Chapter 23: Hard Facts
"Psst! Ayyo, Ross twins! Over here! Yoohoo! We saved y’all some seats!"
"Shhh! Stop! You embarrassing us! That ain’t cool!"
Riley and Hannah navigated through an orchestra of legs and backpacks as they made their way across what could only be described as a massive stadium—calling it an auditorium would’ve been an insult. It was easily the size of an indoor arena.
Which begged the question: why did a school with less than 30,000 students need something this massive?
Two-thirds of the seating had already been blocked off so the students wouldn’t be scattered too far apart. Still, Hannah wasn’t about to complain—it made finding their group easier. Not to mention Benjamin waving his arms in the air like a bird in a flamingo-patterned coat didn’t exactly help them blend in.
"Bro, stop!" Bella hissed, yanking her brother back into his seat. But the damage was done—eyes were already staring at them. The semester hadn’t even started, and they were well on their way to being labeled the weird group of the freshman class.
Pauline, who truly wanted no part in that, sank into her seat and kept her head down.
Hannah and Riley, on the other hand, continued to walk toward them without a care in the world. And with Riley being an albino, the attention they were receiving was quite... large.
"What the fuck are you wearing!?" Hannah greeted Benjamin with a dap before he stood up again and spun around dramatically.
"You like it? Found it in the trash, no cap," he said proudly.
"What?" Hannah raised an eyebrow as she also extended her hand to Bella.