In Which Volleyballs Hate Ice Cream

“You know, whenever we pass by and it’s not windy, bad things happen,” Gabrielle said as the group of seven passed by the road on the way to the Sports Complex. And true enough, it wasn’t windy at all. “I don’t remember what happened last time, but I do know that it’s always windy whenever we pass by.”

“It’s so windy, we get Marilyn Monroe skirt effects,” Arzen added. But it wasn’t windy, and they weren’t wearing skirts (neither were Mathias and Daniel).

“Happy birthday to you,” Gabrielle continued, trying to make her voice raspy and seductive like the late American actress’ own. However, her voice was low and dry and pretty much almost out because of all the screaming she had done. Mathias laughed.

“You might want to try that after the sembreak, Angeles.” The redhead glanced over his shoulder, where Elaine was dragging Daniel to the ice cream cart for some ice cream. “Want some, Arzen?”

“No thanks – I’ve lost a lot so far and I’m not getting it back,” the girl replied determinedly. Mathias rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist, dragging her to the ice cream line as well. The other three could only watch in slight amusement.

“Shipping it,” Beatrice smirked. Therese could only smile and Gabrielle faked a facepalm, the two pairs eventually coming back with ice cream of their own. “Okay, so do we screw around with the stupid vending machine, or do we watch whatever game is going on right now?”

Majority voted vending machine.

Arzen blanched at the sight of a group of Freshmen practicing volleyball, and Therese laughed at her expression. “Watch out, ball magnet.”

“Shut up, damn it!” she snapped, and walked forward with an air of confidence, walking straight to the pathway that would lead her to the vending machines at the basement of the complex. One of the freshmen girls laughed and hit the ball, launching the volleyball towards Arzen.

Her first instinct was to run.

But Arzen lifted a hand to block the impact and indeed, the ball bounced off her arm. She sighed in relief and turned to stick her tongue out at Therese, but Mathias’ sudden laughter caught her attention.

Bewildered, she turned to her left, where Daniel Edevane was staring at a volleyball on top of his ice cream. Elaine could only stare in major disbelief, the other three girls laughing as well.

The freshmen who owned the ball rushed forward, apologizing to Daniel, who brushed it off and wryly shook the ball off his now gone forever ice cream. Once they hurried away, Arzen could only stare at Daniel, unable to say anything else.

“I don’t think it was a good idea to block it in my direction, Monika Arzen,” he said dryly.

* * * * *

Finally, the swimming pool. Daniel had eaten (another) ice cream, and Elaine was eating her third for the day. Beatrice, Therese and Gabrielle were still with the vending machine, trying to get it to accept the wrinkled twenty-bill and the somehow failing five-coins. Mathias had told them to give up, but Beatrice could only glare and kick the machine angrily, causing the kids behind them to squeal and run away in fright.

“We shouldn’t be eating here,” Arzen tried, sending Elaine and Daniel a look. Mathias could only smirk.

“No one would notice,” Elaine replied, squinting her eyes and looking for Sharmaine, who was currently practicing water volleyball with her team. Arzen could only frown and sat down next to Mathias, who was reading her notebook with a semi-interested look on her face. 

“Besides, it’s not like someone’s going to spike a volleyball that would land on my ice cream,” she continued, nudging Daniel, who could only mumble a few words as he finished his own dessert.

“Suit yourself,” Mathias shrugged and continued reading. “So the murders will be themed according to fairy tale?” at that, Arzen blushed and took the notebook away, swatting him on the arm with it, “Ow – I was just asking-”

“ThatisanewstoryIhaven’ttotallyplannedyet.”

Elaine merely watched them, Daniel watching her quietly.

“Is Arzen not comfortable with sharing her ideas, or is it just with the Prat?”

“Just the Prat,” Elaine replied, “she’s worried he’ll think she’s weird for conceptualizing things about murders and killing that are related to things like fairy tales and such.”

“It isn’t weird.”

“I know – and you can tell by the look on his face that he wants to know more,” she pointed out, both of them watching as he had a slightly disappointed expression as Arzen held the green notebook tightly to her chest.

Daniel nodded quietly and sat down next to Arzen (making Mathias frown even more) and gently pried the notebook off her, flipping through it.

“He’s reading it-”

Mathias, however, was unable to complete his sentence.

A volleyball came towards them and he immediately blocked it with his fist, sighing in relief.

Daniel, however was not amused.

Arzen bit her lip to keep herself from laughing, momentarily forgetting that Daniel had her plotting notebook in his hands at that moment.

“That’s some shit timing right there!” a voice came.

Beatrice Mora had never been so correct, he wearily thought as Elaine grabbed Mathias by the collar, glaring intensely.

His blue eyes glanced at the ice cream, which was on the ground, and he cursed internally.

Shit.