“No! No! No!” Krystal cried. “Sana, how many times do I have to tell you?!”
It was a regular morning at Ringmasters Training Academy. In the gymnasium, Krystal was directing everyone for a stage rehearsal. The next circus show was coming up and Krystal was made lead ringmaster. Sana, Rey, Prince, Neil, Heer, and Akira were all present for rehearsal amongst other students.
“Krystal, I’m literally doing everything you want me to do,” Sana said.
“No, you’re not!” Krystal exclaimed. “In step three of section one, you’re supposed to pivot your foot to the left. You keep starting with your right! It’s ruining the flow of the routine!”
“It’s really not that big of a deal,” Prince said. “Who the hell is gonna pay attention to her foot going wrong?”
“Well, if I can see it, anyone can,” Krystal said.
“Aww, Miss Perfectionist is throwing a tantrum,” Rey said to Neil, chuckling.
Krystal turned to Rey, annoyed, and said, “Rey, I’m this close to smacking someone, so you better hope it’s not you!”
“At this rate it could be you,” Sana said, quietly.
Krystal looked at Sana, trying to think she didn’t hear what she heard. Akira could see Krystal was getting angry and said, “Okay, Krystal. Let’s not create a scene.”
“What was that you said, Sana?” Krystal questioned.
“Krystal, I really think you should take a breather,” Heer said. “Let’s just get back to rehearsal.”
“No! I’d like to know what she said!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Damn. This is gonna get ugly,” Neil whispered to Rey.
“Krystal, I’m already annoyed. Let’s just move on,” Sana said.
“No! You can’t just say something about me and get away from the situation!”
“This is so unnecessary.”
“Please. The only thing unnecessary around here is your inability to comprehend basic dance steps! One would think a bookworm such as yourself could at least do that.”
Before Krystal could say anything else, Sana smacked her on the head, and she fell to the floor with a thud. Rey looked at the others and could see everyone including the gang were shocked. Krystal immediately got up, appalled.
“How dare you smack me, Sana?!” Krystal shouted as she was about to go up to Sana with her hands ready to fight back. Heer and Prince quickly grabbed hold of Krystal by her arms to prevent her from escalating the scene.
“Krystal, you have to calm down now,” Heer said as she struggled to hold down Krystal.
“Ugh! Let me at her! Just let me at her!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Ugh. Quit embarrassing yourself,” Prince said, rolling his eyes.
“You’re the one who basically asked for it,” Sana said to Krystal.
“Damn, Sana. You seem to go off on anyone,” Akira said.
“Man, this really did get ugly,” Neil said to Rey.
“Okay, everyone! Why don’t we call off rehearsal today?” Rey exclaimed. “Let’s all head out now!”
Rey tried to get everyone else to leave while Heer and Prince took Krystal away.
***
Later on, at lunch, Rey, Neil, Prince, Heer, and Akira were seated at their usual table. Once Zayn arrived with his lunch, he sat down and said, “So, it seems I missed quite the drama this morning.”
“You heard?” Neil asked.
“People couldn’t stop gossiping about it when I was in line,” Zayn said as he took a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich.
“You never said why you didn’t show up to rehearsal,” Akira said.
“I didn’t show up because I didn’t feel like it,” Zayn said. “So, what happened?”
“Krystal got on Sana’s case. Sana smacked her. There was almost a brawl. End of story,” Prince said. “It’s really not that big of a deal.”
“You’re taking it quite lightly, Prince,” Heer said.
“Well, yeah. Sana smacking people when they piss her off isn’t new,” Prince said. “Just ask Rey.”
“To be honest, I thought she was improving,” Rey said.
“Is it really any different from you and Neil jumping Aiden all the time?” Akira asked.
“Hey! We would give him a heads up before attempting to battle him!” Rey exclaimed.
“Failed attempts are more like it,” Prince said.
It didn’t take long for Sana to arrive at the table. And right after her, Krystal arrived. The two sat across from each other and Rey could see them exchanging scowled glances. To break the awkward silence amongst everyone, Rey said, “So, did anyone do the homework for D’Sena’s class?”
“You didn’t do it, man?” Neil asked.
“Interesting coming from you since you’re not one to do homework,” Prince said.
“But I did do it…last period,” Neil said.
“So, Sana, did you do the homework?” Heer asked.
“Why are we talking to her like she didn’t smack me in front of everyone today?” Krystal questioned.
“The same way no one wants to tell you how annoying and bossy you are,” Sana said.
“You take that back!” Krystal shouted as she got up from her seat. As she got up, she threw her sandwich at Sana’s face.
The act got Rey and everyone else on edge. It didn’t do much to Sana, but Rey looked at her and she was visibly pissed. He watched her stand up from her chair. She looked like she was close to giving Krystal another slap. Instead, she grabbed one of the slices of pizza on her plate and smacked it directly onto Krystal’s face. Seeing this, Rey could see it was far worse. The sauce and cheese were all over Krystal’s face. It didn’t take long for her to shriek, “Not my makeup!”
“Oh God,” Prince said, shaking his head.
“Sana J. Malik, if my face wasn’t melting right now, you’d be dead!” Krystal exclaimed.
“Yeah, right,” Sana said, rolling her eyes.
Rey watched Sana and Krystal throw one comment after the next at each other like ammo on a battlefield. He looked at the others and could see how annoyed they all were. Except Heer, she just seemed concerned. He thought he would have to take matters into his own hands.
***
At the end of the school day, Heer and Akira were at their lockers, chatting while getting their stuff together. As they were talking, Heer turned to see Rey was coming up to them. She looked at him and said, “Hey, Rey. What’s up?”
“Can I talk to you guys for a sec?” Rey asked.
“Is this about the Sana and Krystal fiasco?” Akira asked. “Because while entertaining, that whole thing is a mess.”
“I know. And we need to do something about it,” Rey said. “As stubborn as they both are, they’re friends and need to move on.”
“Even I think something needs to be done,” Heer said.
“Did you talk to the guys about this?” Akira asked.
“Yeah, and they don’t want to get involved,” Rey said.
“Even Prince?” Heer asked.
“He said they should figure it out themselves,” Prince said.
“Well, he’s not wrong,” Akira said. “I could expect this childishness from Krystal, but Sana, she’s typically above this…when she’s not being overly aggressive.”
“Well, we should give them a push. That’s why I’m coming to you both,” Rey said. “Can you two plan something to get them to confront each other civilly?”
“That could be a good idea. If we get them together in a calm environment, we could get them to talk things out,” Heer said.
“That sounds good!” Rey exclaimed. “Have fun with that!”
“Hold it! You come to us asking for help and you’re not going to do anything?” Akira asked.
“I did my part,” Rey said. “I was the messenger.”
Rey walked away before Akira’s piercing glances could scare him into staying. Akira shook her head and said, “Boys just love not taking responsibility sometimes, I swear.”
“I think I have an idea that could work,” Heer said.
***
The next day, Heer and Akira set the plan in motion. Well, it was pretty much Heer’s plan. Heer invited Krystal to Sage Park downtown and Akira did the same with Sana. They brought both girls to the park right after school. Once they all ran into each other, Heer could see Sana and Krystal were instantly heated.
“What is she doing here?!” Krystal exclaimed.
“I could ask the same to you,” Sana said.
Akira rolled her eyes as she watched Sana and Krystal have a literal glare competition. Heer said, “Now, now. It’s a nice day out and the park is looking lovely. Why don’t we just enjoy the scenery?”
Sana sighed in frustration. “Fine, I’ll be civil,” Sana said as she walked ahead. “I can do that better than some people.”
“Oh, please! You are the last person that should be talking about being civil!” Krystal exclaimed as she started walking as well.
“You sure this will work?” Akira asked Heer.
“We’re in the presence of nature. It should calm them both down,” Heer said and then walked with Sana and Krystal.
“If you say so,” Akira said as she shrugged her shoulders and followed.
As the girls walked around the park, Sana and Krystal were keeping their distance. Heer could feel that there was an unusual amount of silence as they all walked together. She looked at Akira, who was visibly frustrated. She knew she had to do something to get Sana and Krystal to talk like normal. Heer looked at the array of pink tulips in the field. She said, “Aren’t these some beautiful flowers, Krystal?”
“Hmm? Oh yeah, they are nice,” Krystal said as she looked at the tulips. “They’re so bright and beautiful!”
“Do you like them, Sana?” Heer asked.
“Heer, why do you care about her opinion?” Krystal asked. “After all, it’s not like a brute such as herself could appreciate nature.”
“You know, I was going to say they look beautiful,” Sana said. “Maybe I should add that they’re prettier than your face.”
Once again, another argument ensued between Sana and Krystal. Heer began to whimper, seeing her plan was failing miserably. Akira looked at her and shook her head, thinking, They are fighting over flowers. It’s time to put an end to this.
“Okay!” Akira intervened, silencing Sana and Krystal. “Since you guys aren’t enjoying the park, I have another place in mind for us to go.”
***
Sana was stunned, Krystal was shocked, and Heer was surprised. Akira led the girls inside Splash Attack, a paintball center in Daredevil City. Heer would’ve never picked such a place for them to handle the situation, but she acknowledged Akira’s methods were probably going to be different from hers.
“Um, why are we here, Akira?” Sana asked.
“You guys clearly need to blow some steam,” Akira said as she stepped up to the counter. “If you can’t do it peacefully, you might as well come here. Krystal, give me your credit card.”
“What?!” Krystal exclaimed. “Why would I give you my credit card?! This wasn’t my idea.”
“That’s true, but if you don’t want me to smack you harder than Sana did, you’ll give it to me,” Akira said.
Terrified at the thought of Akira smacking her, Krystal quickly handed her credit card to her Akira handed it to the receptionist. After paying, they were directed to a room to get their gear and suits. As Sana and Krystal went ahead, Heer asked Akira, “Are you sure about this?”
“They want to be aggressive,” Akira said. “This is how you get out aggression.”
The girls got suited up and loaded up their paintball guns. They went outside to the actual park where people were already commencing in paintball fights. While Sana and Krystal were in the field, Akira went in blazing. She was having a grand time, striking one person after the next. She took a moment to stop as she looked at Heer, who looked like a frail deer amongst a pack of lions. She went up to her and said, “Heer, why aren’t you shooting?”
“Um, I’m not sure if this is my scene. I don’t really like hurting people unnecessarily.”
“Oh, come on, Heer. They’re just paintballs.”
“I know. But this is pretty aggressive.”
“That’s the point. Hey, we should check on Sana and Krystal.”
Akira and Heer went further into the field to look for Sana and Krystal. As she squared off with a few people amidst the lookout, Akira stopped upon seeing Sana and Krystal engaging in a shootout with each other. Aside from them having bad aim, it seemed like they were both pretty angry.
“You know, I should thank Akira after this,” Krystal said.
“After what?” Sana asked.
Krystal struck Sana in the stomach three times with her paintball gun and said, “That.”
Sana immediately got up and started hitting back. This time, she hit Krystal at her shoulders. They both started angrily shooting at each other. Heer was afraid of what would ensue, and Akira was borderline amused and annoyed.
“You know, only someone as immature as you would resort to smacking people for everything!” Krystal shouted at Sana.
“Immature? That’s rich coming from you. You’re the spoiled crybaby that whines whenever Prince doesn’t want to wear a stupid matching outfit with you.”
“That has nothing to do with this! And you wish you had my sense of style!”
“Oh, please. I don’t need fashion advice from a designer brand billboard.”
“You take that back! You’re just jealous! No wonder you ruined my dress at Headmaster Devil’s birthday party!”
“Oh, get over it. You took it to the dry-cleaners.”
“Yeah, but the resale value plummeted thanks to you!”
Sana and Krystal continued to argue and strike each other with paintballs at the same time. Heer looked at Akira, who was more frustrated than ever. Akira handed her paintball gun to Heer and walked up to Sana and Krystal. She took both of their paintball guns and they turned to her, saying, “Hey!”
“What are you doing?” Sana asked.
“You know, I should smack both of you right now,” Akira said. “But I’m not going to stoop to your level.”
“I haven’t done any smacking this whole time,” Krystal said. “I was the one that was wronged here.”
“Honestly, you both need to shut up,” Akira said. “I’m gonna say this to your faces, so that you two can stop embarrassing yourselves. Sana, you don’t need to smack every person who pisses you off for the slightest thing. It’s unbelievably childish.”
“Um, Akira,” Heer said.
“And Krystal, you’re bossy, rude, and you shove your perfectionist ways down everyone’s throat to the point where it’s annoying,” Akira said. “Heer and I took it upon ourselves to help you guys make up since Rey asked us to. Now we understand why he didn’t want to get involved because you two are irritating as hell. I’m done dealing with your stupidity. So, do everyone a favor and just shut up and sort this out yourselves.”
Akira walked out, leaving Heer, Sana, and Krystal. Heer could see Sana and Krystal were speechless and in disbelief.
***
After some time passed, Sana, Krystal, and Heer got cleaned up and sat in the lobby. After storming out, Akira went back to the field to play some more paintball. Heer figured she needed it to blow off some steam from her earlier lecture. Heer looked at Sana and Krystal, who were awfully quiet and clearly down. She wanted to say something to lighten the mood, but thought it was better to wait and see if one of them would talk.
“She really went in on us,” Sana said.
“I’m not bossy and rude,” Krystal said. “Am I, Heer?”
“Well, I wouldn’t have framed the way Akira said things so bluntly,” Heer said.
“So, you agree with her?” Sana asked.
“I agree with the notion she was going with. You both are wrong in this situation. One of you wants to feel more justified than the other, but neither of you are,” Heer said. “I know you’re both better than this. You two have been friends for so long that you can’t let something like this drag on.”
Sana couldn’t help but think that what Heer was saying was true. She couldn’t believe how far things had gotten. She looked at Krystal and could tell she was feeling the same way.
“You know, if it was put this way, it probably would’ve landed better,” Krystal said.
“Maybe. But Akira’s method certainly made you guys listen,” Heer said.
Sana and Krystal chuckled. They looked at each other and Sana said, “I’m sorry for smacking you that day. And for all the insults that I didn’t mean.”
“I’m sorry for being harsh on you at rehearsal and my share of insults. I guess I should work on not bossing people around like a crazy person.”
“I should probably work on not smacking people.”
“I know some people that would love that,” Heer said.
The three of them chuckled. Akira entered the lobby and upon seeing the three girls, she said, “So, you two made up?”
“Yeah, we did,” Krystal said.
“As much as we hate to admit it, you certainly made us wake up a bit,” Sana said.
“Good. I should be blunt with you guys more often,” Akira said.
“Or you can hold back next time,” Krystal said.
“Anyway, do you guys want to head back?” Heer asked.
“Well, since Sana and Krystal made up, we should do something fun to celebrate,” Akira said.
“I agree,” Sana said. “You got something in mind, Krystal?”
“Actually, you can take the reign on this one, Sana,” Krystal said.
Sana was surprised, but happy with Krystal’s gesture. She said, “Well, I did want to check out the new indie bookstore that opened downtown.”
“Books A Plenty?” Heer asked.
“That’s the one,” Sana said. “And maybe afterwards, we could go to Devil’s Diner for dinner.”
“Yes! I can treat everyone to Marigold Surprises!” Krystal exclaimed.
“You guys okay with that plan?” Sana asked.
“It sounds good to me,” Heer said.
“All right. Let’s head out then,” Akira said.
With that, the girls all headed out together for grand night ahead.
Copyright © 2022 Meryl T
All rights reserved. All illustrations created by Meryl T.
The Ringmasters Society 