Page 387 of Light Leech

Ralia: Chill, babe. We’ll chat when we get home. Enjoy your last ride with Naoma.

My heart froze and hot iron pierced it.

Petya: The zeg do you mean?

Ralia: I’m just messing with you, du. Chill the zeg out. Things will be fine. We’ve got this, so don’t die of a heart attack just yet. I’ll need you to calm Boyband down when you get here. He’s bugging Denji and has the bromatic equivalent of blue balls.

Petya: Whatever.

Ralia: He’ll deny it to your face, but one day I hope you see how much you mean to him.

Petya: You mean just as much to all of us.

Ralia: Enough of that guk. I’m out. You’re ten minutes away if this tracking is current. Enjoy the rest of your private time. Talk soon, hun.

I exited my neurospace. Naoma was still asleep on my shoulder. I smiled and rested my head on hers.

Maybe life could be good.

“Where’s Petya?” A voice shouted down the hall as Ralia unlocked the door and waved us in.

“What do you want?” I shouted down the hall. I turned back, saw Naoma wave me away while Ralia embraced her, then ran to find Boyband.

“Where the zeg is–“ Boyband stopped as I ran into him.

I slapped his shoulder. “What?”

“Akna won’t let me sleep with David.”

“What?”

“You know, my beef3?”

“Is that what you’re calling it now? Isn’t it Denji’s?”

“Took it from my property, now it’s mine.”

“That’s not the only problem I had with that sentence.”

“No, you sick shac, I’m not–stop laughing! I want him in the same room with me while I sleep. You know, like a pet? I want him to be able to do more than ask for someone to kill him.”

“End my life please.” I jumped at the sound of David at our feet, having missed him over Boyband’s complaints. I leaned against the wall so I didn’t fall back after almost stepping right onto him.

“See? He needs some love.”

“Like you can offer it!” Akna complained as she walked by. “She touched my arm as she passed down the hall with the other girls into another area of the monastery. “Good to have you back, Pet. Don’t let him talk you into it. I can’t sleep with that thing next to me.”

Boyband eyed her as she passed. When she was out of sight, he waved down the hall and raised his eyes. “See what I mean?”

“Wait, are you two sleeping together? Isn’t she like sixteen?”

“She’s eighteen and no. Zegging. Way.”

“But…”

“Yeah, we’re in the same room.”

“Sleeping… next to…”