Their faces suddenly softened during their approach, replaced by a warm and almost welcoming glow that pierced through the darkest fears in Yuki's heart and revealed a serene state of mind. Somehow, it seemed impossible that the girls before her were the tormentors responsible for replacing the flag atop the pole with about 20 pairs of panties. Instead, it seemed like some greater power had compelled them to do good deeds and atone for their past offenses. Whatever the cause, Yuki had completely forgotten those malicious grins from a moment ago, and even felt a little guilty that she even thought they were up to no good.
Trisha stepped out of the group and spoke in a clearly forced tone. And with this phony display of compassion came Yuki's old fears, placing her back on the defensive.
"Look," Trisha began, "I don't like you, and you don't like me, but this isn't about us. This is about something bigger. So help me out, okay?"
Before Yuki could reply, Trisha shoved a clipboard into her chest and knocked the shorter Asian back a step. Fortunately her towel held, even once her hands released it to hold the intruder in her personal space, and there were no outside forces attempting to yank it like the chord of a parachute. It was a nice change of pace for Yuki on this day of bad luck, and gave her a quiet moment to figure out the meaning of Trisha's word.
The sheet of paper clipped to the board was summarized perfectly by the first word in large text at the top: WALK. Reading this much left just about anyone with a primary school education to figure out what Yuki was holding, and her continued reading was simply a formality. Trisha had discovered some empathy and decided to participate in one of those walks that help to raise money for some charity, medical research, or some other benevolent organization. Though Yuki was also pondering what brought about this change in Trisha, this thought was mostly a simple musing she never really expected to have answered. Her prime concern was:
"Why do you want me to sponsor you?"
"Cause you're a good person and you've got a paying job." Trisha couldn't have sounded less sincere if she was trying to explain that the Earth revolves around the moon.
"Why do you really want me to do it?"
Trisha's face turned into a scowl and reminded Yuki of the Trisha she knew and feared. Instantly, she regretted pursuing the issue, wishing she'd stuck with the lie that briefly made her ego swell. It was an all too familiar glint in Trisha's eyes that had Yuki back up a step and return one hand to her towel. Trisha seemed to never needed a reason to torture someone, but when she had one, her eyes lit up with hellfire and her face took on the form of a demon from the deepest depths of the underworld. In the wake of this metamorphosis came some horrific act that usually got her suspended and left someone too embarrassed to come to school for a while. Being in a towel with Trisha and her crew between her and her clothes was the absolute last place anyone wanted to be at that point, and they never wanted that point to come after the final bell, when there was less staff around the school.
Light snarls, like those of a sleeping dog, escaped from Trisha, and it almost sounded like they were from her nose. The jumble of words came out clear enough. "I'm in a lotta trouble and the staff is making me make up with you and walk the damn thing! Just sign the sheet to show that we're being nice and I won't tie you to the boy's showers for the football team!"
"On it!" Yuki shrieked, signing her name in a haste. It wasn't pretty, but it was a clear signature that was bound to make everyone happy. The sight of that ugly cursive certainly made Trisha revert to her usual self, a very bittersweet sight to the terrified Yuki. The horrors that came with the scary Trisha may have been banished, but the twisted grin on her face made it clear that Trisha was still liable to make her miserable. All Yuki could do was tense herself from head to toe, bracing herself for what's to come, and hope Trisha would be willing to demonstrate some leniency as a form of thanks for Yuki's help.
"Thanks, Yuki. Later."
This can't be real, Yuki thought. She even opened her eyes to confirm that the clicking against the cold tile was coming from the trio's steps out the door. Even her locker was left untouched, with all of her clothes and bags inside and unaltered. It was genuine. Yuki escaped this confrontation without a scratch. This had to be a first.
The awe of the encounter left Yuki in a bit of a daze, resulting in a very slow redressing and an even slower walk out the door. She was walking down the hall, still trying to process what just happened when she was snapped out of her trance by the familiar voice of her principal, Mr. Collins. Had it not been for Trisha, Yuki probably wouldn't know him too well. Like every principal, he's only had time for the troublesome students, and Yuki's only role in any mischief was as a victim. He seemed nice enough and was certainly someone many people wouldn't object to keeping as a friend, but what really made Yuki second guess any involvement with him was the way his eyes roamed her body. Besides the fact that he was over twice her age, his status as her principal gave Yuki the creeps every time his eyes ate up the sight of her body. He wasn't that bad looking, Yuki had to admit, but the rug on his head often distracted from those charming features and only acted as a further turn off; although it also worked to distract from his wedding band for a long while.
It was normal to see Mr. Collins smile when he was around Yuki, but today his smile seemed wider, almost as if it stretched from ear to ear. He even seemed twitchy, like he was shivering from the cold or hopped up on something, which gave a slight spring to his step. However, the worst change of pace, by far, was the slight bulge in his pants, and the tight material proved it could only be coming from one thing.
"Yuki!" he called, stopping both of them in their tracks. "I just wanted to say how happy I am. I was shocked to see you sign up for this."
"Seriously?" He's this excited that Yuki was willing to help Trisha? He didn't think, for a moment, that Trisha might intimidate those signatures out of her victims?
"Oh, yes. We were all convinced we couldn't get anyone to agree to this."
"Well, it's really not a big deal."
"I'm so happy to hear you say that! You wouldn't believe how many people sometimes back out."
Yuki smiled. "You don't have to worry about me."
"Excellent! I'd hug you if not for the code of conduct.
"Anyway, since you're 18, we don't need to talk to your parents, so we've already entered this into the system. You won't be marked absent, and we'll take care of your work and whatnot. All you have to do is show up at the front officer to confirm you actually came to school and well send you on your way."
"...What?"
"Don't worry, we'll take care of most of the computer work. You just worry about showing up and doing your part. Oh, and think about what to do with the, uh...you know. See you tomorrow."
Before Yuki could inquire any further and figure out what he meant, Mr. Collins raced through the hall and disappeared on the stairs, not even leaving an echo for her to follow.
It clicked in Yuki's mind that Mr. Collins wasn't talking about sponsoring Trisha's walk and making amends, but that still left the more important questions unanswered. He wasn't very clear, and Yuki couldn't establish what was a real tell and what was only his usual, unwanted excitement. However, the answers came quickly, announced by the evil laughter coming from a nearby classroom, courtesy of three very familiar voices.
"Like I'd walk for some charity!" Trisha chuckled.
Wanda added, "I can't believe she bought it!"
"Hey Yuki!" Antoinette called. "You ever heard of carbon paper?"
Yuki's hear sank and her eyes flew open in terror, announcing that she deduced most of Trisha's plan. Carbon paper is an old invention, and has widely been considered obsolete in this technological age. Using it requires it to be placed between two pieces of ordinary paper, and anything written on the top piece was "carbon copied" onto the second piece. It was generally cast aside with the invention of the photocopier and the many computerized marvels that followed, but manufacture continues even to this day, though usually not for something as malevolent as falsifying someone's signature.
"What did you sign me up for?" Yuki asked.
The girls walked away, leaving Yuki with only one sentence said in unison.
"You'll see tomorrow."
Despite the internal protests, Yuki knew she had little choice but to go through with this task. Due to the mandatory attendance policy and the occasional bug, Yuki had used up all of her free absences - one more and she automatically fails for the term. She could try to talk her way out of this, but the elation of Mr. Collins as well as her own words on this subject to him made it almost certain that her words would fall on deaf ears. This left only one solution left.
Fortunately for Yuki, any forms looking for students to join something were kept hanging on a bulletin board in the front office. All she had to do was head by the office and read until she found her signature. All the fear in her heart spread to her legs and sent her running down the halls to her answer, causing that slight whooshing sound in her ears as she gained speed.
Yuki found the errant signature in no time, and her legs almost gave out under her.
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