The time between leaving the library yesterday afternoon and this morning had been a real slog for Alex. The secret he was keeping with Jeremi was easily becoming one of the hardest things he's ever had to do.

Jeremi though, seemed to be maintaining his composure just fine, especially around Ziro. And Alex didn't want to be the loose end of things, so he called upon his recollection of a popular drama movie, Cheater's Prosper. If straight-A-student Sally Mable, could have an affair with her best-friend's bad-boy boyfriend, and keep it a secret from everyone she loves, then surely Alex could keep his secret with Jeremi.

But he just hoped it wouldn't take too much of a toll on him. He had almost been skewered several times by Ziro's Necrodian during last night's sparring session due to his lack of focus, and he'd been tossing and turning in his bed nearly all night.

Carsyn had also mentioned to him last night that today would be a half-day of school, meaning all classes would only be about thirty minutes long. With such astounding news in mind, Alex had managed to get around three hours of sleep yet was able to spring into action when his alarm sounded off early this morning.

For much of the day Alex had been quite energized, but when last period came he'd ultimately fallen asleep just after five minutes of sitting at his desk. He was jolted awake later when he heard the uproarious cheers of the other students around him. In his befuddled state, his eyes scoured every direction trying to find the source of everyone's excitement. While the rest of the class was being quieted down by teacher upfront, Alex could finally hear Principal Heims making an announcement over the P.A. system:

"All the students going to view the soccer match against Kalimity should head to the rear doors by the gym after classes have finished. There, you will be escorted by appointed referees to available seating at the outside bleachers. Don't forget, students from the other school will also be visiting as well as other teachers and adults to see the match, so please, no mischievous behaviour and be kind to one another. Thank you, and have a good day."

The uproar continued in class as students could barely stay in their seats. Alex ruffled his hair, rubbed his eyes, and did a series of seated stretches as he tried to make sense of the announcement.

It had been a while since he had even thought about soccer, and although he hadn't completely enjoyed his former time playing on a team back in New Orleans, something inside of him still wanted to see the sport in action again.

Feeling like his ears were ringing, Alex vigorously rubbed at the lobes. Everyone else began to pack up their belongings, preparing to depart, and it was then Alex realized that an actual bell had rung and class was now over.

'I slept through class?' Alex thought. He'd underestimated just how fatigued he really was. Though it was only about a meager half-hour of sleep, he felt well rested enough that he could grab his bag and jog at a quickened pace out of the classroom, heading for the front foyer to meet with the group.

"Some news," Ziro began as the group assembled by the front entrance. "Rents are all busy, so we'll be taking the long way home today."

"Ugh," Tate groaned.

"Ooh," Evan excitedly cooed.

"Remind me again why you're so fond of public transportation?" Tate asked her.

"Bunch' a reasons," Evan offered. "You get some leisure time while getting to where you're going; it makes you exercise more; there's also a sense of sonder of the people you meet-"

"And it's good for the environment," Six tacked on.

"That too!" Evan agreed. "And there are totally a bunch of other reasons-"

"Forget. I asked." Tate butt in.

"What's 'sonder'?" Alex asked instead.

"Oh, A.P.," Tate groaned again.

"It's this intense feeling of realizing that everyone you meet and pass by has a life just as complex as your own, which they are always living despite your unawareness of it," Evan explained. "Ain't that fascinating, Blue?"

"Quite," Alex agreed.

"I thought you already knew everything," Lev queried.

"So did I," Alex whispered back. Both Carsyn and Jeremi who'd been next to him, chuckled along while Lev rolled his eyes despite failing to hide his grin.

"Come on, let's get going," Ziro said as he was the first to turn to leave.

"Actually..." Alex started, making Ziro halt in his tracks and swerve back around to look at him. "I just heard the announcement about the soccer game being hosted here, and I kinda wanted to check it out."

"What?" Carsyn exclaimed, her face twisting into displeasure. "Why? Lexy, you said in the letters that you were done with soccer. We're not losing you to the jock side, are we?"

Alex didn't miss how annoyed she looked, but he also heard how wounded she sounded too. He pulled her in for a powerful hug, sparing no moment for her to break out of — the kind of hugs he knew she wouldn't refuse — then rested his head atop of hers as she let her head rest against his chest.

"I did tell you that I quit my team," Alex started. "And that I wasn't sure if I would ever play again, but I don't think I've completely given up on the sport. And you're not losing me. There's not a force on the planet that can take me from you guys." He smiled when Carsyn finally lifted her arms to wrap around him. "I won't even stay the whole game. You can decide how long I can be there," he said this to Ziro.

Ziro thought to himself a brief moment before saying, "actually, I think Lev can decide this one." At once, all eyes leveled on Lev.

Lev glanced at Ziro, his countenance dignified, before resuming his reposed study of Alex and Carsyn's embrace. His eyes wandered a bit, and he saw something perturbed in Carsyn's eyes, pondering it for a moment.

"...thirty minutes. If you're late by even a second, you'll be stuck on cooking duty all day tomorrow. Got it?" he said.

Alex knew exactly what he meant. If he was late, he wouldn't be allowed to join tomorrow's mission of decorating the town for Halloween, and would be confined to making all the meals for the group instead. It was strange for Lev to be strict about any kind of rules, so Alex suspected he might have shared the same concerns as Carsyn.

"Got it," he agreed, shooting Lev an appreciative smile, to which Lev awkwardly shied away from returning.

Ziro stifled a smile of his own as he watched on. "S we'll be at the park not too far down the street, to the right of the school. Text when you're on your way, and meet us there. Have...fun?" Carsyn shot him a look so scathing that Ziro couldn't hold back his curling lips anymore. "Let's go." He turned to leave again, and Lev was the first one to follow after him.

"Don't be late..." Carsyn had sullenly whispered to Alex when she had freed herself from the hug.

"Of course," Alex had reassured.

Six patted Alex on his arm as she followed next. "Mind the time, Alexy."

"For the sake of our ecosystem, mind the time, A.P.," Tate cautioned as he followed after.

"Mind the time, dude," Jeremi added, and bumped fists with Alex before following along too.

"Don't sit near the field, that's how they'll suck you in," Evan warned as she followed last. "Oh, and mind the time."

Alex nodded reassuringly to each of them as they left. He didn't quite understand all of what Evan had told him, but he would still make sure to listen to it. Pulling out his phone, he made a mental note of the time. It was eleven now. Swiftly, he spun on his heels and sprinted down the hall, hoping that he remembered exactly where the gym was.

The game was tied. All the spectators here were either cheering on Somber Ridge's Dragons or Kalimity's Weasels, but both sides were worked up, roaring as loud as they could, and Alex's heart raced along with them.

It was the first time he'd been to a soccer game while just being an onlooker, and he couldn't deny that he was greatly impressed as the battle of the sport unfolded on the field. Watching them reminded Alex of the bloodthirsty animals he'd seen on a nature channel. The Dragons were treacherous predators trailing their targets, while the Weasels were the clever prey, skillfully evading being thwarted and caught — it was exhilarating to witness.

The game had already been going on when Alex had got there, and he couldn't deny that he was a bit disappointed that he'd missed the beginning of the match, but then he realized he'd forgotten to 'mind the time' for a while now. Quickly he pulled out his phone: 11:25.

Alex didn't know which was more surprising; the fact that he was finding so much excitement in soccer despite not even playing the game himself, or that watching only twenty-five minutes of the match had made him forget something that he knew was so important not to forget.

He could sort out his feelings about soccer later, but for now, he moved his fingers as fast they would go in order to craft the perfect text to Ziro:

'On my way now. There's a lot of people moving around all over the place so likely it will be a while. But don't worry, I'll run if I have to!'

His thumb readied just above the send button, but then it happened.

The whistle blew, snapping Alex's attention back to the field. Number 16 from the Weasels made a smooth kick to number 4 who then made a skillful pass to number 01 after sprinting down the field a few yards. Number 16 was drawing closer to the goal, so number 01 swiftly sent the ball back to him. But then an opposing Dragon re-materialized in front of number 16, though 16 maintained his speed even as he got the ball back in his possession.

As number 16 approached the opposing Dragon, he dropped his left shoulder, then at the last split second he switched the shoulder that he dropped and turned his body to the right, shielding the ball as it went along with him. He didn't stop, continuing to do a 360 degree rotation, the ball gracefully moving with him. He was now safely on one side of the opposing Dragon, leaving him free to soar with the ball down the field, and make a clean goal.

The whistle blew again, but Alex was louder. A shoulder feint and then a 360 spin, it was a move Alex had once tried himself during his short time playing the game. And for the third time, he just couldn't deny that number 16 had done a sharper job of executing the move.

He hadn't registered just how loud his cheering was, until number 16 made eye contact from the field. Though there was some distance, Alex still noticed him blushing madly before the player nervously looked away.

'Pretty...' was the first thing Alex thought, but he wasn't sure what to make of the thought, because he didn't have time to consider it before his mind blurted it out. But he was sure that he had to go and commend number 16, maybe even ask his name if he remembered to. He was on his way down from the bleachers, when he was stopped by one of the official's of the game.

"No one leaves their seats for now. We need to do a quick search and check, and then you'll be free to leave your seat. We ask for your patience, please remain seated until then. Apologies for the inconvenience," the female official said.

Alex sighed as he dropped back down onto the bleacher bench. He suddenly remembered again that he had to meet the group. Pulling out his phone, he saw the time: 11:29.

There was no helping it now. He'd definitely already made his mind up about sending his congratulations to number 16, so what could he do but accept his inevitable penalty? Unlocking his phone, he deleted the text he was going to send earlier and typed out a new one:

'Sorry...going to be a little late. I'll explain later.'

He could manage not being a part of the mission for the day. He wasn't sure if he could manage when the impending bad moods of Carsyn and Lev would strike him repeatedly.

Finally, he hit send.