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

Chapter 27: Five-Second Rule

Clapping his hands, Cater grinned around at the others, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
"Okay then-- looks like we've all got some pretty serious cleanin' up to do!" He announced cheerfully.

Then he sighed, putting his hand on his neck and sagging a little.
"Maaan... All that work makin' the garden extra photogenic, and it just ends up as a total dumpster fire... Sheesh. Can you say 'flop era'?"

Kat blinked, looking around at Cater in concern.
"Seriously?" She asked, brows furrowing. "Are you sure you're up to it, Cater?"

"Aw-- Kitty-Kat!"
Cater put a hand to his chest, giving her an over-the-top look of shocked gratitude.
"What, worried about lil' old me? Aw, shucks-- thanks! But hey-- no need to worry! Cay-kun's A-okay and rarin' to go!"

He winked, snapping off a smart salute.

Kat blinked again, then raised her eyebrows.
"O-Okay..."

Turning, she looked around at Ace and Deuce.
"What about you guys?" She asked, giving them the same worried look. "Like-- I'm sure you don't have to pitch in right away if you don't feel up to it..."

Deuce grinned back, driving his fist into his palm determinedly.
"Hey-- if Diamond-senpai's gonna start cleaning up right after all that, then so am I!"

Smirking, he glanced sideways at Ace. "What about you? You need a little break, Ace?"

"Tch!"
Ace scoffed back, crossing his arms and scowling.
"Oh, puh-LEASE... As if! In fact, if YOU need to take a breather, it's no problem-- I bet I'll be able to do TWICE as much as you could, anyway!"

Kat snorted again, pressing her fist to her mouth and grinning.
God-- these two...

Trey got to his feet stiffly, brushing down the front of his jacket and his sleeves.
"I'll help, too," he insisted, dusting off his knees and walking towards Cater.

Shaking his head, Cater did the same, reaching Trey and patting him on the shoulder.
"Nah, nah-- I think you should get Riddle-kun to the infirmary, Trey," he replied, giving a wry half-smile. "I mean-- that was a full-blown case of overblot just now, right? It'd be mad irresponsible if he DIDN'T get some kind of medical attention after all that..."

"Diamond-kun is correct," Crowley agreed, walking over and folding his arms. "In fact-- I believe I should accompany you."

Trey looked around at both Cater and Crowley, then sighed.
"...Understood," he relented, giving a small nod. "Thank you, Headmaster..."

"No, I'm-- quite alright," Riddle insisted, shaking his head. "I wouldn't-- want to put you to any more trouble, Trey... I-- Oh--!"

He'd managed to get unsteadily to his feet, but was barely on them for two seconds before his knees buckled.

Darting forward, Kat reached out, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back upright.
"H-Hey-- whoa!" She panted, giving him a concerned look as she held out her other hand for him.
"Take it easy-- seriously, I... I really don't think you should be trying to do much after all that, okay?"

Breathing hard, Riddle put his hand in hers, leaning his weight against her as he put his other hand to his temple.

"I-- I... Yes," he murmured, shaking his head. "Yes, I-- I suppose you're right..."

He looked over at her, and she tilted her head, smiling at him again.
Blinking, he looked away guiltily.

"I'm-- I'm... Sorry," he mumbled.
"About-- what I said... The remarks about-- about your family... And-- about you."