Straight-Up Not Having A Good Time At Night Raven College: Chapter 1

Chapter 19: Punishment Escalation

The first thing Kat did when they got back to Ramshackle was go upstairs, slam the bedroom door, and scream into the pillow until her throat was hoarse.

Then she lay facedown on the bed. She took about ten minutes to just lay there mindlessly, stewing in all the stress, uncertainty and other such emotions roiling around in her body.

Finally, she got back up and changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Slinging her hoodie back on, she went downstairs, into the lounge.

"Hi," she announced.
Stepping off the staircase, she wandered over to the couch with her hands in her pockets.

"Hi," Deuce replied exhaustedly, with his head in his hands.
Ace just grunted, lurking in the corner and leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

They'd changed back into their school uniforms... Or whatever spell Cater had used had worn off, she wasn't sure.

Looking around, she actually spotted the dorm uniforms. One of them was tossed carelessly in a pile by Ace's gym bag, while the other was folded neatly on top of Deuce's backpack.

Huh... Okay.
So, Cater must've used the same spell Crowley did when he switched her casual clothes with the uniform....

Grim clambered up into her lap as she sat down. She gave him a few idle strokes, staring at the dusty chandelier for a few seconds.
His ribbon was back to normal too, and she rubbed the moth-eaten edges between her fingers.

"....We've gotta talk to Trey," she said eventually, still looking at the ceiling. "About all of this."

"Yeah, but we can't go back to Heartslabyul," Deuce muttered, ruffling his hair anxiously. "M-Maybe we could wait until Monday and--"

"No WAY!" Ace interjected, slamming a fist against the wall. "I'm not--"

Unfortunately, this resulted in a large puff of dust from the velvet wallpaper, and he had to stop mid-rant and cough angrily for a few seconds.
"I'm not-- waiting another SECOND! I don't care if we have to literally ambush the guy! I'm getting some goddamn answers about that little shithead, and that's final!"

Kat and Deuce exchanged glances.

"....Like Deuce said," she continued.
"We can't go back to Heartslabyul..... Do you two know anywhere else he might be over the weekend?"

Grim perked up, ears pricking.
"Ooh-- maybe we can corner 'im in the cafeteria! He's gotta come by for lunch or dinner, right?"

"Mmm," Kat mused.
"Not a bad idea, actually.... But I don't think anybody in Heartslabyul is really gonna need lunch. The tea party's kinda like a brunch buffet..."

"Good point," Deuce agreed, raising his head. "Then... How about dinner?"

"Hmm," she said again, looking back up at the ceiling. "Yeah, maybe..."

Suddenly, Deuce sat up straight, eyes widening.
"Oh-- I GOT it!" He exclaimed, slamming his fist down into his palm. "The library!"

Everyone looked at him in surprise.
"The library?" Kat repeated.

Deuce nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, yeah-- I saw the cookbook Clover-senpai was using for the marron tart, and it was definitely a library book!"

"Huh?!" Ace snapped, scowling. "So what? He COULD just wait until the start of the week to return it! I mean, that's what I'd do..."

Deuce shook his head.
"No, no-- I don't think Clover-senpai would be the type to do that! I mean, actually I overheard him saying something about that... He said he always returns the books right after he's done with them, and he only takes out one at a time. He was giving somebody some study tips, and I-- I..."