Arcane Jungle, Part Eight

"So like, you ever gonna stop pretending you don't wanna climb tiger girl like a tree?"

My phone's balanced on my stomach as I paint my toes this absolutely fire shade of pink. The AC's making death rattles again, and some energy drink ad keeps flashing through my window, painting my walls in neon every few seconds.

"Rich coming from someone who spent all of Advanced Magic writing 'Mrs. Reina Nakamura' in her notebook."

"Bitch, I did not!" I nearly mess up my pinky toe. "I was writing spell formulas!"

"With little hearts over the i's?"

"That's called artistic expression."

I can hear Haruka crunching on those spicy chips she keeps stealing from her mom's secret stash. 

"For real though," she says between bites, "you seen how she looks at you lately? Since dropping that human cardboard cutout she was dating?"

"You mean when she's telling me to fuck off?"

"Yeah, but like, she says it with her eyes all sparkly and shit now."