot stupid brain moron!”

“Hang on!” I announced. “You think I did that without saying anything to you?”

Through her pouty storm, she seemed to recognize that I’d never be that stupid as to jeopardize her chance at success. I was spared, for the moment.

Apparently this photo was placed up everywhere around the school. But I didn’t see it on my way in, so it must have happened since I got here. How could this have happened?

“Hi.” Mimi said close to Meda’s ear as she released her. “You must be the girl Hade’s been ‘not dating.’”

“Mimi, she’s deaf,” I alerted her.

“Oooh…” she uttered as she helped Meda sit down in the comfortable recording booth chair. “I’m surprised you went for a deaf girl, Hade. I mean, she’s gorgeous, but still. Figured you’d want someone who can hear you.”

“Ouch. Am I really that shallow?” I asked.

‘“Yes,”’ Meda and Mimi answered at the same time.

I wanted to say they both sucked, but instead I said “You’re both beautiful when you're mad” just to playfully prove their point.

“What a dork.” Mimi shook her head. “Well, if neither of you did this, can you think of anyone who might have?” Mimi asked, which filled me with so much dread I literally melted. Not even figuratively speaking. I was a puddle on the floor.

“I can.” I sighed, reforming as the handsome man I was. “I…ugh…” I brushed my hair back from the stress.

“Spit it out already, Casey.” Mimi rolled her hand. “I gotta’ know the number one problem of the week.”

“I may have forgotten I promised a gyaru girl a date for footing a bill. She’s crazy too.”

“Ah…” Mimi nodded as if discerning the problem. “See why we don’t just ask ‘anyone’ out?”

“Listen, I knew she was trouble.”

“And yet, you Swifted all over the place and broke a crazy gyaru’s heart.”

“You don’t have to be so mean about it.” I snidely stated.

“When it gets you and everyone else in trouble like this, yeah I kinda’ get a pass for being peeved.” Mimi put a hand on Meda’s shoulder, as if offering girly support to a sister. “I am so sorry you had to deal with this dork for almost a month. He must have driven you crazy.”

“Mhm.” Meda agreed with a solidary smile.

“Hey?” I folded. “It was not ‘that’ bad.”

“Not that bad is still bad,” Mimi explained. “I think there’s a way to work with this,” Meda claimed, the most levelheaded out of the three of us.

“You do?” I asked.

“Yeah. Think about it like this. Hot celebrities are always going in and out of relationships, and people love to support it like it’s a sport. If we make you two an item, we might be able to shift the drama into romantic attention.”

‘You mean, I have to be stuck dating this guy?’ Meda signed with a horrified expression.

“Is it really that bad?” I shot back an angry look to challenge her statement, which had some effect, if her softening face was any indication.

“I said they go in and out of relationships, so you may not stay together forever. And I mean, they just need to ‘think’ you’re together.”

Meda folded her arms, as if refusing the idea. But slowly her anger gave way to a less aggressive frown and she blushed when making eye contact with me.

“M-maybe I don’t mind,” she said out loud. “Uh, wait! No!”

“I think I know where you’re going with this,” I spoke up. “Mimi, Andromeda’s dad is listening in too. If he hears we’re an item, he’ll go ballistic.”

“He’s ‘that’ type?”

“He’s ‘that’ type.” I nodded. “Part of the reason we’re doing this is to prove to him that Meda’s dream of doing something with astronomy is worthwhile. We can’t drop two bomb shells at once.”

That could have the opposite effect if we don’t do it right. Although, part of me wouldn’t have been surprised if he already suspected us of being together.

‘He already thinks we’re together, I think.” Meda was on the same wavelength as me.

Mimi was giving me some pretty gnarly looks, like I really disappointed her. “Hade, those pictures of you and Andromeda are already trending online…”

She held up her phone and showed me that I was number two on trending, right above ‘CML2’ and just under ‘TPTKR’ whatever the heck those meant.

Remember when I said I melted? Now Meda was melting on the floor.

“Oh man…” I uttered, wiping the sweat from my forehead. “I don’t really mind the attention, but Meda’s really making an impact into the world, isn’t she?”

I couldn’t tell if this was her bad luck at work, or if this was going to work in our favor. We were treading some new ground here.

“There’s no going back now,” Mimi advised. “We just charge forward and own it.”

She was right. He’d find out eventually, and no matter what happened from here, we just had to arrow through the wind.

“So, we’re going to do this after school then?” I asked.

“We can't wait that long,” Mimi said, giving me a little relief. “Do you really think it’s best to leave the whole student body gossiping about your mysterious secret love life for a whole day?”

I was worried that nobody would be able to pay attention to anything else if we made them wait. And that would be no good, because my people needed to soak up as much knowledge as they could, like learning sponges.

‘Are we doing morning announcements then?” Meda signed and asked out loud.

“That’s the plan,” Mimi nodded. “Poor Suteru-san won’t get his turn on the loudspeaker, but it can’t be helped.”

“Who’s Suteru-san?” I asked.

“The guy in the corner over there, watching us like it's an anime drama.”

I turned and saw a short kid with foggy glasses and a bowl cut patiently sitting in the corner.

“H-hello,” he shyly waved. “Y-you just do whatever. I-I d-don’t mind.”

“When did he get here?” I asked.

‘He’s been here for the last five minutes,’ Meda signed. ‘I saw him walk in after me.’

Poor guy, dumping his slot on the radio. But it couldn’t be helped, I suppose. Him taking one for the team meant I’d have to give him a nice shout out later.