Chapter 7:
The Vtuber Next Door
Everything must arrive eventually - such is the way of life. And the class trip was no different, with each member arriving with their own suitcase. I had my own, sure, but that wasn't the point. The point was that a giant group of high schoolers were about to be locked up in a car together for eight hours - something that always ended well.
The teachers sure didn't seem to care. Maybe their scars were just too deep at this point.
Whatever the case, my eight hour nap was just on the horizon. Some kids looked forward to the historical architecture we'd be seeing, some were looking forward to camping for the first time ever.
Screw that, this trip provided the perfect opportunity to slack off for a week straight. No school work to ignore, no one begging me for homework help. All I had to do was keep an eye out while letting everyone else set up. Hey, they were more than happy to get that "authentic camping experience" - I'd just be getting in the way.
Granted, we were staying in a hotel, but I digress.
My head leaned against the window, staring out at the world as it passed by. Trees whirred by in a blur, the sun's rays blinding my eyes. I sat on the bus, my mind filled with the lullaby of the tires hitting the road. Maybe this would be a peaceful trip after all.
My delusion lasted for a whole eight more seconds after that.
"You don't think I've tried that! Goddamnit I know what I'm doing!" A voice broke my trance. Just a single seat to my right, I could see Avery yelling at Sam, her hair tied up in a ponytail.
Avery and Sam, the last two members of little group.
"Chill girl! You asked me for tips, and I gave them to you." Sam sighed. Those two were polar opposites in a sense, yen and yang. Both were mainstays on the archery team, yet their views on the sport couldn't be more different.
"To release quicker? I'm already doing that! Why do you think I keep practicing every day?"
"All the practice in the world won't help if you refuse to listen!" You see, Avery was the prideful sort. Far as I knew, she practiced more than everyone else combined, yet still failed to reach the top. Any advice just went in one ear and out the other. Sounded like a lot of effort, but who was I to judge?
"Avery..." Sam sighed. "You can't just charge in and do everything by yourself. The world doesn't need to constantly balance itself on your shoulders, just look at Kaiden."
This wasn't gonna end well. "I heard my name called?"
"Oh..." Sam blushed. Apparently she hadn't noticed my presence.
"I'm more than happy to give my infallible advice, but I need to know a bit more than oh."
"You see... we were just talking about how you're always so relaxed!" Sam rushed out, clearly nervous.
"We're all members of the Astella group, no need to hold back." Well, not that they'd been able to come to anything, something about archery taking up all their free time. Cowards. "I've just realized how to live my life. "Charlotte's the smart one. I just let her make all my tough decisions and lead me around. I wouldn't be passing a single class without her anyway."
I mean, it's not a lie, just stretching the truth a bit.
"There's no way I'm doing that." Avery said, crossing her arms.
"Never said you had to. Your path is a lot simpler than mine." And it started by letting me sleep for a bit.
"If you say so..." She sighed, looking dejected. It wasn't as if your answer was sitting right next to you or anything! If Sam couldn't teach her to take other people's advice, what the hell was I supposed to do?
"So are both of you shooting during our free time?" I asked.
"Nah, we both decided to go white water rafting instead."
"Damn, that was an option?" They'd sent us home with a boatload of paperwork, including optional activities for our free day on thursday. I'd just blindly copied Charlotte's without a second look out of pure laziness.
"Yeah, didn't you see it under hiking?" Guilty.
"I just left it up to a surprise. There's no fun in knowing every little thing."
"Your funeral." Sam sighed, stretching out her legs. "Half the class is apparently heading into town to shop anyway - no fun if you ask me - but I digress."
"Damn, wish I chose that." A few hours of mindless shopping? Sign me up!
"Says the dude who picked at random. You got no one to blame but yourself." Avery said.
"He may have chosen it, especially with Kaiden's luck."
"You mean pure skill."
"You're allowed to believe that." A bit of me withered away with every word Sam spoke.
"Well, Thursdays are like a whole four days away, and watching Astella will become my life's purpose in those few days."
"How the heck does Charlotte handle you?" Sam asked with a laugh
"With an infinite amount of grace." I smiled. "Trust me on this, I know from experience."
Both girls made eye contact before bursting into laughter. About what? God I didn't want to know.
"You know." Sam said. "You and Charlotte do seem to get along really well. You planning to spend most the trip with her?"
"She's the one who made my schedule after I conveniently forgot all my paperwork in her room."
"Conveniently forgot?"
"Yep, that's the story I'm going with." Both girls started giggling again. "So, you'll be spending most your tip with her?"
"Probably. Like I said, I've found life to be exponentially easier when she makes all the funny decisions and I just follow along.
"Now if you'll excuse me, this eight hour bus ride provides me with my much needed beauty sleep."
"How dare we interrupt!" Sam joked. "Have a nice dream."
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