Welcome to Vale High - Chapter 11 (Patreon)
Content
Blake was still holding Yang’s hand when they hurried out the doors and across the sidewalk. And Yang practically skipped along with wings on her feet, all-too-willing to follow Blake anywhere and everywhere. They’d passed the far edge of the parking lot when Blake finally released Yang’s hand, and they slowed their pace to a comfortable walk.
“That was...surprisingly easy,” Yang said, more than a little surprised at how smooth their escape had been.
“What were you expecting? Guard dogs by the exits?”
“No,” Yang scoffed before grinning. “Killer robots, maybe.”
When Blake chuckled and shook her head, Yang’s smile grew.
The idea of leaving school during the day had always seemed like some sort of undercover, secret agent mission - they’d use the air ducts and distract the teacher-sentries using clever disguises or the fire alarms. They’d likely be spotted, at which point a short chase would ensue, followed by their miraculous escape to the wonderful outdoors.
In actuality, they went to one of the side exits, opened the door, and walked outside. They even passed a few teachers on the way out, but no one questioned where they were going or why. Such lax security measures were shocking, to be honest. But it was a school and not a prison...although it certainly didn’t feel like that sometimes.
“You realize what we are right now, don’t you?” Yang asked as school fell further and further behind.
“What?”
“We’re truant.” Looking over her shoulder, she half-expected to find a teacher chasing after them. Thankfully, there wasn’t. Yet.
“Are you ok?” Blake asked, turning to Yang with an arched brow. “Do you want to go back?”
“It’s too late to go back now! What’re we gonna say if we get caught?”
“We’ll tell the truth. We helped Penny and then were hungry, so went to get lunch.”
“How are you way more relaxed about this than me?” Yang asked, genuinely surprised by Blake’s unflappable demeanor. “Be honest - do you skip school all the time?”
Blake smiled at the question but shook her head.
“Actually, this is the first time.”
“It’s my first time too,” Yang replied before quickly adding, “I mean, first time skipping school.”
“Really?” Blake asked, her tone holding enough disbelief that Yang laughed.
“Contrary to popular belief, I follow the rules. Just...not when it comes to bullies. But what about you, Miss Straight-A Student? I bet you’ve never broken a rule in your life.”
“Excuse me? If I recall, it was my idea to skip class.”
“Oh? So you’re a rule breaker, are you?” Yang teased. After briefly trying to keep a straight face, Blake failed and smiled.
“Not at all.”
“Thought so,” Yang replied, swinging her arms in content while they walked towards the only fast food restaurant near the school. “Hope you like burgers though - that’s about the only option we have.”
“I’m not picky. When it comes to food, at least.”
Turning to the side, Yang caught another one of those signature grins and - this time - couldn’t help asking a follow-up question.
“What are you picky about then?”
“Books mostly,” Blake answered, her eyes never leaving their destination - a burger place not too far away. “I read a lot, but that doesn’t mean I’ll read anything.”
“Having standards is good. Otherwise, the other books will whisper behind your back,” Yang joked before lowering her voice for effect. “Did you hear who Blake was out with last night? It was that novel from aisle three. You know - the one no one else would touch.”
While Blake laughed at the joke, Yang jogged forward and opened the door to the restaurant. After following Blake inside, she discovered a room filled with people she recognized - all the other kids who hardly ever showed up for class. Not exactly great company, but now she knew where they hung out when teachers were looking for them.
“I’m buying,” Yang said as they stepped into line for the register. “And no complaints,” she added when Blake opened her mouth. “It’s my treat for helping Penny put her project back together.”
Closing her mouth, Blake nodded and smiled without a word.
“And get whatever you want,” Yang added while they waited for the person in front of them to finish their order.
“Whatever I want?” Blake repeated. “What if what I want isn’t on the menu?”
Glancing at Blake in surprise, Yang briefly thought about that question before finding the perfect answer.
“I’ll still get it for you! But if it’s really far away, you’ve gotta give me some extra time - a day or two, you know?”
“I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t take you that long,” Blake replied before they stepped up to the counter to order.
“What would you like?” the cashier asked without changing his severely-bored expression.
“I’ll have a number three please,” Yang answered before turning to Blake. “What about you?”
“I’ll have the same.”
Tilting her head at the answer, Yang handed her card to the cashier while her attention remained on Blake.
“Thought you said you didn’t want to be like me,” she teased, earning a playful expression in return.
“I don’t. But you have great taste in fast food.”
Laughing, Yang accepted her card and receipt before the two of them stepped off to the side to wait for their order.
“Thank god we’re getting food,” she admitted while they waited. “I don’t think I would’ve survived practice on an empty stomach.”
“That wouldn’t be good.”
“It really wouldn’t! That would be a bad end to the day,” she replied, shaking her head before sighing when she remembered what brought them to this point. “Freaking Cardin…” she muttered to herself, feeling a burning tendril of anger reappear in her chest.
“I thought you would hit him,” Blake confessed. And the admission made Yang sigh again - a little heavier this time.
“I won’t lie and say I didn’t want to, but I’m not allowed to do that anymore.”
“Do what, exactly?”
“Hit a bully first,” Yang elaborated. “If they swing at me, I can defend myself. But I can’t go around knocking people out whenever I want.”
“I’m impressed. That must take quite a bit of self-restraint.”
“It was a learning process, that’s for sure.” Pausing for a second, Yang thought about the difficult process of training herself not to let anger dictate her actions. When people did something wrong, she wanted them to stop immediately - but that didn’t mean violence was always the answer.
“My dad got me into boxing lessons really young,” she explained while watching the employees move around the kitchen. “Pretty soon, I could probably take out anyone going to school with me. But it’s that whole ‘great power and great responsibility’ thing. I could actually hurt someone, and I don’t want to do that. I just want them to learn a lesson.”
“Order fifty-two -” the man behind the register called out before dropping a tray on the counter and walking away without another care in the world. Stepping forward, Yang picked up their food before gesturing for Blake to choose where she’d like to sit. After she picked a table near one wall of the building, the two of them sat down across from one another to eat.
“I think it’s fascinating,” Blake replied while casually dunking a french fry into a cup of ketchup. “You’ve turned standing up for other students into a type of job or...quest of some kind.”
“Then hopefully I’m good at it,” Yang quipped after swallowing a big bite of her burger. “I’ve learned a lot too.”
Blake’s curious expression was enough for her to continue unprompted.
“Like, there are two main types of bullies. Most of them are like Cardin - they talk the talk, but they don’t want to take a fist to the face. If you threaten them and mean it, they’ll normally back down. But there are a few who won’t - those are the ones who need to learn the hard way.”
“By way of your knuckles?”
“Or a bit of a shove,” Yang added with a small smile. “I don’t want to get into a fight unless it’s absolutely necessary. But it only takes one of those before the pansy bullies - that’s what I call the ones like Cardin - run at any type of threat.”
“So are there any of the...meaner kind...at school right now?”
Yang shook her head and tossed a fry into her mouth. “Not that I know of.”
“What about girls?”
“What about girls?” Yang asked in confusion.
“Well, obviously you don’t go around threatening to hit other girls, do you?” Blake clarified.
“Oh! Of course not. Girl bullies are tough to deal with actually. I can’t threaten them, and I can’t just flirt with them like some guys. I mean, some of them I can, but not all.” Pausing when she realized what she’d just admitted, Yang blushed and cleared her throat. “Girls usually speak in popularity though. They’ll do anything to get it and anything to keep from losing it.”
“It must help that you’re incredibly popular,” Blake replied, smiling while she took a sip of her soda.
“For better or worse, people watch what I do. So I try to set a good example and hope the other girls will follow. I’ve had some harsh words with a few though.” Running through a list of potential troublemakers at school, Yang landed upon a name that made her chuckle. “I thought Weiss was going to be one of them, but then Ruby went and stole her heart.”
“That’s certainly true,” Blake agreed.
“The first couple years were tough though,” Yang added. “Weiss and I constantly butted heads. If you can imagine her pre-Ruby, she didn’t care what anyone thought about her. In her mind, she was the best and brightest person in the world, and no one would ever make her think otherwise. But then Ruby showed up and that pretty much went away. Now Weiss mostly just insults me, but I can deal with that.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s her way of being your friend,” Blake replied with an amused smile. “Similar to how a boy might pull a girl’s hair on the playground.”
Narrowing her eyes, Yang pointed a french fry across the table.
“Are you saying that Weiss is actually trying to flirt with me?”
Blake immediately shook her head.
“Not exactly, but a similar concept.” Pausing for a second, Blake gave Yang a smug smile. “Although you wouldn’t know if someone was flirting with you, would you?”
“I totally would!”
“Would you?”
“Yes!” Although Yang felt certain when she said the word with such emphasis, her confidence evaporated when Blake raised one brow in disbelief. “Ok, maybe I wouldn’t know all the time,” she acquiesced. “But if it was obvious!”
“So you’ll only catch it if it’s obvious?”
“I’m pretty sure you’re twisting my words around here,” Yang replied with a grin.
“Fair enough,” Blake said with a soft chuckle. “So Ruby showed up and solved your Weiss problem.”
“Yup! By making Weiss fall in love with her, apparently.” Mulling over that sentence, Yang still couldn’t believe that’s what happened. Of all the people at school, Weiss fell into Ruby’s not-at-all cleverly-laid trap with a pile of chocolate chip cookies used as bait. How did Weiss not that coming? The girl planned for everything, and she walked right into Ruby’s sugar-coated snare.
“I don’t think you realize how big of an impact you have on people,” Blake said, continuing even after Yang chuckled and ran one hand through her hair. “I hear what people say about you, you know. The entire school wants to be your friend.”
“And I’ll gladly be theirs!” Yang answered, although she was moderately embarrassed by the amount of undeserved praise Blake was giving her right now.
“Enough about me though,” she added with a quick wave. “What about you? Do you like it here? Do you miss your friends at Menagerie?”
Even though she must have sensed the clear attempt to change the subject, Blake accepted the new topic.
“A little bit. But honestly, I’ve never had too many close friends. I’ve always been more of a loner.”
“Did that change when you transferred?” Yang asked. “Because you don’t seem like that much of a loner.”
Sure, Blake liked to read a lot and that might seem a little unapproachable, but if someone struck up a conversation, she was super friendly and considerate!
“A lot changed when I transferred. And yes, I do like it here - quite a lot.”
The way Blake said that - combined with the way she looked at Yang right now - sent a shiver of thrill down her spine. She imagined that it was hard to transfer at the end of high school, but if she’d somehow made the transition easier for Blake, then she was happy.
“Glad to hear! Because you’re kind of stuck with me for the rest of the year.”
As soon as the words slipped out, Yang realized how they sounded. Before she could attempt to play it off, however, Blake smiled and said, “I can’t wait.”
Blake couldn’t wait to spend the whole year together? That...was exactly how Yang felt too, only times a thousand. Based on how the past few days had gone, this was going to be the best year ever.
After polishing off her hamburger and wiping her hands on a napkin, Yang balled up the wrapper and tossed it onto the tray. Leaning back in her seat, she sighed in content now that her hunger was satiated.
“Thanks for getting lunch with me,” she said while watching Blake put her trash onto the tray, as well. “And for helping Penny.”
“You don’t need to thank me for either of those things. I’m glad you’re feeling better though.”
The comment sent a bit of curiosity through Yang’s mind, but she ultimately accepted the observation. She had been wound up and upset after what Cardin did, even though it turned out alright for Penny in the end. Thank god it turned out alright for Penny. Otherwise...she didn’t know what she might’ve done.
But with Blake’s help fixing Penny’s project and then a very enjoyable lunch to decompress, Yang felt much better. Spending more time with Blake definitely lifted her spirits, and the fact that Blake noticed her mood was pretty flattering. Normally, she hid behind a smile, but it didn’t seem like that worked with Blake. That wasn’t a bad thing. It was just...something new.
“Are you ready to head back?” Blake finally asked, leaning forward like she was seconds away from getting out of her chair.
“Absolutely.”
In agreement, they both stood and Yang picked up the tray to carry it to the garbage bin.
“We make a good team, huh?” she asked on their way out.
“Yes, but you can be in charge of all the punching.”
Yang laughed at the response while holding the door for Blake.
“Not a problem,” she said while stepping into the afternoon sun and immediately yawning. “Oh no...I missed my nap class.”
“I don’t remember seeing that as an option on the class list…” Blake mused while they headed back to school.
“Oh it’s there. It’s just mislabeled as ‘economics.’”
After a quiet laugh, the two of them walked towards the school building in comfortable silence. Yang never considered silences comfortable before, but with Blake they were. There was no pressure to force another topic. They could just...enjoy one another’s company.
That didn’t mean Yang was out of topics to talk about. She had lots and lots of questions she wanted to ask, but she didn’t mind the little moments of silence between conversations. As much as she enjoyed the silence, however, she liked listening to the sound of Blake’s voice even more.
“Have you ever been bullied?” she asked when they neared the outer reaches of the school parking lot. Initially, it felt like a dumb question based on how fiercely-independent Blake was, but the way she looked straight ahead and clenched her jaw made a pit appear in Yang’s stomach.
“When I was younger, it happened fairly often,” Blake admitted before shaking her head. “They would steal my books and tease me about reading so much.”
The thought of Blake being bullied made Yang frown while a familiar feeling clawed at her heart - a hot, angry feeling that reminded her of the times Ruby was picked on.
“If you remember any of their names, I’ll track them down for you.”
The offer made Blake smile and let out a light laugh, but she shook her head.
“I appreciate that, but I don’t think it’s necessary - at least, not anymore.” Looking ahead of them, Blake smiled and briefly lifted her hands before dropping them once more. “It took some help, but eventually I learned to ignore what they said. I love to read. If they had a problem with that, then I didn’t have to be friends with them. As soon as I stopped caring about what they said or what they called me, they decided it wasn’t fun to tease me anymore. It’s not fun to bully someone who doesn't care about what you say, is it?”
When Blake finally turned back to Yang - with a smile that wasn’t at all impacted by the story she just told and the hardships she lived through - Yang nodded.
“They do it for the reaction,” she agreed.
“Exactly.” After a pause, Blake took a deep breath and continued. “If anything, I think the experience made me stronger.”
Now that statement made Yang happy.
“Really?”
When Blake nodded, Yang sighed in relief.
“That’s great to hear,” she said, tilting her chin up and looking towards the clear blue sky. “That’s what I’m hoping for people like Penny - that they’re better off in the end. That they’ll end up stronger and more resilient. But seriously, if Cardin ever messes with you again, I’m going to knock his head off.”
Anger swelled in her chest at the thought of anyone bullying Blake, of all people. Why would anyone be mean to someone so sweet? It didn’t make any sense but, then again, it never did. Fortunately, Blake had overcome that situation using her strength and willpower - two traits she certainly wasn’t lacking in.
“So I get special treatment?” Blake asked.
“Of course.”
It was only when Blake looked abundantly pleased by the statement that Yang understood how it sounded.
“I mean, you’re new here,” she added. “We can’t make a bad first impression, can we? Vale High has a reputation to uphold!”
From the way Blake playfully nodded, Yang knew her attempt to cover up the admission had either failed miserably or Blake saw right through it.
“If I’d known this was what you’d be like, I think I would’ve transferred years ago,” Blake commented, the words making Yang flush substantially.
“You don’t regret it then? Switching schools?”
“Absolutely not. It could be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made…and not just because the academics are better.”
Even though Yang had no idea if the reply meant what she thought it meant, her heart soared into the sky in happiness.
“I’m glad you transferred too,” she willingly conceded. Even though an immediate blush grew from the candor, she was happy to have said it regardless. It was true, after all. Blake’s sudden appearance in her life had caused a never-ending chain of positive reactions. And if this was only a few days of spending time together, she couldn’t even imagine how awesome the rest of the year would be.
With school looming ahead of them, they veered away from the main entrance and snuck inside using the side exit they’d used to leave. While walking up the steps, Yang heard the loud bell ring from deep inside the building.
“We have perfect timing, don’t we?” she asked with a chuckle of surprise, pulling open the door to find students pouring into the hall. Hundreds of voices suddenly competed for attention, effectively ending their comfortable silence.
“I’ll walk you to class!” Yang added. “Where are you headed?”
“Advanced literature,” Blake answered before pointing down the correct hallway.
“Do any of your classes not have ‘advanced’ in front of them?”
“Yes. Homeroom.”
The joke made Yang laugh, and she nodded in respect of Blake’s quick wit.
“Fair enough. And lunch too - my favorite classes of the day!”
“Any reason in particular those are your favorite?”
“Uh...because they don’t involve learning?” Yang answered before dramatically waving towards the classroom where advanced literature was held. “You’re more than capable of learning for the both of us.”
Instead of heading into the classroom, however, Blake moved off to the side of the hall and lingered by the door.
“I’ll see you after school?” she asked, meeting Yang’s gaze without hesitation.
“Yeah, absolutely!”
If there was a surefire way to make Yang grin like an idiot, it was by making plans to see Blake again. In just a couple of hours too. They hadn’t even separated yet, and already she was looking forward to it.
When Blake’s gaze suddenly drifted over her shoulder, Yang turned and found Weiss walking past them.
“I hope you’re feeling better,” she directed to Blake while pausing by the door. “Mrs. Rivers sends her best, and she gave me your work to pass along when you got out of the nurse’s office.”
“You...told her I was sick?” Blake asked, taken aback by the comment.
“Yes. You were feeling a little sick at lunch, remember?” Weiss replied with a pointed gaze. “I hope laying down helped you get over whatever was bothering your stomach.”
The look Blake gave Yang was filled with as much shock as she currently felt.
“Thank you,” Blake finally replied with a genuine smile which, of course, made Weiss bristle.
“I only did it because I may need a favor too someday,” she huffed before hurrying through the door with a “hmmph” - all while Blake stared after her in surprise.
“She’s like...a very prickly teddy bear, isn’t she?”
“I think she likes you!” Yang remarked. “Despite her best efforts not to. You know, as her sworn smart-kid enemy.”
After staring into the classroom for a few more seconds, Blake turned to Yang with a smile.
“Thank you...for the delightful lunch.”
“Absolutely. Anytime,” Yang replied, struggling to keep her cheeks from flushing with happiness. “I mean, maybe not anytime cuz we don’t want to get in trouble, but you know what I mean…”
Still smiling - even more now after the nervous rambles - Blake reached out and gently squeezed Yang’s arm before taking a step towards the classroom.
“I’ll see you later.”
“Can’t wait,” Yang said while backing away. “Let’s hope Pyrrha’s as good a friend as Weiss is!”
Chuckling at the irony of that statement, she rushed off to class...but not without one last glance at Blake.
Any other time, what Cardin did would have ruined her mood for the rest of the day. But Blake had turned that crummy incident into just a blip on the radar. Instead of smoldering with anger, Yang practically skipped through the halls with wings on her feet. It was amazing, really. The rest of her day would be cast in the pleasant glow of going out to lunch together, and that was a much more preferable way to end her day.
Dwelling on Blake - her smile, her laugh, her way of knowing what Yang was going to say before she said it - made the rest of her classes fly by. Which was surprising considering each of the teachers had planned an excessive amount of learning for a Tuesday. But no amount of meticulous lesson plans could keep Yang’s mind away from Blake and the fact that they’d see each other again after school.
Now if only practice weren’t in the way…
“Hey guys!” she said while jogging out of the locker room and passing several of her teammates on her way to the gym. By the time they waved back, she was pushing the door open and heading inside. As usual, her gaze immediately crept up to the top of the stands - where Blake was already sitting. Today, however, Blake looked up from her book and smiled when she caught Yang’s eyes.
How badly did Yang want to go up there right now? Pretty dang badly! But Coach Ironwood was already standing on the other side of the gym talking to Nora. And, from the way Nora bounded up and down in front of him, she was hyper.
“Hey Coach!” Yang said once she joined them. “Hope you’re feeling better?”
“I am. Thank you, Yang,” he replied with a slight tilt of his chin. “Today we’re working on multiple combinations, but towards the end of practice I want you and Nora to go through some light spars in preparation for Thursday.”
“Yes!!” Nora exclaimed before giving Yang a stinging high-five.
Nora loved skipping drills. Yang loved skipping drills too, but Nora really, really loved doing anything but repetitive motions. That’s what made their practices leading up to a match so much fun - they’d spar today, recover tomorrow, then pull out all the stops for Thursday.
After the rest of the team trickled out of the locker room, Yang led them through the usual warm-up before they started some of the usual drills. It was all such second nature to her by now that she was able to do most of it without paying much attention, freeing up her eyes to watch whatever Blake was doing instead - which was reading, reading, and more reading.
Yang couldn’t figure out why anyone would make fun of Blake for that. She liked to read - so what? She was also pretty much a certifiable genius. They could all stand to be a little more like Blake.
“Yang!”
The shot to her shoulder knocked her a step backward and told her that she’d been staring for too long.
“Coach said we can go now!” Nora said before shoving a pair of gloves into Yang’s stomach. “So come on!”
Rolling her eyes at Nora’s eagerness, Yang shot a look towards the rest of their team and found them listening to Coach Ironwood’s instruction for the end of practice drills. Pulling on her gear, she ducked between the ropes that Nora was not-at-all patiently holding open for her.
“I can’t wait for Thursday!” Nora squealed, throwing several quick jabs in the air after following Yang into the ring.
“It’s gonna be fun,” Yang replied with a grin. Suddenly dropping her hands, Nora looked left and right before lowering her voice.
“I heard she’s already guaranteeing a win.”
Yang shook her head and chuckled at the gossip, which was not-at-all surprising to her.
“Of course she is. She does every year.”
While looking away from Nora, Yang’s gaze again landed and stayed on Blake - whose brow was currently furrowed while reading what must be an intense or concerning scene. Whatever was happening in the book, Yang really wanted to find out - if only so she knew the cause of the expression.
Following Yang’s gaze, Nora again tapped her shoulder and brought her jarring back to reality.
“Are you gonna invite her?”
“Uh, I mean, I’m sure she’s heard about it,” Yang sputtered while forcing a nonchalant shrug. “She can come if she wants.”
“Do it - doooo it, Yang! You have to invite her personally!”
“I don’t want her to feel like she has to -”
“Well you have to,” Nora interrupted. “I won’t practice until you do.” Crossing her arms over her chest, Nora nodded once in defiance.
“Come on, Nora -”
“Nope! I’m waiting!”
Out of the corner of her eye, Yang saw Blake stand up - and Nora’s eyes immediately widened.
“Come on, before she leaves!” she said while shoving Yang towards the edge of the ring. As Blake walked down the bleacher steps, Yang looked at Nora - who ushered her forward - before taking a deep breath and turning back to Blake.
“Blake!” she called out, ducking out of the ring and meeting Blake when she reached the gym floor.
“Hey,” Yang said with a grin that Blake returned.
“Hey.”
For a few seconds, the two of them just stood there while Yang tried to decide if she should bother asking. It wasn’t like Blake had to come to any sporting events, but if she was going to be hanging around anyway...Yang wouldn’t mind if there was an extra person spectating. It might actually be a good opportunity to show off a little bit.
“So uh...I don’t know if you’re interested in boxing, but we have our first match Thursday…”
When Yang’s half-invitation trailed off, Blake nodded. “I’ve heard. Everyone seems excited about it. Even Weiss said she’s going.”
“Weiss is only going because Ruby will be there.” Understanding the newfound obviousness of that statement, Yang rolled her eyes. How had it taken her so long to catch on? “But, um...I wanted to invite you. Personally. If you don’t have anything else to do.”
Probably the worst invitation ever, but Blake smiled while considering it.
“I don’t know that I’m a huge fan of boxing...but maybe you can convince me otherwise.”
“So you’ll come?” Yang asked, feeling a wave of excitement and hopefulness rush through her veins. The feeling only amplified when Blake nodded.
“I’ll be there.”
“Great!” Hitting her gloves together, Yang couldn’t stop a big smile from appearing. “It’ll be fun!”
“If you’re there, I’m sure it will be.”
Yang’s cheeks flushed at the compliment, and she couldn’t think of anything else to say while they stood there. It felt like Blake didn’t want to walk away, and Yang certainly didn’t want to either. After shuffling her feet, a question popped into her mind that made her heart flutter like crazy. But she was going to ask. She was absolutely going to ask.
“And maybe, if you’re free, we could...I dunno...hang out after?”
Yang’s cheeks hit critical heat while waiting for Blake’s response, which was preceded by a pleased smile.
“Sure. I’d love to…‘hang out.’”
“That’s great,” Yang replied, grinning like an idiot while Blake finally turned to leave.
“I’m sure it will be. See you tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah, see ya!”
Standing on the gym floor, Yang stared after Blake like a lovestruck idiot - her heart beating wildly at the short interaction that just happened. Blake was going to watch her box. And afterward, they’d hang out - just the two of them spending time together without that pesky school bell always ending their conversations.
It wasn’t until Blake disappeared from view that Yang raced back to practice.
“Sooo what’d she say??” Nora asked as soon as Yang clambered back into the ring.
“She said she’d be there.” Yang’s grin widened when Nora beamed and pounded one fist into her shoulder in a rough congratulations.
“See? Told you! Except we should probably make sure she sits where you can’t stare at her…”
“What? How do you -”
“Only everyone notices, Yang,” Nora interrupted, dropping her hands and rolling her eyes as if that was the most obvious statement in the world.
“Everyone??” Yang repeated while her cheeks grew warm with embarrassment. Had she really been that obvious?
“Yeah! The new girls asked if she’s your girlfriend. I said yes.” Giggling at the lie, Nora knocked her gloves together while Yang sighed.
“Of course you did…”
Did she mind? Not really. Unless that somehow got back to Blake, in which case she was going to have to pummel Nora a bit.
“But now she can cheer you on while you dip and duck and knock Salem across town!” Dipping and ducking herself, Nora then swung a wild hook that spun her in a complete circle. “Oh! And after you win, she can give you a congratulations kiss!”
“Nora!” Yang exclaimed, feeling her cheeks grow substantially warmer.
“What?” Nora asked, raising her gloved hands in feigned innocence. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do with your girlfriend?”
“She’s not -! Just -! Let’s finish up so we can go home,” Yang finally said, her cheeks a raging fire at the moment.
Maybe it would be over the moon awesome if that happened. Salem High had a pretty good boxing program - wouldn’t it be worth a small reward if Yang won for Vale High? Not that she considered that a small reward - that was a huge reward.
Shaking her head in an attempt to dislodge those thoughts, she raised her gloves and focused instead on Nora - who was an excellent distraction. After bumping their fists together, she bounced back on her toes and waited for the inevitable onslaught.
Left hook, right, uppercut, jab, jab - Nora’s idea of a combination was throwing everything in as short of a time as possible. With the power behind her blows, allowing any of them to connect would result in a large amount of pain tomorrow, which meant that Yang practiced her defensive positioning while dodging and deflecting the blows one at a time.
Deep breaths. Remain calm and focused. Watch Nora’s arms and eyes for clues as to what was coming next.
When Nora projected a right-handed jab too early, Yang pounced on the opportunity. Spinning to the left, she felt the wind behind Nora’s fist blow across her cheek while Nora took a step forward to match. Stomping one foot into the ground to spring herself to a sudden stop, Yang reached forward, wrapped her arms underneath Nora’s, and lifted up. Clamping her arms tightly, Yang held on while Nora temporarily struggled against the firm hold - which was about as easy as trying to hold onto a fish with her bare hands.
“Ugh…” Nora finally exhaled while dropping her arms to her side. “You got me.”
Satisfied that Nora had been corralled, Yang released her hold and took a quick step away in case a retaliation was coming. But Nora just turned around with a grin and unstrapped one glove with her teeth.
“That was good!” Yang remarked before taking off her gloves and tossing them out of the ring.
“Alright everyone, let’s wrap up,” Coach Ironwood called out. Ducking through the ropes, Yang and Nora joined the rest of their team while Coach ended practice. “Good job today. I’ll see you tomorrow for a short practice before Salem on Thursday.”
When he turned to leave and everyone began talking amongst themselves, Yang gathered her belongings and drank about half a bottle of water on her walk to the locker room. Taking her time changing back into clean, dry clothes, she made sure to throw in some extra stretches before finally deeming her day done.
“Make sure to stretch!” she ordered some of the new girls, who were chatting to each other while hurrying out of the locker room. They turned around and gave her a thumbs up before racing away, in a big rush to head home. “They’re going to regret that tomorrow…” she muttered to herself while grabbing her bag and heading back into the gym.
Sitting on the bleachers, she watched the volleyball team wrap up before the track team steamed inside and filled the locker rooms. Tuesday was nearly over, and what an eventful day it had been. She’d run the gamut of emotions - wanting to punch Cardin in the face, helping Penny fix her project, skipping class with Blake, and then...asking Blake to come watch Thursday.
And Blake said yes.
Yang still had a goofy grin set on her face when Pyrrha appeared from the locker room and walked over to say hello. But instead of ‘hello,’ Pyrrha asked, “What are you grinning about?”
“Thursday’s gonna be awesome,” was the simplest answer Yang could give while standing up and grabbing her bag. The idea of Blake watching the match made her nervous but excited at the same time.
Pyrrha, however, looked at her like she was crazy.
“You realize you’re fighting Emerald on Thursday, right?”
The question made Yang’s grin immediately fall into a scowl.
“I know. But she’s never beaten me, so it’s all good!”
“She’s never legally beaten you,” Pyrrha clarified. “Because she always disqualifies herself doing something horrendously illegal.”
Reminded of their previous matches, Yang scrunched up her nose. Emerald was the worst fighter - vicious in an uncontrollable way. Yang was convinced that as soon as Emerald graduated she would become a serial killer or assassin or something. And she knew that the girl was an awful bully, even to her own teammates.
It was lucky that they went to different schools. Otherwise, they’d get into fights all the time. However, Yang considered herself fortunate to have the opportunity to throw a few legal punches as payback for whatever Emerald did at school that Yang didn’t see. And, luckily, having Salem on the schedule early in the year meant they could get the worst match over with and move on.
But still. Blake was going to be there. Emerald or no Emerald, it would be a great day. And then after…
“Oh my god.”
Concerned by Yang’s exclamation, Pyrrha looked around as if something was out of place.
“What?”
“What?? Pyrrha, I asked Blake to hang out with me after the match!” Grabbing Pyrrha’s arm, Yang gave it several shakes. “What are we going to do?”
“You finally asked her out?” Pyrrha asked, her smile a little smug for Yang’s liking.
“No, I said ‘hang out’ - I’m sure of it.”
“Then what’s the big deal? Don’t we ‘hang out’ all the time?”
Looking at Pyrrha and thinking about the question, Yang wrinkled her nose.
“Ok, I get that you’re really into her, but you don’t need to give me that face,” Pyrrha replied while gently shoving Yang’s shoulder.
“But what are we gonna do?” Yang asked again.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something. Or you could ask her what she wants to do.”
“Hey Pyrrha!”
Yang and Pyrrha both turned as Jaune jogged over to them.
“I just wanted to thank you for all of your help,” he said. “Coach just told me that I might be able to race sometime this year!”
“Oh that’s wonderful to hear!” Pyrrha replied with a big smile.
“All thanks to you. I really can’t thank you enough,” he said with that goofy grin of his. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”
While Pyrrha’s eyes followed Jaune away, Yang gave her friend a knowing smirk and nudged her shoulder.
“I can think of one way he could thank you,” Yang teased.
Instead of blushing like usual, however, Pyrrha sighed - and Yang’s smile immediately fell. It was only fun to tease Pyrrha about Jaune if she laughed in return. If she was actually feeling down about this...
But the moment passed as quickly as it appeared, and soon Pyrrha smiled again.
“Here comes your sister,” she commented while nodding towards the locker rooms. “I’ll see you in the morning!”
With a cheerful wave, Pyrrha left Yang behind while gracefully heading out of the gym.
“Hey Yang!” Ruby called out while Yang watched Pyrrha leave. “I’m ready to go!”
“Ok kiddo.” She reached out to try to rustle Ruby’s hair, but Ruby dodged quickly out of the way. “Another day done!”
“Thankfully,” Ruby sighed in relief. “Today was long.”
“Then let’s get home, huh?” Holding open one of the gym doors, Yang waited for Ruby to skip through.
“Oh hey, I met a friend of yours today,” Yang added when they stepped out into the sun.
“Really? Who?”
“I’ll give you a hint...he’s small, green, and says ‘ribbit.’”
“Freddy?” Ruby exclaimed. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s still a frog living in a freshman’s backpack,” Yang answered, shaking her head at the ridiculousness of that statement. “So I guess he’s doing great?”
“I’m going to ask to see him the next time I see Trevor…” Ruby mused while they made their way home.
Ruby missed the smile Yang sent her way - one that was grateful for the kind, accepting person she'd become. Just like Blake, Ruby dealt with some pretty mean kids growing up. And, just like Blake, Ruby somehow used the experience to become a better person than any of those bullies could dream of being.
Wrapping her arm around Ruby’s shoulders, Yang pulled her sister into a sideways hug and kissed the side of her head.
“Love you!”
“Love you too!” Ruby replied without hesitation, blinding Yang with one of those way-too-bright smiles yet again.
As their home came into view, Yang felt warmth and happiness spread from her heart. Thinking about the type of person Ruby had become, and the type of person Blake was, made all the trouble worth it.