"Norma, honey. It's time to get up."

I passed from oblivion to the waking world with great reluctance, looking up at my father with bleary eyes.

"What's that sound?" I asked, not yet fully awake.

"It's your alarm. It's been going off for a while now, so I thought I ought to make sure you were still alive," he teased.

I sat up and stretched before setting my phone's alarm to 'off'.

"Ah, peace at last," dad said, spinning the hat he had reclaimed from my room around his index finger.

"Breakfast is on the table. Hurry up or you'll be late again. That matters on actual school days too, kiddo!"

"Right. Thanks dad, I'll be right down!"

He nodded and headed down to the main floor. As I lifted my blanket I noticed my new volume of OoO half-buried under the covers. Did dad see it? If so, he certainly hadn't acted any different.

With great effort I stood up and dressed myself in the Excelsior school uniform. It incorporated a red cardigan over a black button-up shirt, with a checker patterned kilt alternating the two colours. Some girls wore stockings but I kept it simple with ankle socks.

True to his word, dad had laid breakfast out on the table, the traditional eggs, bacon and toast.

"I'm off to work, Norma. I love you, see you tonight. Learn up a storm!"

He was out the door before I could answer him.

My dad may be cringey, but he makes a mean breakfast. I finished my plate and washed it down with some milk before brushing my teeth and running out the door.

Excelsior was only a few blocks away so I knew I'd beat the bell at least. I tried to enjoy the walk, but I couldn't help but feel people's eyes on me as I passed them by. Was there something on my face? No, it was probably just my anxiety talking, still aggravated from yesterday's grand shitshow. Nevertheless, I felt relieved as I passed through the school gates and the near-empty halls to my classroom.

Peeking inside, I noticed the teacher hadn't arrived yet, which wasn't too surprising. What was surprising was that Mae had beaten me to the classroom.

Mae Day had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. She was notoriously standoffish, always one incident shy of being suspended... Oh yeah, and she was the archetypal 'big tiddy goth girl'.

Her body was a perfect 10. She filled out her uniform and then some, the poor buttons struggling valiantly against their load. And her thighs, currently dressed in white and black striped stockings, could only be described as 'dummy thicc.' Of course, she had body fat to go along with everything else, but in my mind it only served to further complement her curvy, hourglass figure.

As for her face... I couldn't give it a rating, seeing as she changed it up every day. Naturally violet eyes definitely enhanced Mae's alternative appeal. Her makeup skills were easily professional, and her face was her canvas. Mae preferred darker colours, dramatic eyeshadow, and wings that seemed to soar, but she was never afraid to experiment. That went double for all the piercings she mixed and matched as suited her whim. She had enough of them to make a statement but not so many that they lost their effect.  Mae's raven black hair was extremely long and she was always doing something with it, experimenting with braids, bangs, or highlights.

She had the personality, too. She seemed uninterested in anyone or anything, including me most of the time. But over the years I'd learned her tolerance for being alone was simply much higher than most people's, and when she reached her limit she'd invite me over and binge my company for days. Those were always the best times. We'd talk and watch horror movies and she'd practice her aesthetics on me and we'd take pictures together...

But in the here and now, Mae had her chin in one hand, wearing a bored expression as she endlessly scrolled her phone screen with the other.

"Hey Mae! Good to see you."

"Mhm," she said without looking up. This was par for the course, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me a little.

"I'm surprised you're here so early." By early I meant before second period. "What's the occasion?"

"Eh," she shrugged.

"Did you do anything fun on the weekend?" I pressed.

She didn't even respond.

"Well, I basically died of embarrassment yesterday. I went to the bookstore to pick up something to read, and I didn't bring any money. How stupid is that?"

She nodded once. I didn't go into specifics about the book in question. Even Mae didn't know that particular detail about me.

"But then something crazy happened. This insanely beautiful girl comes out of nowhere and just buys it for me, no questions asked. I freaking lucked out!"

Mae was now staring at me intensely through narrowed eyes, her phone nowhere to be seen.

"What did she look like?" she asked levelly in her husky voice.

Surprised to suddenly have her attention, I faltered a bit.

"Uh, well she had pale hair and skin, blue eyes, really refined posture, this expensive dress that really accentuated her-"

"Nice. You know what, I feel like skipping today. I'll see you later."

With that she shouldered her big black and purple purse and walked out the door in a huff. Before I could dwell too much on the exchange, the teacher slipped in as the bell rang and began furiously writing on the board. Groaning, I pulled out my pen and notebook, struggling to keep up with this madman's pace.

Two hours later, my hand was dead and I was considering funeral arrangements. I gently massaged it with my good one as I stalked through the halls to my next class. I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone poked my shoulder from behind.

"Sorry! It's me, Luna." She then seemed to remember that she'd never had the chance to introduce herself.

"We met the other day, remember? At the bookstore?"

Ack! It was her! Of course, I knew in the back of my mind that it was a possibility we'd meet again, what with us going to the same school and all, but I wasn't ready for this yet, not in the least! I felt fresh panic attempting to seize my mind, but I took a deep breath. This was actually a great opportunity to offer her a proper apology. She deserved that much, at least.

"Oh, hi Luna! M-my name's Norma, and wow, I'm really sorry for running away like that, it was absolutely terrible of me! Look, I promise to bring you the money tomorrow-"

Luna held up her hand, as if to silence me. She noticed me cocking my head in confusion, looked to her own hand impassively, and let it drop to her side.

"Ahh, please don't worry yourself about the money. I was happy to help a fellow student. In fact, I was wondering if you'd mind paying me back by letting me borrow the book when you're done with it."

My eyes widened at her request. There was no way I could let her borrow Object of Obsession, let alone vol 14! It had to be the sauciest one yet! I needed to think of a way out of this!

"Umm, look, it's kind of a niche series, and I really don't know if you would like it..."

The corners of her lips twitched.

"I simply won't know for sure until I give it a chance, will I?"

"Ah, b-but it's not even the first volume! You'd be completely lost, it's got this really complicated plot. Maybe I'd better just-"

"Oh, what a great idea! I can just buy the first volume and go from there. Tell me, Norma. What was the name of the series, again?" Her crystalline eyes watched me carefully, as if waiting in amusement for my next move.

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut tight. How had I gotten myself into this situation!? It would be easy enough to lie to her, but it just didn't feel right. I took a deep breath, resolved myself, and opened my eyes.

That smile...

She covered it with her hand so quickly that I saw it for less than a second, but that smile...

It sent shivers down my spine. As if it had been ripped straight out of-

"Object of Obession. Wasn't it?" she suddenly prompted.

Her hand no longer blocked my view of her lips, which were now pursed in careful neutrality.

I sighed deeply.

"Yes. That was it."

"Wonderful. I do hope we can meet again soon, Norma. Thanks for the recommendation."

"Don't mention it..."

With that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the crowd. It felt like it was only a matter of time until the whole school knew about this. I was already exhausted, and the fact that I had only finished one class so far made me incredibly jealous of Mae's decision to just walk out.

Oh right, Mae. She's pissed. I'd have to smooth things over with her too, soon, though it would be a lot easier if she'd just talk about her feelings for once in her life.

With nothing for it, all I could do was walk numbly to my next class like a conscripted solider going to war.

---

Luna Reclipse sat attentively, listening to the teacher's every word and dutifully taking down notes. So it seeemed to her classmates, at least. In reality, her mind was a classroom away.

Goodness, I almost lost control, there. It's so hard to hold back when I'm face to face with her...

Even now, she struggled to stifle the smile on her lips. Once she had started yesterday, she found it extremely hard to stop.

She was under no illusion that this new smile of hers was a pretty thing. It was all or nothing, feast or famine. A monstrous, too wide grin that, when it took over, nearly split her face in half.

But the way it made her feel...

Actually feel...

The question was, could Norma accept responsibility for it? Responsibility for her?

It was hard to imagine. But Luna knew she had to find out.