4 Sympathy

As Sal read over the text that had just popped up on her phone screen, she felt her lips curl into a small smile.

LG: you excited for this year? i know i am! :D

It had been forever and a day since the two girls had last messaged one another, and Sal didn't think anyone could miss her friend any more than she had in the past two months. She eagerly texted back:

SR: yea!

Lyla Garau, her busybody BFF who she hadn't seen in person in an eternity, just happened to be starting school the following day, and had been texting Sal for the entire bus ride. The conversation got a bit awkward sometimes, but Sal really didn't mind. She was just glad to talk to her again. After all, Lil had probably been with her for a greater time than Darren had, attending public school with her up until the end of 8th grade, when Sal moved away.

Her phone chimed again:

LG: good luck trying not to flirt with Darren. >:3

Blood rocketed to Sal's cheeks, flushing her face a bright pink from the outside. Puffing out a breath, her fingers flew across the keyboard once more:

SR: LIL! you know im trying to get over him! 😣

SR: ...he is kinda cute tho.

Sal sighed with relief, hoping her swift response would've extinguished the flame Lyla had sparked. Her ears were warm with humiliation. She looked over at Darren just in case he was eavesdropping, and caught him sleeping, his expression peaceful and without any sign of disruption. Her eyes widened, and she snickered under her breath as she focused her attention back on her phone.

LG: suuuure you are lol

SR: omg Darren fell asleep 😅

SR: just UwUed hardd haha ...

LG: see i told you. Sal you're hopeless lol. ^ . ^

SR: pfff shut up these things take timeeee

LG: then i must say you take A LOT of time.

Rolling her eyes, she sighed and pressed the power button, shoving her phone into her pocket. Lil wasn't exactly a very empathetic being. She looked outside. They appeared to be in the kingdom of Runate at the moment, which was about an hour's distance from the school. Sal always was in awe of this particular kingdom's aesthetic, muted cherry blossoms against a vivid blue sky, and rivers that were crystal clear. Gazing out, she saw red oriental bridges and cobblestone pathways that outlined the town like stencils. Even through the lengthy bus ride, the view was always worth the trip.

She felt herself jump, heart surely hitting her rib cage, as something warm landed on her left shoulder at the same time the scene went dark. The bus had entered a different territory, more specifically a dark fairy territory. Shakily turning her head to look, she saw a blur of dark brown hair, and observed Darren's limp figure adorably clinging to her side. Even though the air was thick with stigma from the dark magic, Sal couldn't help but let out a small giggle. -You're such a goof.-

But it quickly became clear that Darren wasn't as peaceful as he appeared. He whimpered in his sleep suddenly.

"I'm...not one of you...stop..." he mumbled.

Sal felt a shiver down her spine. With all the horrible things that happened to him at home, it was most definitely a nightmare. Hissing, she rapidly shook Darren awake. "Wake...up!!"

The boy instantly sat up in his chair. His eyes were caked with surprise as they locked with hers. Sal felt her face heat even more, and quickly aimed her attention at the bus ceiling.

"Uh...are you alright?" she asked with uncertainty, slumping back in her seat to appear more unconcerned. Darren held a hand up to the side of his head. "Geez, it's dark...and what do you mean…? I was just sleeping," he replied, hints of amusement in his tone. He smiled at Sal, his pine eyes still vibrant as ever even in this change of lighting. "What, did I say something questionable?" he joked.

Sal looked at him dead in the eye, her expression dimly irritated. "Uh, yeah," she responded matter-of-factly. Darren immediately blushed, muttering a quick "sorry" and taking his attention back to his phone. Rolling her eyes, Sal did the same in discrete imitation, chuckling under her breath. Knowing him, he was probably thinking of something completely different than what had actually happened.

-Boys will be boys…- she thought to herself as the bus began skimming over ocean water once again, having morphed into a form used for water travel. It was strange to her how magic could be combined with technology. Something organic, working in harmony with something virtually man-made. By far, the lesson on the Tech Wars in her sophomore year had been the most intriguing lesson to date for her. People, fighting over the better energy source rather than possession rights? For the greater good? She found that against human nature.

A voice roused her from thinking. "Oh yeah. Sal, get on Mage Mania."

Sal raised an eyebrow, a smile creeping over her face. "Why…?"

Darren giggled childishly. "You'll see."

She shoved her hand in her hoodie's pocket, grabbed her phone, and tapped on the game icon. Sal had given herself the title of the best Mage Mania player in the school, having gone through to level 226 in all the 3 years she had played it. As she waited for the game to load, she spotted Darren hiding his phone behind the bus seat. The familiar bright colors that shone from the device revealed that the game was, oddly enough, already open on his screen. She cocked her head to the side and leaned over Darren teasingly, trying to catch a better glimpse.

"Now, what is this?" she murmured curiously, looking up at him and smirking.

He scooted back in his seat. "What is what?" he whispered back, eyes widening. Sal couldn't hold back her smile, and looked down inadvertently. Darren followed her gaze. There was a pause as the bus stopped, footsteps clunking up the stairs at the front once again.

"What?" he insisted, defensively crossing his arms on his lap, moving his phone in the process. Something suddenly clicked in Sal's brain, and she flung herself back into her seat and furrowed her eyebrows.

"You're such a goof! Geez! I didn't mean something like that!" she yelped, unable to effectively stifle her laughter. Her face overheated. -Why is this boy my friend again? Let alone, CRUSH?- She shook her head and looked at her phone. The game had loaded. Pressing "Play", she gazed upon her glorious feats in the game, from K'Oing all six Scarlet Mages at once in level 57 to using her first ever Special Attack. And of course, the level she was currently at, displayed in bold and proud letters right in front of her eyes, Level 226.

Showing her screen to Darren, she scoffed. "What could you possibly think to be more of an accomplishment than some of the things I have done in this game?" she prompted, morphing her voice to sound exaggeratedly regal and vain. To her surprise, not a defeated statement, but a laugh came forth from Darren.

"There's a reason why I told you to come online…"

A warm, golden light began to flood the bus. The students had passed over the famed border between Light and Dark magic territories. Sal blinked, her vision slowly coming to focus. For her, the feeling of escaping from the dark was the greatest euphoria of the trip to school. Suddenly, Darren shoved his phone in her face a bit too strongly, sending her backward in an attempt to read the screen clearly.

"Level...234?!" she screamed, pushing the phone out of her sight, "First you make two wrong assumptions and now this?? Get out…" she muttered, punching him in the arm and scoffing. His eyes lit up at her reaction, the pure light making them sparkle more vividly than anything Sal had seen.

"I guess there's a new champion now!" he replied, face ridden with adorable satisfaction. Looking at him, Sal couldn't help but smile as well.

-I can't stay mad at you…-