Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One summer at the Waybright’s house, 8 year olds Anne and Sasha were on the couch watching the Olympics. Since it began, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy took turns watching the events at each other’s house; and today was Sasha’s.

Marcy would’ve been there, but (sadly for them), she left that day for a family vacation. Not wanting them to miss the events because of her, Marcy encouraged them to keep the tradition alive, and they could just talk about it when she got back – if the girl watched the Olympics while on vacation. Knowing Marcy wasn’t one for sports unless forced into it, she probably wouldn’t. So, Anne and Sasha wished her safe travels that morning then crashed at Sasha’s for the rest of the day.

The current event was tennis: women's singles. Normally they wouldn’t care, but the tennis player for the USA was from California – their home. It was the final match for the gold medal – USA vs Great Britain. The players were neck to neck, and the girls watched intensely.

It was the final set, and both countries were tied with only one game left to determine the winner.

USA 0 – GBR 15

USA 15 – GBR 15

USA 15 – GBR 30

USA 15 – GBR 40

If Great Britain got the game point, they won. But if the USA got the point, then there might be hope. The girls were now on the edge of the couch.

“That’s it, they win and we lose,” Sasha predicated, flopping back against the cushion.

“You gotta believe,” remarked Anne.

Sasha rolled her eyes but resumed watching.

“C’mon, c’mon,” Anne chanted under her breath.

For a while, the athletes just hit the ball back and forth until the USA smacked the ball to the left and barely touched the line.

USA 30 – GBR 40

“Yes!” Anne cheered.

Even Sasha whooped in shock and joy.

“See,” Anne smirked at her friend.

“It’s still not over,” Sasha pointed out.

Anne lightly slapped her shoulder then redirected to the TV.

USA 40 – GBR 40

“Looks like it’ll be a deuce!” the commentator announced. “Because there can’t be a tie, a player must get two points in a row to win. Seems like the US is making a comeback. Let’s see if she can hold it up.”

Neither girl spoke as they eyed the screen.

“AND USA WINS MATCH AND THE GOLD MEDAL!” the commentator shouted.

The girls cheered and clapped as the athlete celebrated then later appeared on the top podium with the gold medal around her neck.

“Wow. It’s awesome she’s from here!” Anne commented. Sasha hummed in agreement.

A light bulb went off in Anne’s mind.

“Now I kinda wanna do that.”

Sasha looked at her funny. “Do what?”

“Play tennis! If she can do all of that and get a gold, then maybe I can too!” Anne said excitedly at her.

Sasha cocked her head. “Do you even know how to play?”

“Nope! But I can learn!”

“How? And what about the stuff?”

“Um . . .” Anne hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I don’t know . . . I’ll ask my parents?”

Sasha shrugged then looked back at the screen.

Not having Sasha’s full support stung Anne a bit. Especially with the implied fact that the Boonchuy weren’t as rich as the Waybrights. Anne was sure Sasha didn’t mean to be harsh. The blonde was only asked a simple question. They *were* kids – it’s natural to be curious.

Besides, Anne had a good feeling that her parents would pay for her to play. If not then . . . well, that was too much for Anne’s little brain to plan.

Shaking her head, Anne reverted her gaze to the TV to see the smiling athlete walking to the stands to hug her family. Anne let her mind wander – imaging herself as that athlete, winning the gold medal and hugging her family and friends.

Glancing at Anne’s dreamy stare at the TV, Sasha chuckled and nudged her shoulder.

“You really serious about tennis?” she sincerely asked.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed, Anne shyly downcasted her eyes. “I mean– it’ll be really really cool.”

Sasha giggled. “Yeah, true. Hey” –Anne looked at her– “if you do get that far, you better get me front row seats,” she teased, grinning.

Anne smiled. “Duh! You’re my best friend! Oh, and Marcy!”

Sasha laughed. “Good.”

Anne giggled, then the two fell into a comfortable silence as they watched the next event.

Later, when Mrs. Boonchuy came to pick up Anne, she was immediately hit with a question.

“Mom, can I play tennis?” Anne asked, the moment she saw her mom enter the living room.

Both girls eagerly watched for the woman’s response. Mrs. Boonchuy blinked then smiled softly.

“Hm, maybe. We’ll have to talk with your dad,” she said.

Thrown off guard by the somewhat approval, Anne gasped. “Really?”

“I don’t see why not. Sports are good for you,” she replied.

Not caring for the lecture, Anne beamed. “Yay!”

“Now come along, dear. It’s late,” her mom urged.

Anne nodded right when her mom turned to talk to Mrs. Waybright, who Anne had never seen until now. Where was she during the day? And when did she appear? Seeing as those questions would go unanswered (not to mention Anne really didn’t want to talk to the woman), Anne faced Sasha.

“You’re looking at a soon to be Olympic champion,” she said brightly.

Sasha laughed and ruffled her hair. “Don’t let that get into your head too much,” she teased.

Anne giggled then instantly smoothed over her hair to fix it. When she looked at Sasha, she expected a disbelieving smirk, but instead, she was met with a kind smile. Anne returned it similarly.

“I won’t. Besides, I have you to get me grounded,” she teased back.

Sasha chuckled and opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Waybright cut her off.

“Sasha, say goodbye to Anne already. Anne needs to get home,” she ordered.

In a second, Sasha’s smile faded then was quickly up again. If Anne wasn’t facing her, she would’ve never noticed.

“Okay. Bye, Anne,” Sasha said to her.

Anne smiled then hugged her. Sasha froze, completely unprepared for that, but soon relaxed and hugged her friend. Anne released her then exited the house with her mom.

“Thank you, Mrs. Waybright,” she said to the woman, who nodded.

“Bye, Sasha!”

The girls waved at each other until Anne got into her car and rode off. The Boonchuys made small conversation at the beginning then let the music fill the space.

As Anne sat in the backseat, staring out the window, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander to Sasha. Specifically, what her friendship was to the blonde. Mix signals were given when they talked about Anne. They were best friends, and as such, Anne believed that best friends supported one another.

But there seemed to be a limit to support. Of course, if someone were to do something bad, a friend should warn and protect them. But tennis wasn’t bad, right? Maybe Sasha didn’t like the sport?

Or maybe, just maybe, Sasha didn’t like Anne as much as she liked her?

For the first time since they met, Anne wondered where she lied in Sasha’s life.

Chapter Text

“Who’s ready for Newtopia?” Hop Pop shouted, climbing into the driver’s seat.

“We are!” the kids yelled from inside.

Hop Pop chuckled. “Alright. We’re now officially going. Buckle in for a long drive, kids.” He then slapped the reins, and the fwagon began to roll.

“I’m so ready for new adventures!” Sprig said.

“I just wanna use my babies on more monsters!” said Polly, holding up two boomshrooms. Slightly frightened, the two leaned away from her, and Polly laughed. “Relax, I’m not gonna set them off in here.” She then hid them.

“Speaking of weapons, say, Anne. Why do you still use that thing of yours?” Sprig asked, referring to the tennis racket propped up against the table. “You have that sword from Toad Tower, which I think is way cooler!”

Before they began their journey to Newtopia, they had to battle their own crops that Anne accidentally turned into living-soul-eating-monsters. When the crops assembled into a giant one, Anne managed to kill it with her sword.

The same sword she defeated Sasha with.

“True dat! You slayed that thing sista!” Polly chimed in.

Anne looked at the racket then laid it on her lap, gripping it tight. “True, but this is something from home that means a lot to me. And I don’t mean because it’s a sport I play. I just– I don’t know. Ever since I ended up here, it’s been the best thing to fight with, and . . . it just gives me some comfort, ya know?”

“I get it. It’s like my slingshot,” Sprig tried to relate.

“Yeah, something like that,” Anne chuckled.

She stared at the racket again and frowned. Noticing this, Sprig tried to change the subject to something lighter.

“You said you played tennis, right? What is that?”

Anne perked up, and her usual smile showed. “Oh, it’s simple really,” she said, then described how the game worked and what varsity was.

“That sounds like fun! Hey, maybe you could teach me how to play?” Sprig suggested.

“Yeah totally!” Anne agreed, shooting him a finger gun.

“Yeah!” Sprig cheered, pumping his fists into the air.

“But maybe when we stop or get to Newtopia,” Anne reasoned.

“Oh, yeah maybe.”

They laughed, then Hop Pop shouted from outside.

“Kids, we’re almost out of the valley!”

“I wanna see!” Polly shouted back, then hopped out.

“Wait for me!” Sprig stood up and almost leaped up but glanced at Anne, who hadn’t responded. “You coming?”

Anne glanced back at the racket. Ever since Anne arrived in this strange world, she’s made sure to never damage it – despite using it as a weapon. But after recent events, it felt deeper than just a reminder of home. Anne took in a breath to recollect herself then stood up and smiled at Sprig.

“Sure.”

“Cool.” With that, Sprig jumped onto the roof.

Anne placed the racket on the table then climbed out. She gave it one last look, and suddenly, memories flooded her mind. She shook her head then closed the trap door.

After weeks of traveling, the Plantars finally made it to Newtopia.

To Anne’s relief, King Andrias knew how to get the girls home, but without the music box, they needed more information. So while King Andrias and Marcy searched through the archives, Anne and the Plantars were given the break to explore the place. To their shock, Hop Pop allowed the kids to wander around without him only if they stayed together.

Marcy promised to hangout with Anne at some point, but since she didn’t give a certain time, Anne happily stuck with Sprig and Polly.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here!” Sprig said excitedly.

“Yeah. I’m glad King Andrias can possibly help me get home. I was really running out of options,” Anne said jokingly (but serious mentally).

“Well no matter what, you’re always welcome to stay with us,” Sprig said.

“Thanks, Sprig,” she said, giving him a small grin.

“Yeah! You’re our prisoner,” Polly said, then squinted her eyes. “You’ll never leave,” she whispered.

Anne chuckled, but when she glanced up, she immediately froze and stopped them with her hand.

“Wait, guys. Look!”

Before them was a large arch building that read “Sports Center.”

Sprig gasped. “Hey, remember that conversation we had on the trip about tennis? Do you think they have that here?

“Dunno but let’s check it out.”

The two then entered, and their jaws dropped. Before them were several types of courts and fields. Surprisingly to Anne, they were very similar to the ones back on Earth.

“Wow. Newtopia really has everything, doesn’t it?” Anne commented.

“No kidding.”

“Let’s wreck this place!”

Anne smiled and looked around. “Oh hey, let’s go there!” she said, pointing ahead, and the three picked up their pace.

Wooden fences wrapped around in a rectangle shape. Inside was the dirt court outlined with white paint, along with a long web as a net in the middle.

“Huh, this is literally what a tennis court looks like,” Anne said, walking through the gate, then faced them. “Alright guys, who’s ready to learn tennis?”

“Me!” They both yelled.

About two hours later, Sprig and Polly knew the rules and managed to make decent hits with the racket. Since there were no tennis balls, they had to improvise with some rubber and other materials they found. They even played a few sets once they realized they could rent a paddle. It wasn’t the same thing, but it did its purpose.

It was currently Sprig vs Anne with Polly as the ref.

“Take that, loser!” Anne shouted, hitting the ball over the net.

“Not so fast!” Sprig retorted, smacking it back.

“Backhand!” Anne yelled, swinging the racket from her left.

The ball hit the far side of Sprig’s left, but unfortunately, he couldn’t get it in time. The ball bounced within the line then out of court.

“Anne wins!” Polly announced.

“Woo!” Anne cheered, throwing her hands up.

Sprig sighed then smiled. “Aw darn. I really thought I had that.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it, dude. You did great! You and Polly really picked this up fast,” Anne complimented them.

“Can we do another round?” Sprig asked.

Anne was about to comply when Marcy announced her presence from above. Anne looked up to see Joe Sparrow swooping down. When he landed, Marcy slid off. Anne rushed over and hugged her. The Taiwanese girl giggled and returned the hug.

“Anne! Oh hey, Sprig. Hey, Polly,” she said, seeing the frogs behind Anne. The girls pulled out of the hug, and Marcy surveyed the area and the objects they held. “Ooh, playing tennis?”

“Hey, Marcy!” The frogs greeted.

“Yep! Anne taught us! We’re about to play another game, wanna watch?” Sprig said.

“Nice! I’m not one for sports, but I wouldn’t mind watching. After all, I did attend every game Anne played, even though I might’ve had my Switch . . .”

Anne chuckled and wrapped an arm around Marcy.

“That’s okay. It’s nice enough that you came anyway,” she said.

Marcy nervously smiled. “Still . . . anyway, you excited to hangout?”

“Duh! Oh, wait, but Hop Pop told us to stay together, and I don’t want to leave them alone,” Anne said sadly, glancing back at the others.

“It’s okay. He’ll understand,” Polly said bluntly.

Anne looked at Sprig. The frog wanted to stay with Anne, but remembered what Hop Pop said about letting them catch up. Besides, Marcy proved she wasn’t that blonde jerk. Sprig smiled and nodded his head.

“We’ll be fine, Anne. We won’t go far. We’ll meet up with Hop Pop in a few. Also, I want to see if I can get better at this. If that’s okay with you?” asked Sprig, holding the racket.

Anne almost forgot about her tennis racket. The idea of it out of her reach was a little unsettling, but it eased knowing it was the Plantars. She trusted them.

“Totally dude!” Anne replied, shooting him a thumbs up.

“I’m gonna abuse this weapon!” Polly proclaimed.

Anne laughed. “Just don’t break it or anything, alright? I’ll see you guys soon! Have fun!”

“We promise!” Sprig said.

“Bye, Anne!”

“Bye guys!” Anne waved at them then walked away with Marcy, who also waved goodbye.

Once they were out of sight, Sprig turned to Polly and tapped the racket against his hand.

“You ready?” he challenged her.

Polly mimicked him. “I’m gonna beat you into your own grave,” she replied, smirking.

Sprig wasn’t sure if she was joking or not . . . best bet she wasn’t.

“Aren’t you worried they’ll break that?” Marcy commented.

“The racket? Nah, I trust them. I mean, they can be trouble sometimes, but I know they mean well,” Anne said fondly.

Marcy smiled at the love Anne had for the Plantars. Even though she hated that she and her friends got separated, Marcy’s glad that Anne’s been taken care of well. She may or may not be slightly jealous of the close bond Anne and the Plantars had.

“What makes you say that?” Anne asked.

Marcy shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve noticed that you take extra care of it after using it as a weapon.”

“Oh. Um, yeah. Like you said, I use it as a weapon. I want to make sure it’s still functional to use,” Anne excused poorly.

Marcy nodded, but knew she was hiding something. Normally, Marcy wouldn’t pry, but here in this new world, she’s a (somewhat) new Marcy. Plus, her curiosity got the better of her. Not to mention, this was Anne she’s talking to. They’ve been best friends since kindergarten. They rarely kept secrets between each other. At least, that’s how it was.

“So not the potential fact that it’s a reminder of home? I know you have a sword, and I can make a pretty good guess from where,” Marcy remarked.

Anne sighed. Marcy may be oblivious when she’s “in the zone,” but Anne should’ve known better than to underestimate her observant eyes and smart brain.

“Okay, yeah . . . that too. But, it’s just an object. I can easily replace it when we get back home,” Anne stated.

Marcy furrowed her brows. “Is it really ‘just an object?’”

Anne’s expression darkened, and she looked away. “I don’t know what you mean,” she murmured.

Marcy frowned, but before she could ask, Anne looked back at her with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Enough about me. What about you? Got something that reminds you of home?” she asked rapidly.

“Yep! Still got my switch! I don’t really play it as much as I used to . . .” Marcy said.

“Really? Oh, wait, that makes sense though,” Anne responded. Marcy nodded.

She knew what Anne was doing, but she played along anyway. Marcy won’t deny how much it pained her that Anne wasn’t telling what was clearly hurting her. As much as it bothered her, Marcy supposed she could wait longer. They may be best friends, but that wasn’t an excuse for her to know everything. She was patient enough, and when Anne’s ready, she’ll be there to comfort, not study her like an experiment.

An awkward silence fell between them until Marcy spoke.

“So, what do you think of Newtopia?”

Anne grinned and her joyful self returned. “Oh, I love it! Wanna hear what me and the Plantars have done?”

“Of course!”

Anne then launched into the many tales of their visit while Marcy listened. Despite the different discussions they had, both girls felt the heavy weight of what or who they (mainly Anne) avoided touching.

Around evening, Anne and Marcy met with the Plantars at the hotel. The girls strolled most of Newtopia with Marcy acting as a tour guide; and did some light shopping here and there. Minus the heavy conversation from earlier, the day was very nice.

Until Anne walked into the room.

The moment she did, the Plantars immediately stopped talking (which seemed more like Hop Pop scolding them) and looked at the girls.

“Uh, hey guys. Wassup?” Anne greeted, trying to break the ice.

The Plantars glanced at each other, then Sprig slowly approached Anne.

“Heyyy, Anne,” he said sullenly. “So, um, Polly and I were playing tennis, but a big newt came over and wanted us off the court. We fought him and won, but um, we accidentally broke your racket after giving him a couple of hits.”

He then revealed the damaged racket from behind his back. Anne gasped. She thought he dented it, but no. The top half was dangling along with several strings cut and out of place. Tennis rackets were rare to break. How was it that it survived all the battles she used it in, but somehow snapped when Sprig used it?

“Sprig! How hard did you hit him? And why my racket? You have your slingshot!” Anne shouted.

Lowering his head, Sprig shrunk in shame, but before he could defend himself, Polly stepped forward.

“It’s not all his fault. I also used it. He used it first, but the newt easily knocked it out of his hands. He did dented it though–”

“Hey!”

“–but I’m the one who smashed it and did that,” Polly admitted, gesturing to it. “I’m really sorry, Anne.”

“Me too. We know how much it means to you. After seeing how much you used it without any damage, we thought we could use it as a weapon too . . . that clearly didn’t work. We’re very sorry,” Sprig said remorsefully, looking up at her.

But Anne’s eyes were glued to her broken racket. Her vision blurred while her hands turned white from gripping the racket hard.

“Anne?” Marcy whispered.

She placed a hesitant hand on her shoulder, but Anne instantly shook it off and stepped away from everyone.

“I trusted you not to break this, and you broke it!” Anne yelled at the frogs.

Shock and sorrow appeared on Sprig and Polly’s faces. Polly downcasted her eyes in shame, but Sprig kept watching his friend.

“I know, I know. We’re very, very, very, sorry, Anne. But we can fix it, right? I know Amphibia doesn’t have those exact parts, but I’m sure we can find something similar!” he said, hopeful.

Anne scoffed and shook her head. “You don’t get it. I trusted you two!”

“Whoa, hey! Okay, okay, let’s all just take a breath. Anne, can I talk to you outside?” Marcy said calmly, trying to break the tension.

Anne exhaled and without a word, marched out, slamming the door behind her. Marcy sighed then looked at the Plantars.

“I think it’s best if you three give her some space,” she suggested.

“I didn’t realize it meant that much to her . . .” Sprig murmured, fiddling with his hands.

Marcy scratched the back of her neck and glanced at the door.

“Me either,” she whispered.

She clasped her hands together and feigned a smile. “Hey, I know she’s really mad right now, but she’ll come around. She always has. Besides, you’re her family. Families fight, it happens.”

Sprig’s frown deepened. “Yeah, but she’s never yelled at us like that . . .”

“Kids, don’t forget, it’s something from her home, it’s bound to hold some value to her,” Hop Pop said, then looked at Marcy. “Is there anything else about the racket other than it being from your world?”

Marcy thought for a moment and shrugged. “I just know it’s from Sasha.”

Silence filled the room as the Plantars looked at one another. Marcy frowned.

“What is it?” she asked. She really hated being left in the dark.

“Ah, well . . . it’s not my place to tell, but the last time Anne saw Sasha, they fought. And not just verbally,” Hop Pop said.

Marcy furrowed her brows. “Right . . . Anne mentioned swords and minor explosions.”

Polly snickered. “There’s nothing about minor explosions.”

Marcy looked at her. She had so many questions, and as much as she wanted them to explain it, she didn’t want to give Anne another reason to be mad at them. Marcy shook her head and addressed the whole family.

“Alright, well imma go check on Anne. You guys, just . . . I don’t know. Stay here until I come back or something. Just don’t be near Anne at the moment,” she instructed.

The Plantars nodded.

“We understand. Thank you, Marcy,” said Hop Pop.

Marcy nodded then left the room.

Chapter Text

It was nearing Christmas break in 6th grade, the first year of middle school, and three girls were walking to a picnic table for lunch.

“I’m gonna tryout for the tennis team!” Anne said as she sat down.

“Ooh good luck! I know you’ll do great!” Marcy cheered.

“Heh, thanks, Marcy,” Anne said, smiling.

“Does it matter if you get on varsity or JV?” Sasha asked.

“I’m fine with either, but it’ll be awesome if I make varsity,” Anne answered. “I think I can handle it.”

Anne’s been taking lessons since she was eight years old (3rd grade). Surprisingly, when Anne returned home from Sasha’s and asked her parents if she could play tennis, they happily approved. A week later, she had the gear and began her first practice that became many.

“Yeah you can!” Marcy encouraged.

“I’ll punch the coach if you don’t make varsity,” Sasha jokingly threatened, although Anne felt like she was partly serious.

“Please don’t, but thanks,” Anne said.

Sasha shrugged then sipped her drink via straw.

“When’s tryouts?” Marcy asked.

“Monday through Friday right after school.”

“Can we come watch?”

“Um.” Anne hesitated. Part of her wanted her friends’ support, but another part didn’t want them to see her fail.

“How about we meet you after tryouts and maybe watch a snip of the end?” Sasha suggested.

Anne relaxed at that idea. “That could work, but you guys don’t have to come though. That’s a long wait.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I still have cheer practice after school, so I’ll just come to the courts when I’m done,” Sasha stated.

“I can just hang out in the library and meet up then,” Marcy chirped in.

Anne checked one last time. “If you two are sure . . .” They nodded, and Anne grinned. “Then yeah. It’ll be nice to see you guys there.”

“Yeah sports!” Marcy shouted, and the three bursted out laughing.

Soon, the bell rang, and the girls cleaned up the mess and headed back inside.

“Hey, good luck at tryouts!” Marcy said, before parting to class.

Anne giggled. “Thanks, Marce. Love ya!”

“Love ya too!” Marcy smiled at her then disappeared into the room.

Anne and Sasha continued through the hallways together until Anne reached her classroom. Before she entered, Sasha placed both hands on her shoulders, stopping her, and made direct eye contact.

“Hey, you’re gonna kill it today and the rest of this week. Don’t let anyone or your negative brain tell you otherwise, okay?” she said sternly yet tender.

Anne blinked, shocked at the words. Sasha rarely showed her sincere side, and the fact that she showed it with Anne right now left her speechless. A warm feeling bloomed in her chest, but Anne ignored it.

“Oh, um, thanks, Sash,” she replied awkwardly.

“No problem. Catch ya later.” Sasha winked then walked away.

Anne let out a breath she didn’t know she kept in and leaned against the wall.

What was that?

For the longest time, Anne questioned her value to Sasha. She had a decent idea since Sasha’s been protecting her and Marcy, but protecting and supporting were different.

As quick as the late bell, Anne brushed off any more thoughts of Sasha and focused on school and tennis. But no matter what she thought of, the warm feeling never left.

Monday

The first day of tryouts ended, and Anne was dying for water. As people left, she sat on the bench chugging her drink, waiting for her friends.

Two upperclassmen varsity players (as in 8th graders) then approached her – Andrea (a brunette) and Mack (a redhead). Andrea was the best player that Anne was close to beat in a game. She beat her friend though, who’s the second best. Judging from her attitude after the game and currently coming to her, Anne had a bad feeling about this.

“Hey, you,” Andrea addressed her. “You’re pretty good for a newbie.”

“Um, thank you?” Anne wasn’t sure if it was a compliment or an insult with the tone she gave.

“Yeah, pretty good for JV,” the redhead rudely added, and they laughed.

“Where did you learn to play like that? My five year old brother can play better than that shit I saw,” the Andrea commented.

“Ha! So can my grandmother, and she’s like 80!”

Anne shrunk into herself and gripped her bottle tight. She wanted to fight back, but these were varsity upperclassmen. They’re bigger and most likely stronger. Of course, Anne could try to argue, but she had a feeling she would only end up in a physical fight, which she didn’t want. Yet this was tennis, it’s not supposed to get physical, but that’s only when playing. Outside of court was another game.

“Hey, what are you girls doing?” a male voice asked.

The girls all turned to see the tennis coach approach them. Andrea plastered on a smile.

“Nothing, Coach. Just getting to know the newbie,” she said sweetly. “Here you go.” She then handed Anne back her racket.

“Oh,” Coach nodded in approval then glanced at Anne. “Well done today, um, Anne, right?”

Anne nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Coach smiled then glanced at them. “Alright. Well, great job today ladies. Do you all have a ride home?”

The girls nodded, and he hummed in acceptance.

“Okay. Have a good evening.”

“You too,” the eighth graders said, and watched him leave.

Once he was out of sight, the two turned back to Anne with sneers. With witnesses out of the way, the brunette leaned into Anne’s ear.

“If you think you play like the professionals, then you are sorely mistaken. You’ll never be good enough. Beat any of us again, and you’re dead meat,” she threatened. “Got it?”

Shivers shot through Anne’s spine, as she stared at them with wide eyes and nodded vigorously. Andrea leaned back with an evil gin and patted Anne’s head.

“Good. That would be a shame to have your tennis career end so soon,” she said, faking pity.

Anne glared, but before she could retort, the girls put on a discriminating smile.

“Well, good job today. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow,” the brunette sneered.

The girls laughed and walked away, leaving Anne to finally take a breather.

‘What the heck was that?!’

Several scenarios ran through the Thai girl’s mind, but she quickly shook them away. To distract herself, Anne began packing her things when a voice called out to her.

“Anne!”

Said girl immediately turned to see her two best friends running towards her. Anne’s eyes widened when they stopped to catch their breaths before her.

“Uh, hey guys. What’s up? Why were you running?” Anne rapidly asked.

“We– were trying– to see you– before it ended,” Marcy replied in between gasps.

Sasha, being part athlete and better in shape than Marcy, inhaled deeply then stood up straight and looked at Anne.

“Yeah. Sorry we missed. Cheer went over a bit, and Marcy wouldn’t answer her phone, so I had to find her,” she said.

“Sorry,” Marcy said guiltily.

Though it deeply pained her, Anne waved it off like it was no big deal.

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t do great today anyway. Besides, it’s only the first day, and people rarely come to tryouts anyway,” she reasoned.

“Ah true but still . . .” Marcy said, defeated.

“Relax, Mar Mar, we have this week. I’m sure we can come to at least one,” Sasha said plainly.

Anne wasn’t sure how she felt hearing how casual and almost dismissive Sasha sounded. It was one thing to dismiss the thing herself, but it was another to hear it from her best friend.

“But I want to see all of them!”

“Since when did you care about sports?” Sasha asked Marcy pointedly.

Marcy pouted. “I don’t, but if it’s Anne, or even you, I care,” she replied sincerely.

“Aww, thanks, Marbles,” Anne said, smiling at her.

Sasha rolled her eyes, but a small grin showed.

“Well of course you should care. It’s me,” she said sassily, but paused and glanced at Anne. “And Anne,” Sasha added. Something in her expression and tone softened, but Anne couldn’t name it.

Marcy and Anne gaped at their friend, but before the moment could linger, Sasha clasped her hands together.

“Okay, no more sappy sap. I want food,” she said abruptly.

Anne shrugged. “I could eat.”

Right then, her stomach growled. Her friends laughed as Anne’s face heated in embarrassment, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach.

“Yeah, like that wasn’t clear enough,” Sasha teased.

Anne averted her eyes and hugged her stomach tighter. Marcy patted her on the back.

“Aww it’s okay, Anna-banana,” she reassured.

Sasha chuckled and swung an arm around Anne’s neck.

“Let’s get going,” she said.

She turned and gestured for them to follow. Marcy smiled at Anne then began to walk. Before leaving, Anne grabbed her things.

She took one last glimpse at the tennis court then at the sidewalk the older girls left several minutes ago.

“Anne?”

Anne spun to see Marcy and Sasha watching her in concern. Anne shook her head and put on a smile.

“Coming, sorry.”

She joined her friends, and the three of them walked off.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, Anne played just as great, perhaps even better than yesterday. She didn’t beat one, but both of the best players on the team. The games were fairly close, and yesterday’s threat was in her head the entire time, but at that moment, Anne did not care. Now she was receiving the consequences.

“Hey Boonchuy!”

Anne closed her eyes, took in a breath, then opened them and faced the two best players, who were smirking at her. The closer they approached, the further Anne backed up into the bench, wishing she could just disappear.

“Don’t put that up yet. I wanna see it,” Andrea ordered, nodding at her racket.

Anne glanced down at the object in her hand. It was light blue with a dirty, beaten up, white handle. She gripped it tighter and looked at Andrea.

“Why?” she asked tentatively.

Andrea smirked. “Is it so wrong to see someone else’s tennis racket?”

Anne knew that was a trap, but she sighed.

“I– I guess not.”

“Great.”

Andrea held out her hand. Anne stared at it then slowly placed her racket in her hand. Andrea smiled then lifted it in front of her and examined it.

“Hm . . . nice color.”

“Thanks,” Anne mumbled, watching her intently.

Andrea smirked then snapped her fingers. Mack instantly moved towards Anne, who backed up with a wearily look.

“Um, what are you doing?” Anne asked awkwardly to them, then faced Andrea. “Can I have my racket back, please?”

“Hm . . . not yet,” Andrea answered.

Anne narrowed her eyes and stepped by Mack towards Andrea, but arms suddenly wrapped around her, holding her back.

“Hey! Wh–“ Anne squirmed to get out, but Mack tightened her grip. “Let go of me!”

“Tsk tsk. There’s no need to struggle,” Andrea said, soothing Anne’s tennis racket.

Anne stopped – her full attention on Andrea.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Anne asked.

“Oh, Boonchuy, you still have lots to learn,” Andrea cooed.

Anne furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to argue, but she froze. Andrea, in all of her glory, lifted the tennis racket in the air and smashed it hard on the ground.

“No!” Anne shouted and struggled more, but Mack was stronger.

It was useless. All Anne could do was watch helplessly as Andrea smashed her tennis racket on the ground.

Again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

“Stop! Please!” Anne pleaded over and over, but she went unheard.

At the final hit, Anne watched in slow motion as her bent racket collided with the ground and broke in half. Anne’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Mack released her as she fell to her knees. Tears streamed down her face.

“Aww look. She’s crying,” Mack mocked.

Andrea laughed then pouted at Anne. “What’s wrong, Boonchuy? It’s just a racket. I’m sure your parents can get you a new one,” she taunted.

She tossed the broken tennis racket before Anne. Anne stared at it then looked up at her, speechless. Andrea smirked down at her.

“This was your last warning. If I see you show up again, you’re dead,” Andrea threatened, then nodded at Mack. “Let’s go.”

Mack scoffed at Anne and kicked dirt on the racket then went beside her friend. The girls began to walk away, but Andrea shot her one last glance.

“Oh, if you could tell Coach that you changed you’re not gonna play, that would be great, thanks,” she said with a smug grin.

Anne glared at her.

“It was nice meeting you, Boonchuy,” she said, and winked.

The girls laughed and sauntered off. Anne dropped her gaze to her tennis racket. Leaning back on her heels, she gently picked it up and examined it. Dents covered the ring, all of the strings were snapped, and the top half dangled lifelessly. Anne sniffed then held her racket close to her chest and bowed her head over it.

“Hey, Anne!” Marcy called as she and Sasha approached her. “Anne?”

The cheerful girls became concerned and rushed over to their friend.

“Anne, what’s wrong?” Marcy asked, kneeling before her.

Her eyes glanced at Anne's hands, and she gasped.

“What?” Sasha asked, gazing down at them.

“Is it . . .?” Marcy whispered.

Anne slowly revealed her damaged tennis racket, and the girls’ eyes widened.

“Oh, no. What happened?” Marcy asked.

Anne sighed. Might as well tell them.

“A girl took it and smashed it on the ground while another held me back. I couldn’t do anything,” Anne explained, then sobbed.

“I’m so sorry,” Marcy said, and pulled her into a hug.

Anne buried her head into her shoulder and cried. Sasha kneeled and hugged them from the side. One hand rubbed Anne’s back while the other found Anne’s hand and grasped it. Anne situated her hand so she held Sasha’s tight.

Once the crying died to sniffling, the girls broke away from the hug, but kept holding onto each other’s hands and arms.

“Is there anything we can do?” Marcy asked.

Anne shook her head. “No. Having you guys here is enough.”

Sasha clenched her fists and glared at the ground. “When I find them–”

Anne looked at Sasha with panic. “Sasha, no. They’re not worth it, and neither are you getting in trouble for something small.”

Sharp eyes met sorrowful ones.

“‘Something small?’ Anne, these bullies broke your racket! That’s not okay, and they should be punished for it!” Sasha exclaimed.

“Sash, it’s fine–“

“No it’s not. I’ll–“

“Punch them? That’ll get you expelled or worse,” Anne countered.

Sasha scoffed. “If they catch me.”

“Sasha, I’m serious–”

“So am I.”

“Guys!” Marcy yelled.

Snapped out of their staring contest that they did not realize they had, the girls faced Marcy.

“Please stop fighting. We should be comforting Anne right now, not argue,” Marcy reasoned, a hint of tremor in her voice. She never liked it when her friends fought.

The girls glanced at each other then averted their eyes, faces filled with guilt.

“Right,” Sasha whispered.

“You guys don’t have to. I’d rather not think about it anymore,” Anne said, looking at her racket.

Marcy frowned then nodded. “That’s okay. Is there something you would like to do?”

Anne shrugged. “I don’t know.”

The girls sat in silence for a moment until Sasha spoke.

“Okay, that’s enough wallowing. We’re going to the mall.”

“But–”

“No buts. This is too sad, and you clearly need a cheer-up. So, we’re going,” Sasha commanded.

Anne opened her mouth, but Sasha got the last word in.

“End. Of. Discussion.”

Anne closed her mouth and glimpsed at Marcy, who awaited her response. Anne looked back at Sasha and sighed.

“A distraction would be nice,” she agreed.

Sasha smiled. “Great!”

She then stood up and offered Anne and Marcy a hand. Marcy took hers and was pulled to her feet. With a free hand still open, Sasha and Marcy looked at Anne. The Thai girl stared at the hand then at Sasha. Sasha was showing her usual confident, tough smile, but Anne noticed the care in her eyes.

Moving her racket to her left hand, Anne took Sasha’s hand with her right and got lifted onto her feet. She then grabbed her things. The girls watched as she stuffed her racket into the bag.

“Hey, I’m sure your parents will buy you a new one once you explain what happened,” Sasha said.

“Yeah, maybe,” Anne mumbled.

Sasha furrowed her brows and wanted to retort, but Anne swung her bag over her shoulder and faced them with a fake (and sad) smile.

“Alright, I’m ready,” she said, feigning cheerfulness.

A beat passed, and Anne thought her friends were going to comment or give her pitiful looks, but Sasha only grinned.

“Sweet. Let’s get going nerds,” she said, and spun on her heels and strolled off.

Marcy hesitantly followed, but not without giving Anne a worried look. Anne smiled at her, in hopes to give her reassurance. Thankfully, it did since Marcy smiled back then looked ahead. Anne dropped the smile and trudged behind them.

On one hand, she was glad that they didn’t say anything. She was tired and just wanted the day to end. On the other hand, she wished her friends would see through her act and actually want her opinion. Well– Marcy did, which was nice and Anne appreciated it a lot, but she didn’t make the decisions of the group. Sasha did.

Wait, why did she want the blonde’s attention so much? Sasha rarely gave it to them anyway unless something happened to them. Anne should know her friend by now. Yet, why did it still hurt that Sasha said it’s fine when it clearly wasn’t?

Wednesday

It was 8am, and Anne already wanted this day to be over with.

Even though what happened still weighed on her, the mall helped lighten her spirits just enough to get by her parents, whom she didn’t bother telling about yesterday’s event. She thought about telling them and her friends of the “threat,” but she didn’t want to waste their time. Besides, her friends couldn’t do anything, and she didn’t want her parents to get involved with the school and the players' parents. If she could manage to get through the rest of the week, then this whole drama would be behind her.

This was her fight and no one else’s. She could handle this.

Acting like everything was fine in her first classes was easy, but getting by her friends? That was a little harder than Anne thought. The moment Anne entered the room, Marcy looked up from her Switch at her with worry. Anne gave her best smile, which seemed to do the trick since Marcy returned it then resumed her game.

When Anne shared her biology class with Sasha, the Thai girl dreaded the myriad of questions the blonde would ask. To her surprise, the blonde merely raised an eyebrow at her. Despite it not being verbal, Anne received the message in that one motion. Before she could respond, the bell rang, and the teacher began the lecture. Anne silently sighed in relief and kept her focus anywhere but Sasha for the rest of the class.

Besides classes, Anne succeeded in avoiding her friends in the morning. It pained her, and she knew her friends would interrogate her later, but she didn’t want to deal with it. As much as she wished she could avoid them for the rest of the day, she would look worse if she didn’t meet them for lunch.

When the lunch bell rang, Anne sucked it up, grabbed her things, and headed for the picnic table.

When Anne caught sight of her friends, sounds of light hearted banter were heard. She paused and watched the scene. A Creatures and Caverns board and pieces were on the table. Above it was a confused Sasha and a passionate Marcy. Seemed like Marcy was trying to get Sasha into the game once again.

A tiny smile slipped on Anne’s lips, and she resumed her walk.

“This character’s strength isn’t the best–“

“Then who’s the strongest?”

“Well . . .”

“Hey, guys,” Anne interrupted them, setting down her bag and lunchbox.’

The girls perked up at their friend.

“Hey, Anne!” Marcy said with a wave, while Sasha gave her a smile.

“Trying to get Sash into Creatures and Caverns again?” Anne teased, plopping on the bench.

“I’m just as confused as the first time,” Sasha said bluntly.

“It’s progress,” Marcy replied, shooting Anne a “she’s stubborn” look.

Anne chuckled and began to eat her lunch.

“So . . .” Marcy started, giving Anne her full attention. “Any news on the racket situation?”

Anne froze but quickly regained composure. Luckily, she prepared a lie before coming here. Didn’t make it any easier to tell it though.

“Oh, um, sort of? I’m actually not going to go to tryouts,” she said, staring at her sandwich.

“What?”

“Why?”

The girls asked, astonished.

Anne shrugged. “I think it might be better if I focus on my grades right now,” she poorly excused, though she wasn’t wrong.

Marcy blinked and sat in thought. Meanwhile, Sasha narrowed her eyes and stared Anne down.

“Anne, we all know that you care for tennis more than school. You love tennis! You’re seriously gonna give it up because of a broken racket? What’d your parents say?” Sasha implored.

“Yeah, I love tennis, but there’s always club and next season. It’s not the end of the world if I don’t play this year,” Anne retorted. She hoped Sasha didn’t catch her dodging the last question.

Sasha frowned. “Okay, what’s going on?” Her eyes slightly widened. “Is it your parents? Do they know–“

“Uh, yes! Yes, it’s my parents. They, um, think I shouldn’t be on a team with horrible people,” Anne lied.

Their faces fell.

“Oh, I’m sorry. So I guess they won’t get you a new racket?” Marcy asked shyly.

Anne shook her head. Marcy thinned her lips, and Sasha knitted her brows.

“I’m sorry, Anne,” Marcy said again.

Anne half-heartedly shrugged. “It’s alright. Maybe I’ll get a new one for Christmas.”

Marcy gave a sympathetic look then nodded. Sasha looked at Marcy then at Anne.

“So that’s it? You’re just quitting?” she asked incredulously.

Anne scoffed. “N-no. I’m just . . . taking a break is all,” she replied meekly.

Sasha raised a brow and crossed her arms. “A break? Really? Pfft. Don’t you want revenge on those brats?”

Anne folded her arms on the table and leaned close to them.

“And how would I do that? If I told the coach, they could simply lie themselves out of the situation,” Anne reasoned.

“What about the principal?” Marcy suggested.

“He would probably do the same thing,” Anne guessed. Not to mention he could contact her parents, which she did NOT want.

Sasha scoffed. “Then don’t go to an adult. Go back to tryouts and beat their sorry butts at every game and show everyone that you are the best!’

“In case you forgot, I don’t have a racket anymore,” Anne growled.

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. I’m not stupid, Anne. Look, if your parents won’t buy you one, then you can just go and get one yourself–“

“I don’t have enough–“

“Then take some–“

“I’m not stealing from my own parents!”

“Fine! How about we–“

“No!” Anne snapped.

The girls flinched when Anne slammed her hands on the table and stood up.

“Are you even listening to me? I am NOT getting another racket, and I quit tennis!” Anne yelled angrily.

Eyes wide, Sasha sat, speechless. Anne prepared herself for a yelling match, but instead, Sasha sighed then held her cheek on top of her palm, shooting Anne a “done” look.

“Geez, I was just trying to help you,” she said, annoyed.

Anne balled her fists, ignoring how much her tone stung. Although to be fair, Anne was the one who shouted at her, but that wasn’t her concern right now.

“Yeah well, I don’t always need it,” Anne replied coldly.

Sasha straightened, and the two were locked in a glaring contest.

Marcy looked frantically between her friends, itching to say something to calm the situation but also wanting to wait it out and hope they could talk things through. No matter how much they fight, they’d make it up at some point. They always did.

To the Taiwanese girl’s relief, the end of lunch bell rang, cutting the tension. As if on a switch, Anne’s anger deflated, and she began packing her things as did the others.

“I’ll see you guys later,” she mumbled, then sped towards the doors without glancing behind.

Thursday

The next day, Anne managed to convince her parents that she was sick and ended up skipping school. She thought Tuesday was bad, but yesterday was worse with the Sasha argument and telling the coach that she quit while the upperclassmen smirked in satisfaction behind him. With a crushed heart, she holed up in her room, hoping to forget about all the drama in her life. What better way to do that than miss school?

Stupidly, just because she skipped school didn’t mean that she skipped the assignments.

Around 5pm, Anne was watching a show on her bed when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” she shouted.

“Hey, Anne.”

At the timid voice, Anne whipped around to see Marcy shyly standing behind the ajar door.

“Marcy? What are you doing here?” Anne asked, shifting into a criss-cross position.

“I wanted to check on you,” she replied, stepping inside and closing the door.

“Oh.”

A beat, then a thought occurred to Anne.

“Where’s Sasha?”

“Hm? Oh, she wanted to come, but, uh, figured you didn’t want to see her after yesterday,” Marcy answered, staring at her feet.

Anne squinted her eyes. That’s not like the Sasha Anne knew.

“Really?” she asked in disbelief.

Marcy looked at her, opened her mouth, then sighed.

“No. She actually doesn’t know I’m here,” she confessed. “She thinks I’m home studying. But if she knew I was here, she definitely would’ve come,” Marcy tried to reassure her.

Anne narrowed her eyes. “I doubt it,” she mumbled.

Marcy frowned, but Anne continued before she could ask.

“Do you know what she is doing?” Anne asked.

“I think she said something about the mall? I don’t remember.”

“Oh, of course,” Anne commented sarcastically, and looked away.

Marcy slowly approached the end of the bed and sat down. She placed her hand on her lap and stared at them for a moment then at Anne.

“What’s wrong?” she asked softly.

Anne shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Anne.”

Ann sighed and turned towards Marcy yet avoided her eyes.

“Alright. It’s just typical of her to think of herself a lot. Does it ever frustrate you?” she asked, glimpsing at her friend.

Though her tone and eyes showed frustration, Marcy saw the hurt underneath. She shrugged.

“Sometimes, but I’m sure we mean more than whatever things she buys.”

“You’d think,” Anne mumbled, fiddling with her hands.

“Anne, what’s going on? I feel like this is something other than yesterday,” Marcy said.

Anne lifelessly chuckled and threw up her hands.

“Maybe? I’m still pint up about yesterday, that’s for sure,” Anne said, then sighed into her palms. “I don’t know.”

Marcy watched in sympathy then moved closer and placed a hand on Anne’s knee. At the touch, Anne glanced at the hand then into Marcy’s eyes.

“Anne, please. What happened that day?” Marcy begged.

Looking into such kind and sad eyes, Anne relented.

“A small part of me did want to quit but . . . I was actually forced to,” she whispered.

Marcy’s eyes widened, but she stayed silent. Anne shyly looked at her.

“You remember those two girls who broke my racket?”

Marcy nodded.

“They said that was the last warning, and if they see me on the court again, they’ll kill me,” Anne explained.

Marcy knitted her brows. “Surely they wouldn’t. That’s illegal.”

“Marcy–“

“Right, sorry,” Marcy said with an awkward chuckle, then fake coughed. “Back to topic, they shouldn’t be allowed to do any of that. I know you think they’ll be useless, but I still think you should go to the authorities.”

“And then what? I told you, I’m pretty sure the girls have the coach and the principal around their fingertips,” Anne growled.

“You don’t know that–”

“Neither do you,” Anne countered.

Marcy pursed her lips and gazed at her dangling feet. Anne exhaled and rubbed her face.

“I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you, just at this week, and the players, and the broken racket, and Sasha, and– ugh!” Anne groaned, flopping back into her pillows.

Marcy reached out for her again but retracted her arm and settled her hands on her lap. The two sat in silence for a moment until Marcy spoke.

“Is there anything you want to do? Or any way I can help?” she asked tentatively.

Anne glanced at the wall in thought.

“I don’t know. I really don’t want to do anything,” she answered tiredly.

Marcy nodded. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” Anne immediately said.

Marcy almost flinched at how fast Anne sat up and faced her with wide eyes. Anne shyly looked away.

“No. Stay, please,” Anne softly requested.

Marcy gave a small smile then moved to sit beside Anne, who scooted closer and rested her head on her shoulder. Marcy wrapped an arm around Anne and laid her head on top of hers.

The two stayed like that until Marcy had to leave.

Friday

Finally the last school day of the week, and Anne couldn’t be more relieved. As much as she wanted to skip today, her parents didn’t allow it, plus the amount of missed homework she had to make-up. She’d rather finish it all at school then work on it over the weekend.

Marcy’s comfort helped Anne relax for the night, but when she woke up, her mind buzzed again, and she felt like she was on autopilot. Morning classes flew by, and by the time Anne approached her usual table did she realize it was lunch.

Typically, Marcy would be playing a game and Sasha would be on her phone, but today, the two were sitting close and having a quiet conversation with serious looks. Sasha’s mouth was moving while Marcy nodded (Anne could see the gears turning in her head), but they stopped when Marcy looked past Sasha’s head and noticed Anne then waved with a little grin. Sasha shut up and faced Anne with a neutral look, but Anne saw the concern in her eyes.

Whatever they were talking about, it did not seem good, and Anne had a bad feeling it was about her.

Anne gulped and waved back with a smile (that she hoped passed off as fine) then sat down across from them.

“Hey, guys. Whatcha talking about?” Anne casually asked.

Sasha and Marcy glanced at each other.

“Just wanted Marcy’s opinion on something. Nothing to worry about,” Sasha said, brushing it off.

Anne furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to retort, but Sasha wasn’t done.

“Glad to see you. Didn’t know if you were gonna come,” she said sincerely.

“Yeah, me either, but I’m feeling better,” Anne partly lied.

“That’s good. I’m also glad that you’re here because I didn’t want to carry this around,” said Sasha, who reached under the table.

Anne raised a brow at Marcy, who only shrugged. Sasha reappeared with a long box.

“What’s this?” Anne (stupidly) asked.

“Open it and see.”

Anne’s eyes bounced from Sasha to Marcy to the box, then she cautiously removed the lid. Peeling back the tissue paper, Anne’s mouth dropped.

Inside was a bright pink tennis racket with black and white stripes on the sides and a white grip. On the centered, bottom string was a little green smiley face pin.

Anne gently picked it up and examined it. Given how strong the strings felt, the way the sun reflected off it, and how clean the grip and the rest of it was, there was no doubt that this was newly bought.

“I– wh– Sash– how? Why?” Anne stammered, staring at her friend in disbelief.

Sasha shrugged. “Playing tennis is useless without a tennis racket, don’t you think?” she said with a smirk. “The green pin was from Marcy,” she added, gesturing to the grinning Taiwanese girl.

“I– wow. I don’t know what to say,” Anne breathed.

“A thanks would suffice,” Sasha teased.

Anne rolled her eyes, but the big grin on her face gave it away that she was nowhere near mad.

“Thank you Sasha. And Marcy. This means a lot, really,” Anne said sincerely.

Sasha’s expression softened. “It was no problem. Also seeing you sad was too pitiful, not to mention that I can totally take those bullies out in a fight,” she said, grinning.

Anne chuckled. “Yeah, but this was nice. Thanks.”

Sasha smiled, and Anne thought she saw pink on her cheeks, but it quickly faded when she turned to Marcy, who started to speak.

“So are you going to tryouts? This IS the last day.”

Anne looked at her new racket and weighed her options. On one hand, she could get murdered for even seeing the tennis courts, but on the other, she could continue to live her dream and find out what she was capable of.

Gripping the racket, Anne looked at her friends with a determined look.

“Yeah, I think I will.”

“Woo! She’s back!” Marcy cheered, pumping two fists in the air.

“That’s my girl!” Sasha said.

Whether it was being called “my girl” from Sasha or it was the attention from her friends, Anne couldn’t stop herself from blushing.

“Heh. Thanks guys.”

“Aww! Group hug!” Marcy shouted, then leaped over the table towards Anne, who’s eyes widened.

“Marcy, wait!”

Within seconds, Anne raised her arms and caught the flying girl, but due to her momentum, the two tumbled onto the ground.

“Ow . . .” mumbled Anne.

Sasha, who watched with a fond expression, laughed, then walked over and kneeled beside them, tucking her legs underneath.

“I’m okay!” Marcy shouted instinctively, then gasped. “Oh my gosh, Anne! Are you okay? I’m sorry!” she frantically asked, checking her friend.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Anne replied, sitting up then giving her a reassuring smile.

Marcy sighed in relief and hugged her, who gladly returned it. Anne opened her eyes to see Sasha sitting there and held out an arm. Shock briefly appeared across the blonde’s face before relaxing into a smile as she joined the embrace.

The trio would’ve enjoyed the moment longer had the bell not rang, ending lunch time.

“Stupid bell. Ruining the moment,” Sasha cursed, pulling away.

Marcy giggled. “Yeah, but school’s important, Sash,” she teased.

“Shut up,” Sasha said, lightly shoving her face, making Marcy laugh.

Anne chuckled then stood up, as did the others. She grabbed her tennis racket and gazed at it. Several negative thoughts ran through her mind.

What if it’s too late?

What if she’ll do bad?

What if she doesn’t make it in the end?

What if they’re right?

What if–

A hand rested on her shoulders, and Anne snapped up to stern yet caring eyes.

“Hey, you’re a great player and don’t ever let anyone say otherwise. You got this,” Sasha encouraged.

Warmth filled Anne’s heart (and possibly cheeks), and she smiled. This was a rare sight to see, but Anne was not complaining. To hear her kind tone and to have a genuine smile for her? If Sasha’s hand wasn’t holding her steady, Anne’s knees definitely would’ve buckled.

“T-thanks, Sash,” Anne shyly replied.

Sasha winked then spun around and grabbed her bag.

“Now come on losers. We better get going,” she commanded.

“I thought you didn’t care for being late,” Anne teased as she gathered her things.

“I don’t, but I think this one here” –Sasha nodded at Marcy– “will have a heart attack if she’s late.”

“Hey! I– okay, fair,” Marcy admitted.

The girls laughed then went inside.

“Listen up kiddos! It’s the last day of tryouts. Now, I know I have most of you sorted already, but that doesn’t mean you should slack today. Alright, to end this quicker, we’re just doing singles,” the coach announced. “If you continue to rise to the top, you stay. If you lose two rounds, then tell me and you may leave. Any questions?”

No one spoke, and the coach nodded, then looked at his clipboard and started listing off names. Once paired, said people left to begin their match. Soon, there were just two people left.

“For second place, Mack vs Anne . . .” his voice faded as he remembered that the Thai girl quit. “Right. She’s not here,” he said, then clicked his pen to cross Anne off.

Andrea and Mack smirked in victory.

“Wait! I’m here!” a voice shouted from behind.

Everyone turned to see Anne running up to them in the SJMS gym attire, hair up in a ponytail, and holding a pink tennis racket. The group parted as Anne ran through and up to the coach. She stopped before him, heaving, then stood straight and faced him with a confident expression.

“I’m here. And I’m trying out,” she said, full of ambition.

The coach grinned. “Great! You’re against Mack for second. Whoever wins goes against Andrea for first,” he instructed.

Anne nodded. “Yes sir.”

The coach slapped his clipboard against his palm.

“Okay, you three may go,” he dismissed.

Anne turned to catch hateful looks from the upperclassmen before they walked off. She was about to follow when Coach’s voice called her.

“Boonchuy!”

Anne glanced over her shoulder. “Hm?”

“I’m glad you changed your mind,” he said genuinely.

Anne smiled and half nodded. “Thanks, Coach.”

‘Me too.’

Then she headed off to her first match. When she arrived at the tennis court, glares instantly faced her.

“And what do you think you’re doing here?” Mack asked in a snarky tone.

“To try out,” Anne answered simply.

Andrea was not having it and advanced on her.

“No, I meant HERE. I thought I told you–“

“Hey! Leave her alone!”

The three girls snapped their gazes to an angry blonde standing outside the gate with her hands on her hips. Behind her was a glaring Taiwanese girl.

“Excuse me? Who do you think you’re talking to?” Andrea replied, offended.

Sasha scoffed. “A horrible popular wanna-be for an excuse is who I’m talking to.”

Andrea gasped. “How dare–“

“No! How dare YOU even mess with my best friend right there!” Sasha yelled, pointing at Anne, who shrunk into herself at the sudden attention.

Sasha stepped closer to Andrea, nearly eye leveled (Andrea was about a foot taller than Sasha). The girls glared at another.

“If I ever see you hurting her again, I will beat you and your minion with your rackets,” Sasha threatened.

“Sash–“ Anne tried to intervene.

“Alright. How about a bet? If your little friend beats me – two out of three, then we’ll stop messing with her. But if she loses, then not only is she ours, but so are you,” countered Andrea, then she glanced at Marcy. “Oh, and maybe her too,” she added.

Marcy’s hard expression changed into timid, but Sasha stepped in front of her protectively and gritted her teeth at the tennis player.

“Deal,” Sasha said.

Andrea smirked then faced Anne.

“Let’s see how good you really are,” she mocked, and Anne seethed.

Andrea then nodded at Mack.

“Don’t fail,” she whispered to her. Mack nodded then glared at Anne.

“You ready?” she challenged the Thai girl.

“You ready to lose?” Anne countered.

Mack scoffed. “I should be telling you that.”

Then she whipped around, smacking Anne’s face with her ponytail. Anne glowered, ready to yank that girl’s hair out of her scalp, but Sasha placed hand on her shoulder. Anne instantly calmed down at the touch.

“I want to beat her up too, believe me, but we made a bet. So you best beat them on the court, then we can see about after,” Sasha said, shooting her a wink.

Anne closed her eyes, took in a breath, then let it out and faced her friend with a small smile and persistent eyes.

“Don’t worry, Sash. I got this,” Anne said confidently.

Sasha grinned and squeezed her shoulder. “Knock ‘em dead, girl.”

Anne glanced behind at Marcy, who smiled and nodded at her. Anne smiled back then looked at Sasha and nodded. These girls gave her a second chance. Sasha gave her a second chance. She was not going to waste it.

She then headed onto her side of the court.

The match against Mack was a little harder than the first day of tryouts. Anne may have missed two days of tennis, but she didn’t think she was THAT rusty. Either that or Mack managed to improve within the week. Whatever it was, it didn't matter since Anne beat her.

It was then Anne vs Andrea. Andrea won the first match, which ticked Anne, but Sasha and Marcy gave her a pep talk. Surprisingly, it helped because Anne won the second match. Now it’s all down to the last match.

The score was currently a deuce. A player could only win by a margin of two. The score kept going back and forth. After the sixth point, the players switched sides, quickly gulping some water before continuing. Refreshed, Anne readied herself. She was exhausted and her body ached, but she was determined to win. A long rally later, Anne struck the first point.

Throughout the rounds, Andrea was clearly angry, but now it seemed like she was steaming as Anne noticed how tight she gripped her racket and her reddened face that was obviously not from playing.

Because Anne won the point, Andrea became the server. She tossed up the ball then hit it across to Anne’s side. The two rallied, running forward and back, side to side, hitting every ball they could. The game felt like a time loop, but it was soon to be over.

Andrea smacked the ball hard at Anne’s right. Anne was mistakenly a little up past the rectangle of the court. She gasped as she missed blocking the ball as it hit her side and up and far. Andrea grinned in her victory.

“Oh no you don’t!” Anne shouted, and sprinted back.

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Anne leaped backwards into the air towards the ball. With a yell, Anne one-handedly slammed her racket into the ball. Anne would’ve watched where the ball landed had she not crashed onto the ground. She heard screams around her, but she couldn’t make out whose and why.

She slowly sat up and rubbed her head. Not a moment later was Anne tackled, hitting the ground once more.

“Ow! Wh–”

“Anne! You did it! You won!” Sasha cheered into her ear.

“I– what? I did?” Anne asked, bewildered.

“Yes!”

“That was amazing, Anne!” Marcy exclaimed.

Anne laughed and hugged her friends.

“Ugh! How?!” Andrea screamed.

Anne released her friends and looked up to see a seething Andrea and a glaring Mack before them. Sasha made a move to get up, but Anne stopped her. Sasha glanced at her, confused and slightly worried (which Anne found cute), but she stayed back when Anne nodded at her. Anne got to her feet and faced her opponents.

Anne shrugged. “Dunno. I honestly didn’t think I would make it, much less win,” she said light heartedly.

Andrea scoffed. “Oh, now you’re playing the nice one just because you won?”

“No, I just . . . I don’t like being mean to people,” Anne confessed, eyes downcast.

Andrea rolled her eyes. “I can tell. You’re too soft. No wonder you need your friends to fight your battles,” she insulted.

Anne glared at her. “Okay, you can insult me as much as you want, but don’t ever talk about my friends like that!”

Andrea and Anne glowered at each other. Andrea leaned back, and Anne readied herself for a punch, but instead, Andrea bursted out laughing (though it sounded more evil than genuine).

“So you DO have a feisty side, and you wasted it on that corny line? Pfft. Pathetic,” Andrea commented.

“At least I stick up for mine,” Anne countered. Andrea growled.

“Hey! You didn’t forget about our bet, did you?” Sasha interrupted, standing up next to Anne. Marcy also stood up, watching from behind.

Andrea exhaled, annoyed. “Yeah, yeah. I didn’t forget.” She then thrusted out a hand towards Anne. “Good game.”

Anne stared at it in shock, then she hesitantly shook it. “Um, thanks, you too.”

Andrea then yanked her forward and she leaned into Anne’s ear. “This isn’t over,” she whispered.

She quickly released her, throwing the Thai girl backwards. Anne stumbled, but luckily her friends were there to keep her steady.

“This was a waste of time. Let’s go Mack,” Andrea said, and she spun on her heels and walked away.

“I still don’t like you, but you’re not that horrible of a player,” Mack said.

“Uh, thank you?” Anne replied, confused.

Mack quickly turned and followed Andrea out.

Anne shrugged then faced her friends.

“Look at you. Standing up to people. I raised you well,” said Sasha proudly.

Anne chuckled. “I’m still not on your level of confidence, but thanks, Sash. I’m glad to have friends like you guys that have my back.”

“Aww!” said Marcy, then she wrapped them into a group hug.

“Boonchuy!”

The trio immediately pulled apart at the loud voice. They watched the coach approach them.

“That was a great play right there!” he said.

Anne’s face heated at the compliment and the embarrassment of the coach watching her falling on her face.

“Thank you, Coach,” she said.

He smiled. “Anne, how would you like to be on the varsity tennis team?”

Anne gasped. “Really?”

The coach nodded. “If you’re serious about playing, you’ll be a great benefit to the team, and I can help you be a better player.”

“I– yes!” Anne exclaimed, smiling wide.

The coach chuckled. “Great! You’ll get an email from me soon. Good job today,” he said, then walked away.

Anne turned to her friends to see matching grins. They screamed and jumped up and down.

“Ah! Girl, you made varsity!” Sasha cheered.

“That’s our Anne!” commented Marcy.

“I can’t believe it!” Anne said, settling down, then a realization hit. “Wait, I’m gonna have to deal with those jerks all next semester,” she groaned.

“Hey” –an arm wrapped around her shoulders– “let’s now worry about that. You won the bet, AND you made varsity. We should celebrate!” Sasha said.

Anne glanced at Sasha’s hand then smiled softly at her. “Why not. I’m kinda tired anyway, and pizza sounds good right about now.”

The girls laughed.

“Then let’s go!” Sasha yelled, pumping a fist into the air.

Anne laughed then slung an arm around Marcy, and the trio walked off the courts.

With her best friends on both sides, Anne knew they were an unbreakable bond. They may be different, but they supported one another and would defend each other in a heartbeat. Anne couldn’t imagine a single thing that’ll tear them apart.

Chapter Text

After Marcy closed the door, she turned around to see Anne walking away briskly.

 “Anne, wait!”

“Go away, Marcy!” Anne said, without looking back, quickening her pace.

Swallowing down the sting of the shun, Marcy rushed towards her and grabbed her friend’s hand. Anne stopped then whipped her head around and glared at her. Marcy flinched under Anne’s cold eyes but remained firm.

“Let go,” Anne ordered, struggling to get loose.

“Anne, please–”

“Just leave me alone!” Anne shouted.

Flinching once more, Marcy’s grip slacked, and Anne tugged herself free. Anne massaged her hand and faced away. Marcy yearned to reach out again, but she knew she overstepped. She should’ve taken her own advice to give Anne some space. Being direct? That wasn’t Marcy Wu. Marcy lowered her gaze in shame.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hugging herself.

Anne sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just angry at them right now. I shouldn’t have taken that out on you,” she said quietly.

Marcy rubbed her arm.

“It’s alright. I just– want you to tell me what’s going on. I may not be close to the Plantars like you are, but I can tell they’re like family to you, so to see you treat them like that back there seemed . . . I don’t know, scary? I’ve never seen you be that angry before . . .” Marcy said, lowering her head.

Anne frowned. With closed eyes, Marcy sighed then reopened her eyes and looked at her friend.

“I don’t blame you for being angry, but I thought it was ‘just a racket?’” Marcy asked boldly.

“It is,” Anne glared.

Marcy raised a brow. Unable to handle the eye contact, Anne thinned her lips and glanced down at the ground, not knowing how to answer. Unfortunately for Anne, her reaction confirmed Marcy’s suspicion. Sadness that turned into sympathy showed on Marcy’s face, and she slowly approached Anne.

“Anne, please, I know something deeper happened between you and Sasha or else you wouldn’t be acting this way,” Marcy pressed.

Anne squeezed her eyes shut and clenched and unclenched her fists. Taking a deep breath, Anne opened her eyes, shoved her hands into her skirt’s pockets, and looked at Marcy. For the first time since they reunited, Marcy noticed how tired her friend has been.

“Okay . . . but can we go somewhere more private?” Anne requested.

With a small smile, Marcy nodded and took Anne’s hand.

As Marcy closed the door to her room, Anne already settled herself on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. Marcy sadly smiled at the sight, and gently eased onto the bed next to her. She almost hugged her, but she decided not to – just yet.

Instead, she spoke, “What’s on your mind right now?”

Anne sighed and stared at the pillow. “I don’t know. I’m just really mad about the racket. I don’t like being mad at the Plantars, but I thought they’d take better care of it. I shouldn’t have left them alone with it in the first place,” Anne said with a glare.

Marcy frowned and placed a hand on her back. “It’s not your fault, Anne. It’s not like you knew they were going to break it, and it was clearly an accident, given how sorry and sincere they were,” she tried to reason.

“I still should’ve known better. I thought I learned from that! But no!” Anne exclaimed.

Marcy’s brows furrowed. “From what?”

Anne’s eyes widened, and she looked at Marcy. Calming down, Anne answered.

“I’m sorry. I really don’t want to talk about it, but you’re her friend too. You have the right to know, and if anything, I’d rather you hear it from me first than her.”

Marcy gave Anne a supportive squeeze on the shoulder then folded her hands in her lap. Sitting straight up, Marcy waited eagerly. Anne took in a breath then began the story from the Frog of the Year party.

About an hour later, Anne ended the story.

“Luckily, Captain Grime caught her before she could’ve . . . um, well, you know,” Anne trailed off.

Marcy winched at the thought of her friend dying and with the mindset and quote that maybe Anne’s “better off” without her.

“I should’ve been relieved that she was alive and that I saved Wartwood, but I was just in shock for the rest of the night. The Plantars checked on me, which was nice, but I thought if I bury it inside and not think about it, then it’ll be fine. It worked for a bit until on the ride to Newtopia when Sprig brought up the racket. I just– ugh! I know Sasha can be controlling and manipulative, but ever since that, she’s all I’ve been thinking about, and I don’t know what to do. Then to make matters worse, the racket she bought me is now broken. I shouldn’t care that much about it, but it's a nice reminder from home and all . . . Ugh! I’m not making any sense!” Anne exasperated, burrowing her face into the pillow.

Marcy frowned in sympathy (and maybe a little pity at a small predicament).

“I mean, that would be on my mind about every day too if I went through that. That’s honestly traumatizing a bit,” she reasoned. “But, Anne? Do you think that there’s maybe another reason why Sasha’s on your mind that much? The reason the racket means more than just a reminder of home?”

Anne looked at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

Marcy wanted to slap her and herself. She loved Anne, but sometimes Marcy couldn’t handle her obliviousness. She sighed.

“I’m sorry to ask but . . . do you like Sasha? Like, like her?”

Anne stared at her as if Marcy had finally said the stupidest thing. Anne suddenly burst out laughing.

“What? Like her? Pffft! As if,” she said, waving a hand in the air. “It’s not like I enjoy it whenever she holds my hand, or cheers me on, or gives me a genuine smile,” Anne rambled.

Marcy shot her a look that said ‘uh, huh.’

Anne furiously shook her head from those thoughts. “I mean, even if I did, there’s no way she would like me back or anything. What a silly idea, right?” she mumbled, crossing her arms.

Even though Marcy’s guess was confirmed, that didn’t mean it hurt any less to hear it. A part of her wanted to tell Anne that it’s a hopeless idea, but another part of her knew that she should tell her the truth, or at least what she observed (which she was 90% sure was correct).

“Anne.”

A hand rested on her arm, and Anne looked up to see patience eyes. She thought there was something else in them, almost like sadness, but she didn’t think anything of it.

“If you like her, that’s totally okay and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I promise,” Marcy said sincerely. Anne lightened at her friend’s support and glanced at the hand.

“And to be honest with you . . . it’s definitely not silly to think that Sasha doesn’t like you that way,” Marcy added quietly.

Anne scoffed and glared at the pillow, squeezing it tighter. “Yeah right. You’re just saying that to help. Why in the world would Sasha fall for someone like me? There’s better people out there for her!”

“Anne, I wouldn’t be saying that if I didn’t know for sure. You’re my best friend, but I would never lie about something like this,” Marcy said. Bitterness stung on her tongue, but at least that part was true.

“I– wait, how did we get on this subject?” Anne suddenly asked, both genuine and trying to switch topics.

Marcy softly chuckled and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean to get off track, but I asked that because I think the reason you can’t get Sasha out of your mind is because you have deeper feelings for her. When you’ve developed those feelings are for you to discover, but I believe they increased the moment she, um, fell,” she explained.

Anne furrowed her brows. “But . . . why . . . I– I still don’t know if I like her. I never thought about it before.”

Marcy nodded. “That’s okay, you don’t need to know right away. And I’m sorry if I probably made your life a little rougher with this, but I only said that because I know Sasha means more to you than as a best friend, and I just hope you realize that before you do something you, and her, will regret.”

“It’s alright, I guess. I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Marcy.”

Marcy smiled and nodded. “So . . . you okay now?”

Anne shrugged and cracked a smile. “Yeah, I think so. I’m still upset about the racket though, but this helped. Thank you.”

“Anytime, Anna-banana,” Marcy said.

Chuckling, Anne leaned over and hugged her friend. Marcy sighed into her shoulder, tightening the hug. The two stayed in the embrace for a minute Anne broke apart with a sad expression on her face, eyes downward. Marcy furrowed her brows in concern.

“What is it?” she asked.

“If I do figure this out, I don’t think I’ll know what to do when I see her again,” Anne said quietly.

“Well, if you’re still unsure what to do, you have me now. So if you want to face her alone, then you can, but I’m here if you need support. She’s my friend too, but just know that I won’t abandon you,” said Marcy.

Anne grinned at her. “Thank you. Same to you.”

Marcy smiled back then glanced at the time. “We should probably go to sleep. Got a busy day tomorrow.”

As if on cue, Anne yawned. “That sounds good actually.”

Marcy giggled. “I thought so.”

Anne smiled then rubbed the back of her neck. “Hey, um, can I sleep in here tonight? I don’t want to be alone and I don’t want to see the Plantars just yet,” she asked sheepishly.

Marcy smiled and gave a nod. “Of course. Help me unmake the bed?”

“Sure.”

Soon, the girls were underneath the covers, snuggled against each other. Even though their minds buzzed with a million thoughts for a while, their eyes eventually closed as sleep took over.

Chapter Text

“Anne, what are you doing?”

“Something I should’ve done a long time ago. Standing up to YOU!”

“What’s gotten into you, Anne? You were never like this back home!”

“Do you ever stop talking?!”

“They’re just slimy little frogs, Anne. They. Don’t. Matter!”

“They’re not just frogs . . . they’re my friends!”

“It’s over, Sash. You’re not gonna push me around anymore.”

Even though Anne stood victorious, her emotions wavered at the sight of the scar on Sasha’s face. The scar caused by HER.

The night worsened when Toad Tower suddenly exploded, and it all went tumbling down – including Sasha.

“Anne!”

“Sasha!”

Anne darted over and threw herself at the edge, managing to catch her (now former?) friend’s hand.

“I gotchu, Sash! You’re gonna be okay!”

Despite having help from the Plantars, she was slipping, but she kept her grip firm. For the first time, Anne saw true fear in Sasha‘ s eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey, look at me, look at me! Everything’s gonna be totally fine! Just. Hang. On!”

CRACK!

They continued to tip over, but Anne refused to give up. Their friendship may be broken, but that didn’t mean it had to die – literally. With her eyes squeezed shut, Anne fought to hold on, but a small voice caught her attention.

“Hey, Anne?”

Brown eyes met tearful blues ones.

“Maybe you’re better off without me.”

As her mind processed the words, her grip faltered, and Sasha let go.

“NO!”

Anne helplessly watched her friend’s eyes close as she accepted her fate. The blonde fell further towards the ground until a painful thud–

Anne jolted straight up, gasping for air. Tears blurred her vision as she tried to focus on something to keep her grounded, but despite the lit room, images from that battle swirled in her mind. At that moment, she forgot what was real and what was fake. Instinctively, she reached for her phone and scrolled to her contacts.

She needed to hear her voice – to hear that she was okay.

Looking through her phone was difficult with shaky hands, but luckily she found the number. Anne pressed the call button, put the device to her ear, then held her breath.

It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

“Hey, sorry I can’t answer right now. Probably doing something awesome! Drop a message and I might call back! No promises. Bye!”

She mentally facepalmed. Of course the call didn’t work, there’s no service in Amphibia. At least she heard her voice, but it wasn’t the comfort she wanted. Disappointed, Anne lowered the phone to her lap. Wiping away the tears, her eyes focused on the contact picture of a smiling Sasha.

Absorbed in her thoughts, she failed to hear the door opening to a cheerful Marcy Wu.

“Oh, Anne! You’re awake! You’re never up this early–“ Noticing her friend’s state, Marcy’s smile dimmed, and she slowly approached her. “Anne? Are you okay?”

“She’s alive, right?” she asked so quietly that Marcy almost missed it.

Confused, Marcy furrowed her brows until she glanced at the screen on Anne’s phone. She eased herself next to Anne and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Yes. Grime caught her, remember?” she said softly.

Sniffing, Anne looked at her then back at the phone, nodding. “Right, he did. . .”

“What’s wrong?” Marcy asked.

“Nothing . . . just a bad dream is all,” she tried to brush off.

Marcy frowned. “Do you want to talk about it?”

A beat of silence, then Anne sighed. “It was the battle of Toad Tower. I was fighting Sasha. Everything was the same. The battle, the explosion, the fall . . . I caught her, but when she let go, she just kept falling. And I was expecting Grime or something to happen that she’ll survive it, but no. I watched her fall all the way until– until she . . .”

Anne’s breath hitched as tears welled up in her eyes, unable to say it because if she said it, it'd feel real even though it wasn’t. Frog, she hoped it wasn’t, she hadn’t seen her since that day.

“Hey, it was only a dream. She’s alive and I’m sure she’s okay,” Marcy reassured, breaking Anne from her thoughts. “You know Sasha. She’s as tough as nails, and you’ve seen her get saved. You’ll see her again. We both will.”

Anne slid her hand into Marcy’s and squeezed it. “You’re right.” She then rubbed her eyes and looked at her friend. “Sorry to ruin your morning, heh. Thanks for the talk though,” she said with a sad chuckle.

Marcy softly smiled at her. “It’s alright. I’m always here for you.”

Anne smiled then hugged her. They stayed in each other's arms for a minute until Anne pulled away with a yawn.

“What time is it anyway?” she wondered, then checked her phone to see it was 8 AM.

Marcy giggled then nudged their shoulders. “Do you want to sleep some more or would you rather do something?”

Anne glanced down at her hands and fiddled them. “As much as I want to sleep in, I could really use a distraction. I don’t want to relive that if I can help it,” she said sheepishly.

“No worries, I understand. Want to get breakfast? We can figure out the rest later,” Marcy suggested.

“Sounds good. Let me get dressed.”

After 10 minutes, the two headed down to the kitchen. All the while, Anne tried her best to not think about Sasha.

About an hour later, surrounded by empty plates, the girls were discussing their day’s agenda.

“So Mar-Mar, whatcha got for today?” Anne asked with a teasing yet curious tone.

“Oh, nothing much. Just a few tasks here and there that the townspeople need help with,” Marcy said dismissively. “What about you?”

Anne shrugged. “I don’t know. If you’re busy, I don’t want to drag you down. I can just hang with the P–“ she stopped herself, remembering yesterday’s events. “I mean, just roam around. I’m sure I can find something.”

Anne hoped that convinced Marcy that she was fine, but ever the observant, it did not. Marcy looked at her in sympathy.

“You won’t drag me down Anne. I’ll be happy to have you as company anytime. And if you don’t want to do something, let me know.”

“I will. Thanks, Marcy,” Anne said with a small smile, which Marcy returned. Anne then took her drink, gulped it down, slammed it on the table, then looked at Marcy with a smirk. “So, what’s the first task, Master Marcy?” she teased.

The girl’s face lit up, and she wiped out a list from her pocket. “Let’s see . . .”

For the majority of the day, Anne and Marcy walked around Newtopia, completing the assignments as well as stopping by houses and shops seeing that there was no harm in the extra work, in which they happily assisted whoever needed it. With the main tasks done, they now strolled through the streets, sipping on sparkling water that someone offered them for free after they helped fix the stand.

“Man, this stuff is actually good. Who knew they had sparkling water?”  Anne said, examining the cup.

“Well they are surrounded by water, and given the rich resources here, it makes sense why Newtopia would have it where no one else would,” Marcy stated.

Anne grinned at her then looked back at the drink in hand and frowned. ‘Sprig would’ve loved this,’ she thought.

“Anne?”

Startled, said girl looked up to see a worried Marcy.

“Are you okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I’m good! Just thinking . . .” Anne replied, glancing away. “You, uh, don’t happen to know what the Plantars are up to, do you?”

Marcy frowned and gazed at her feet. “No, I’m sorry. Would you like to see them?” she asked, lifting her eyes to see the Thai girl’s response.

Anne shrugged. “Nah, it’s okay. I was just curious . . . but maybe later?”

Marcy nodded with a small grin. “Sure. Well, in the meantime, is there–“

A scream cut her off.

“THIEF!”

The girls glanced at another with concerned expressions before bolting towards the sound. Right when they rounded a corner, a body slammed into them, knocking them to the ground.

“Ow, hey!” exclaimed Anne, rubbing her head.

Unfortunately for them, blackness (from both a cloak and from the hit to the heads) swarmed their vision long enough for the mysterious figure to leave the scene.

“Oh, dear. Are you two alright?” a (newt) woman asked, kneeling beside Marcy to help her up.

“I think so. What’s going on?” Marcy asked, standing up.

“He robbed my jewelry store!” the shop owner cried.

“Don’t worry, ma’am, we’re on it!” Anne said firmly, getting up and sprinting in the direction the thief went.

“Anne, wait!” Marcy yelled, but she fell on deaf ears. She sighed and shook her head, but a tiny smile curved on her lips. “Always jumping to action . . .”

Exiting an alleyway, Anne skidded to a stop when a crowd appeared before her. Grunting, she narrowed her eyes and scanned around. She was about to give up hope until she saw a dark cloak disappearing behind a building. With no time to lose, Anne chased after, apologizing to the civilians as she maneuvered around them. Finally reaching her destination, she halted to see the thief facing a brick wall. Smirking, Anne stood her ground, blocking the one way out.

“Trying to leave so soon?” she taunted.

The thief bared his teeth and glanced over his shoulder, his face hidden in the shadows.

“What’s it to you, creature?” he snarled in a deep voice.

“You have something that doesn’t belong to you.”

“Do I?”

Anne opened her mouth to retort, but quickly ducked when he swung for her head. Rolling to the side, she glanced up to see him holding a knife at her. Now in the light, Anne got a better look at the newt. From head to toe, he was covered in dark robes (with a hood), gloves, and boots. Only around the eyes that Anne saw the orange of his skin. The last thing she noticed was his belt that held a few knives as well as a small bag that Anne could merely assume was the stolen jewelry.

“Try and get it,” he challenged with a smirk, and whipped out another knife.

The two quickly fell into a messy dance of the thief pressing the attack while Anne continued to doge. Once Anne put enough distance between them, she reached back for her racket–

Her hand froze. ‘Oh, right. It’s broken . . .’ she mentally chastised herself.

Watching the panic on her face, the thief laughed. “What’s wrong, creature? Forgot something?”

Gritting her teeth, Anne briefly looked around for anything that could help. Unfortunately, they were mostly surrounded by trash with a few trash cans here and there. Her eyes landed on a lid, which wasn’t much, but it’ll have to do.

Sidestepping to her left, then ducking into a roll to her right, Anne landed beside the item and grabbed the handle. She managed to lift it up in time to meet two blades poking through. They struggled for a second until the newt spun, swinging his tail at her legs, knocking her backwards.

Shaking her head, Anne glanced up to see him about to take the kill. Her hand tightened the handle. He plunged his knives downwards, but Anne met him halfway, thrusting the trash lid across and hitting the knives out of his hands. The newt watched his weapons skid  across the ground. With his attention diverted, Anne shoved the trash lid like a shield into him, forcing him to the ground.

“Give up,” she demanded, holding the trash lid at his face.

“Hmm, maybe some other time,” he remarked with a sly grin.

Confused, Anne’s guard lowered, and she failed to react in time when the newt grabbed the trash lid, pulled it aside, and slashed at her hand with a new knife, making her release the one defense she had. In the same momentum, the newt kicked her in the abdomen, flying her into a wall.

Coughing for air, Anne cradled her bleeding hand to her chest. Once she managed to breathe normally again, she glared up at the newt, who sauntered towards her, spinning the blade in his hand.

“You put up a good fight, I’ll give ya that. Sadly, our roads end here, creature,” the thief said, placing the blade against her neck.

Anne squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the slice, but a loud caw followed by a voice interrupted them.

“Halt in the name of the king!”

“What–“

They stared up to see a large armored sparrow blocking the sun. In one swift motion, a person jumped towards them, and as she did, she aimed her crossbow and knocked the knife out of the newt’s hand, forcing him to backpedal. She then landed in between Anne and the thief then aimed her weapon at his face. Anne couldn’t stop the smile that appeared in relief to see her best friend, and in perfect timing too. The newt’s eyes briskly looked for an escape, but to his dissatisfaction, Newtopian guards surrounded the place.

“I wouldn’t try anything if I were you,” Marcy warned.

The thief grumbled then raised his hands in surrender. Two guards handcuffed him, and while they did, Marcy snatched the bag from his belt, pocketed it, then nodded at the guards. She then kneeled next to Anne, her confident expression fading into concern.

“Anne, your hand! Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?” Marcy fervently asked, checking her friend for any more damage.

Anne shook her head. “No. Got the air kicked out of me for a bit, but I’m fine,” she said lightly.

Marcy hummed, but she still wanted to confirm it herself. After seeing that Anne was right, she pulled out a mini first aid kit from her bag.

“Okay. I’m going to clean and bandage your hand until we get it to the hospital,” she said, leaving no room for arguing as she began.

Anne smiled at Marcy’s solicitude and calmly watched her heal her hand. She flinched a few times, which Marcy deeply apologized for, but Anne brushed it aside with reassurance.

“Alright, all done,” Marcy said, finishing the final wrap.

“Thanks, Marce,” Anne said, retracting her hand to her chest.

Marcy smiled and stood up, offering her a hand. “Come on. We got one last stop.”

After returning the jewelry to the shop, the girls decided to treat themselves with ice cream and sit at a fountain. They filled an hour with laughter as they retold their side of today's events.

“It sucked though, I completely forgot I didn’t have my racket until I reached for it on instinct to remember it’s gone,” Anne said sadly.

“Yet you still managed to put up a good fight,” Marcy cheered.

“Heh, yeah I did!” Anne exclaimed with a bright grin, which Marcy matched.

“Hey, if you want, I can help fix it,” Marcy offered.

“Thanks Marcy. I might take you up on that,” Anne replied.

Marcy nodded. “Just let me know when, and I’ll get right to work!”

Anne laughed then gazed at the horizon, and for a moment, everything was peaceful. To her disappointment, the peace was cut when night began to fall, and the girls decided to return to the castle.

When they landed at the entrance, they were greeted by Lady Olivia. Knowing what to do, Anne joined Marcy in a bow.

“Lady Olivia,” said Marcy.

“Master Marcy. Anne. Glad to see you both alive and well,” Lady Olivia said politely, noticing the bandage hand.

Anne sheepishly grinned, while Marcy nodded in gratitude.

“I also wanted to thank you for capturing that thief the guards brought in earlier. He’s been a thorn in the city for quite some time now, stealing from every shop he can. He somehow always managed to slip away from us. Though, I see he didn’t stand a chance against you two. A good well done,” she complimented.

Marcy and Anne shared a smile with each other, then faced her with another bow.

“Thank you,” they said.

“Mm. Now get some rest, as I have also been informed that you two have completed other tasks and helped around the city. Much gratitude to you both,” she said, then turned to leave.

“Lady Olivia?”

The newt turned around to see a shy Anne.

“Um, do you know what the Plantars are doing right now?” she asked.

Lady Olivia frowned. “I’m sorry, I’m afraid not. Last I knew they went out and have yet to return.

Disappointment struck, but Anne smiled to hide it. “Oh okay. Can you let me know when they do, please?”

The newt softly smiled and gave a small nod. “Of course.” Then she left.

Once she was out of sight, Anne’s smile dropped and her shoulders sagged. Marcy placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sure they’re okay,” Marcy tried to comfort her.

“Yeah, they can handle themselves. I just don’t want this to turn into whatever happened between Sasha and I . . . I can never live with myself if we’re on bad terms forever,” Anne expressed.

Marcy knew she meant the Plantars, but she could tell that Anne held that same feeling for Sasha.

“Hey, don’t stress over it too much. You guys have been through a lot together. When the time comes, you all can work it out, and everything will be fine,” Marcy reassured her.

Anne let out a playful scoff. “Yeah. You’re right. You always are,” she said, smiling at her. She then entwined their hands. “Want to raid the kitchen?”

“Didn’t we just have ice cream?” Marcy teased, raising a brow.

“Yeah, but I’m still hungry from all that fighting and stuff. Besides, do you have any idea how close to home some of Newtopia’s food is? Don’t get me wrong, I love Warwood’s food, but it’s still a taste to get used to,” Anne reasoned.

Marcy laughed. “Sure, whatever you say,” she joked, then led them to the kitchen.

Even though the girls had a good day overall, Anne had yet to hear from Lady Olivia, and that bugged her all evening.

It was nearing midnight, and the girls were getting ready for bed. Anne was in the bathroom brushing her teeth while Marcy was checking on her plants. Suddenly, there was knocking on the door, and Marcy went to open it. Expecting Lady Olivia, Marcy was surprised to be wronged.

Standing in her doorway were the Plantars.

“Good evening, Marcy. We’re sorry if we woke you or anything,” Hop Pop said sincerely.

“Hey, Plantars. You didn’t, don’t worry,” Marcy greeted happily.

Hop Pop nodded. Sprig, on the other hand, was peering around the room.

“I-is Anne here? We would like to talk to her,” he asked shyly.

Marcy glanced over her shoulder towards the bathroom then back at the frogs and nodded.

“She’s in the bathroom and will be out soon. You’re welcome to come in,” she offered, stepping aside.

Right when they entered, Anne walked into the room with a concentrated face and hands on her hips.

“Hey, Mars, have you seen my phone? I can’t find–“ she halted when her eyes landed on the Plantars.

“Hey, Anne,” Sprig said, giving an awkward wave.

“I’m going to talk to Lady Olivia. Oh by the way, it’s on the bed somewhere under the pillows,” Marcy said, then exited the room.

Once the door closed, silence filled the room, neither knowing who should start.

“Guys, I’m sorry–“

“We’re sorry–“

Sprig and Anne said in sync. Unable to resist, they burst out laughing. After their laughter faded, they looked at each other with solemn expressions.

“Anne, I’m really sorry. I should’ve known better than to use your racket. I know it means a lot to you, but I didn’t know how much after Marcy told us about it,” Sprig said, avoiding her gaze.

“Yeah. I shouldn’t have continued to use it. I’m really sorry too,” Polly added.

Anne sighed. “You guys aren’t the only ones at fault. It was wrong of me to lose my temper so badly. To be honest, I still have some built up feelings from Toad Tower, but I didn’t think much of it until I saw the racket broken, and I guess I just wanted an excuse to let out my anger, but it shouldn’t have been you guys. I could’ve handled that situation better. I’m sorry for ever making you think I didn’t want to be with any of you anymore. I really love this family,” Anne said, letting out a small laugh.

The Plantars smiled, tears welling in their eyes.

“And we would love to keep you in it,” Hop Pop said.

“Aww, c’mere!”

Anne kneeled with her arms stretched out, and they hopped into the embrace. Anne let herself relax as she held her family close, especially knowing that it was all forgiven.

“Oh, I almost forgot. We made you something,” Sprig said, pulling away and reaching behind him for an object that Anne failed to notice that he brought.

Unwrapping the gift, Anne gasped. Built with smooth oak wood, strings, and a leather handle was a tennis racket. Near the handle on the strings was the same little smiley face pin that Marcy got her the same time Sasha bought her racket. Tears formed in the Thai girl’s eyes as she caressed the racket.

“I know it’s not the original, but I thought that you should have something that’ll remind you of us. In the meantime until you get it fixed,” Sprig said timidly.

“I love it! Thank you so much!” Anne exclaimed, and pulled them into another hug.

She wished they could like this forever, but sadly, they couldn’t. Pulling away, Hop Pop was the first to break the moment.

“Alright, kids, we should probably head to bed. It’s been a long week, and I think we all need to reset,” he insisted.

“Aww, okay Hop Pop.”

“Buzzkill,” said Polly.

Anne giggled. “Goodnight, guys. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Sure thing!” Sprig responded excitedly.

Hop Pop nodded. “Just let us know. Goodnight, Anne.”

They waved each other goodbye then left the room. Now alone, Anne stared down at the new racket. She was grateful for the gift, really, but a part of her felt like she betrayed Sasha even though she did it first. It’s as if she chose this racket, then the friendship would officially be over. Anne knew it would be better for her to leave the toxicity, but she couldn’t bring herself to be okay leaving Sasha behind – at least for right now.

Anne broke from her thoughts when the sound of the door opened. She looked up to see Marcy peeking inside. Anne smiled and motioned for her to enter. When she did, her eyes widened at the object in Anne’s hands.

“Is that . . . ?”

“A tennis racket? Yeah. The Plantars made it. They even saved your pin,” Anne answered, staring back at it in adoration.

Marcy’s face contorted into both happiness and sympathy. She sat next to Anne, examined the racket. They sat in silence until Anne spoke again.

“This be a dumb question, but do you think I’m replacing her friendship with this?” she asked quietly.

Marcy frowned and gazed at the racket in thought. “No.”

Anne looked at her, baffled, but waited for her to continue.

“I don’t think you are. If anything, this shows that you have grown in your relationships with others and in yourself. It might hurt Sasha if she sees it, but she has to learn to understand people’s perspectives. Besides, I think the main question is, do you want to throw Sasha away?”

Anne pondered for a second. Sasha and her may have had a fallout, but now that she thought about it, she couldn’t see her life without Sasha (nor Marcy).

“No,” she said confidently.

“Then like mine earlier, that’s your answer,” Marcy stated with a smile.

Anne whipped off the tears and grinned at her best friend.

“Thank you Marcy. I’m sorry you had to deal with all this drama, but I appreciate you staying by my side,” Anne said sincerely.

“Anytime, Anna-banana.”

”Kinda random– I know that they gave me a new one, but if your offer still stands, I would like to fix the old one. While there are bad memories with it, there’s also good ones, and I would like one of it to be with you.”

”Aww, Anne! Of course it still stands!” Marcy exclaimed, laughing.

Beaming, Anne brought her into a hug. They remained there for a minute until they grew tired and decided to go to sleep. While Marcy climbed into the bed, Anne gently set her new racket by her old one and lingered on the original, and her mind wandered to Sasha. More questions arose while she still had unanswered ones. Anne was still unsure if she liked Sasha or not. The urge to save the friendship was mainly on her mind, but she couldn’t tell if that was because they were friends or if it was something deeper . . .

Her eyes shifted to her new racket and a smile appeared on her lips. At least there was one thing she knew for sure – she didn’t regret making this new friendship.

Chapter Text

It’s been a couple weeks since Sasha and Grime officially vowed to help and protect Wartwood.

They were currently evacuating the town, seeing as Andrias was persistent to destroy and conquer everything in Amphibia, hence Grime’s order to move everyone into the Plantar’s secret passage. Grime and Sasha stumbled upon it one day when he accidentally broke a picture and tried to fix it. After checking the place out and deeming it livable (with some modifications), they decided to make it their hideout and the soon-to-be Resistance Headquarters.

While Grime busied himself with the frogs, Sasha made it her solo mission to salvage whatever she could in the Plantar’s house, on slim hope that they would return and would want some kind of remembrance of their torn house. The Plantar’s stuff weren’t difficult to pack given that the frogs’ rooms consisted of books, maps, slingshots, weird stick dolls, a bucket, or other junk that she assumed was valuable to them.

As she exited Hop Pop’s study room, Grime entered the house.

“Are you about finished?” he asked.

“Almost. Got the basement left. Would you be a kind soul and take these to a room?” she requested teasingly.

Grime glared but relented nonetheless and picked up the boxes with ease.

“Thanks, Grimesy!” Sasha said genuinely.

Grime grumbled. “Just meet back at town hall when you’re done.” He then descended into the tunnel.

Sasha rolled her eyes. “Definitely a softie,” she scoffed lightly, then headed downstairs.

Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she glanced around at the mess of Anne Boonchuy. For a crummy basement, it’s clear how much the Plantars considered Anne as one of their own by the makeshift bed and decorations, along with her earthly things scattered around.

‘How much stuff could she fit in that backpack?’ Sasha wondered, then began packing.

A few minutes later, the room looked less lived in as Sasha finished. With a sigh, she lifted the box and started to head up when something caught her peripheral vision. Walking over to the heater, she set the box on the floor, then moved the large leaves away.

Her breath hitched as her widened eyes stared at the object.

It was Anne’s tennis racket that she gifted her years ago. To her dismay, the item was horribly damaged . . . still.

Sasha remembered when Anne told her, but she assumed she had it fixed by now. Without warning, an unwanted memory surfaced to her mind.

Out of all the ways Sasha pictured her second reunion with Anne, she didn’t imagine having to save her and that (stupid) frog family in the Third Temple.

From the spy’s information, Anne and Marcy were at a volcano, to Sasha’s bafflement. Her confusion was answered when bright scribbles appeared on the arc entrance, then the robot lifted the wall, and the others headed inside. With the robot’s attention on the group’s pet bird, Sasha and Grime snuck past and followed them.

“This is just sad to watch,” Grime whispered.

Sticking to the shadows in the tunnel, the duo watched Marcy and Anne struggle to lift the mallets and to defend themselves and the useless frogs against lava monsters while crossing a narrow pathway.

Sasha didn’t get why Marcy handed a mallet to the pollywog, who was dried up and too weak to hold it, then even tried to carry one (another fail). Props to her for trying though. Anne, on the other hand, managed to get a couple good swings, but couldn’t keep up the strength.

While Anne was in the lead, Marcy (who dragged the weapon instead) and the frogs were a few feet behind when a monster burst up from the side. Screams echoed as Marcy attempted to pick up the mallet.

“Guys, no!” Anne yelled in helplessness.

Seemed like now was the best time to intervene.

“Watch my back, I’m going in,” she said, then rushed out before Grime could respond.

Unsheathing her sword, she launched into the air and vertically sliced up the beast as it towered over the four. She landed into a dramatic crouch, then glanced up. Everyone gasped in disbelief and slight fear, except Marcy, who was thrilled to see her.

“Sash! Oh, my gosh! I can’t believe–”

“There’s no time! Follow me!” she ordered, running ahead and snagging the mallet from Marcy with ease.

Not bothering to see if they did, Sasha continued to smash and slice her way through until she reached the double doors. Once the doors shut and no danger was in sight, the group took a break to breathe. Meanwhile, Sasha (who was so ever athletic) stood tall with steady breaths, casually spun the mallet and slammed it to the ground. That seemed to snap some awareness into the others.

Sasha swore she heard her name whispered angrily, but she refused to match that attitude. As much as she wanted to scold her friends for working together without her, she knew that would only drive them away. Inhaling, Sasha spun around with the fakest smile and girliest voice she could muster and acted how she used to on Earth.

“Hey, girlfriend! Good to see you!” Sasha exclaimed.

“You . . . too . . .?” Anne awkwardly replied, but unmoving.

“Ah! Sasha, Sasha, Sasha, Sasha!” Marcy screamed, running past her towards said girl.

“Hey, Mar Mar!” Sasha said, giggling.

The two briefly hugged, and Sasha didn’t realize how much she missed hugging another human, considering the last time she did was with . . . her.

“Whoa, check out your new threads,” complimented Sasha as she examined Marcy.

The Taiwanese girl definitely played her way through Amphibia (like one of those nerdy games she didn’t care to remember), and quite well. Sasha especially loved the crossbow attached to her arm. Glancing past her shoulder, without commenting, she noticed that Anne acquired a golden chest plate but nothing more. For anyone else, Sasha would’ve judged their outfit/armor choice, but for Anne, it suited her perfectly. Sensing a blush rising, Sasha refocused on the Marcy to quell it.

“Speak for yourself! Look at that armor!” Marcy gushed, messing with Sasha’s shoulder pad. “How did you even find us?”

Sasha waved a hand. “Simple. We heard you two were traveling together and tracked you both here,” she said plainly.

“Did you say ‘we?’” asked the Thai girl.

Just then, the doors behind them burst open, and the group turned around to see Grime menacing cackling with a dead bug on his sword.

“Even in this state, those things were no match for me,” he wheezed, appearing dehydrated as the Plantars.

Anne and her frog family instantly went defensive, Sasha laid a hand on her shoulder, which to her luck, calmed her.

“Whoa! Cancel the red alert!” she laughed, walking past them and stopping next to Grime. “Seriously, we’re not here to fight.”

“Oh, no?” Sprig remarked with clenched fists. Oh how she wanted to punch his little face.

“Nope,” replied Sasha, narrowing her eyes. “The whole reason we were stalking you was . . . so I could tell Anne that everything that happened at Toad Tower was my fault,” she said sincerely, then looked at her.

Completely off guard, the girl stared dubiously as her eyes searched for lies.

“Really?” she asked, almost hopeful.

Sasha wanted to pull her into a hug and really apologize for everything and for what’s to come, but she merely stepped closer. After the events at Toad Tower, Anne clearly gained more confidence and wouldn’t blindly run into the blonde’s arms when knowing better. Sasha would be proud of how far she’s come if they were in a different circumstance.

“Yup. It was wrong of me to put your frog friends in danger. And doubly wrong of me to push you around.”

“Oh. Huh . . . wasn’t expecting that,” Anne mumbled, lowering her weapon.

Sasha gazed at it questionably. Didn’t she have some other weapon like that sword she fought with? Why would Anne go into a volcano with something wooden? Wait, the more Sasha looked at it, it almost resembled a tennis racket. And she was sure that was the same pin Marcy added. Her brows furrowed in puzzlement.

“Whatcha got there?” Sasha asked, gesturing to it. Anne appeared like a deer in front of headlights.

“What? Oh! Um, it’s a tennis racket Sprig made for me,” Anne answered, clutching the item close to her chest.

Are you kidding her? That twerp made that for Anne? Why?

Sasha’s gaze narrowed. “What happened to your actual one?”

Anne bit her lip and gripped the handle tighter. “It’s . . . broken,” she said weakly, bowering her head in fear of Sasha’s reaction.

But Sasha stood frozen as she stared at the object, mixed emotions swirling inside of her. She got that Anne was done being controlled by her, but Sasha didn’t think she’d get rid of the only gift she bestowed her out of pure endearment for once in her selfish life.

Hearing that it broke felt as if her heart broke with it.

“How?” Sasha asked quietly.

“Um . . . accidentally damaged it while fighting monsters,” said Anne lamely.

“Seriously? It’ll survive a sword fight, but not some beast?” Sasha retorted with a raised brow.

“They were tougher than I thought,” Anne replied meekly.

Sasha’s face knitted in suspicion. She knew Anne for most of her life, hence picking up signs when she lies – like right now. Something else had happened, but the Thai girl wasn’t willing to share, which Sasha found extremely strange and unlike her. She was the one who gave her the racket, didn’t she at least deserve a truthful explanation of its tragedy?

She opened her mouth to interrogate further, but another voice spoke.

“Forgive me for being skeptical, but why the change of heart?” the old frog asked.

Sasha looked at him, who glowered back.

“After Toad Tower, Sasha and I lost everything,” Grime simply answered, and Sasha downcast her gaze.

“We had to go into hiding, and I’ve had a lot of time to think about things,” she said solemnly, then switched subjects, unable to handle emotional conversations about herself. “But, uh, what are you guys doing in a honking volcano?”

Marcy then happily explained about the music box and the temples.

“This is the third temple.”

Sasha’s eyes widened at the possibility. “No way! You mean we can almost go home?”

“Yep,” Anne answered, but her face didn’t seem as optimistic as her voice.

“Each temple has a theme, and this one appears to be strength,” Marcy analyzed.

“Then it’s a good thing I showed up,” Sasha playfully bragged.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sprig exclaimed.

“It means you three are just gonna slow us down. Go wait outside until we’re done,” Sasha ordered requested.

“Hey, you can’t tell them what to do,” Anne remarked.

Sasha stared at her, slightly dumbfounded. She understood that these frogs meant a lot to the girl, but she shouldn’t let feelings cloud logic. Although, this was Anne was talking about – the least logical person between her and Marcy.

A large part of Sasha wanted to argue, but the other –smarter– part knew to remain calm. She needed Anne to know that she’s changed and wasn’t here to fight.

“Okay, fine. It was just a suggestion,” Sasha replied lightly., then started forward. “Now come on, let’s move.”

She could prove herself to Anne. Not because she had to, but she wanted to as well. If she lost Anne forever, Sasha didn’t think that was a life worth living without.

After walking through some hallways and completing the second trial (which Sasha single-handedly accomplished), they finally arrived at the third and last trial.

Yet during those times, Sasha felt the menacing glares from the frogs and Anne at her back. She wasn’t dumb to not notice, but she merely rolled her eyes and ignored them, despite the little needles stabbing her heart. She could care less if the frogs didn’t trust her, but Anne? That was harder to ignore, and it stung more than she cared to admit.

What messed with her head the most was that stupid wooden racket that Anne not-so-smartly brought into a fiery place. She thought Anne loved that racket. So why did she get rid of it like it was nothing? Like she was nothing?

Hopefully, they’d make amends, and Anne would tell her the truth. That is, if they survived this thing.

“Alright, this should be the final room,” Marcy proclaimed.

The doors shut behind them, and they turned to see writing appear.

“‘You’ve definitely got skill, no doubt. But it’s time you learned what strengths is all about.’”

The ground rumbled, and suddenly, a huge, rock, toad-shaped wrestler appeared on the ring. Grinning wickedly, it taunted them. Sasha stepped in front of the group.

“Stay back everyone. I got this,” she said with a smirking, pulling out her sword.

The wrestler growled, and they were abruptly forced onto their hands and knees.

“That thing has somehow increased the room’s gravitational force,” Marcy observed.

“I– I can’t get up!” the twerp wheezed. Less of a problem for her.

“Just sit tight. Us humans will handle this,” Anne said, then the trio slowly marched towards the wrestler.

The wrestler guffawed then dug into the ground and pulled out boulders and rolled them at the girls like bowling pins. Anne and Sasha managed to dodge to the sides, but Marcy couldn’t move. Hearing her screams, Sasha leaped for her, getting her to safety just in time. The two landed by Anne – Sasha protectively on top of Marcy.

“Thanks, Sasha,” she said. Sasha smiled at her.

“No problem.”

She then got back to her feet, and waited for Marcy, but the girl struggled to do a push-up and fell stuck to the ground.

“The gravity’s too much. I can’t move.”

“Don’t worry. Leave this to us,” Sasha said confidently.

She and Anne walked further into the ring. Sweat dripped from their faces due to the heat and the resistance to the gravity.

“Who would’ve thought? Us working together . . . after everything that’s happened,” Anne said bitterly.

The blonde glanced at a mad Anne.

“Yeah. Unbelievable,” Sasha replied, matching her tone. “Especially since you still don’t trust me, even after I apologized.”

Anne’s brows rose. “What?”

Right then, the wrestler jumped up and down, causing stalactites to fall. The two dove to opposite sides as one hit where they were. Great, now they had an actual barrier between them with the mental one – how symbolic.

“What do you mean? I trust you,” Anne retorted. Sasha scoffed.

“Oh, please. I’ve been watching you this whole time.” She dove again, barely missed from being crushed, then refocused on Anne. “You don’t trust me at all.”

Anne shot her a weird look and yelled, “Well, can you blame me? Why would I trust you? You’ve been pushing me around my whole life!”

“I know, and I’m sorry!” Sasha cried earnestly.

“You haven’t been acting like it,” Anne growled.

“Ironic coming from the liar.”

“What does that mean?”

More rocks crashed, but their shouting was louder.

“It means that you won’t even tell me the truth about your racket!”

“Why on earth does that matter?”

“I– never mind that! What actually happened?”

“I told you, it broke!”

“Stop lying!”

“Why do you care? It’s just a stupid racket!” Anne immediately gasped and covered her mouth, shocked at her own words.

The blonde faltered and blinked at her, eyes shimmering with unshed tears. A stalactite crashed next to her, but she didn’t care. She honestly wished it crashed on her instead.

“If it’s so stupid, then why lie about it?” Sasha pleaded, but her voice dripped with venom.

“Sash, no– I didn’t mean it like that–”

A roar interrupted her, and both girls whirled their heads to see the wrestler throwing down its fists to the floor, forcing the girls off balance. Anne stumbled onto her back and grunted at the impact.

A crack was then heard from above.

She looked up and gasped when a rock hurled down towards her. She screamed and closed her eyes, embracing for the hit, but instead of pain, hands wrapped around her, and she was once again thrown backwards. Anne opened her eyes to see Sasha gasping and towering over her, expressing anger and concern, but Anne saw the hurt behind her tough act.

“Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I bought you it because I love you and hate seeing you miserable?” Sasha uttered.

Anne stared agape. “What?”

Realization loomed over Sasha, and pink colored her cheeks. She stammered to backtrack, but a large fist collided with her side, throwing her into the air.

“Sash!”

But her cry was muffled to the blonde. Air left her lungs as Sasha skidded hard on the floor, her body aching everywhere. She tried to move, but the world swayed, causing her to stay grounded.

Was it her or did the atmosphere get heavier?

Screams filled her ears, and Sasha fervently blinked away the white dots. She fought to get up, but gravity kept winning. She barely lifted her head to see the wrestler holding Anne firmly in its grip. A strange feeling ignited inside her as red swarmed her vision.

The day they met, she vowed to protect her friends no matter what. She has yet wavered from that promise and refused to let today be the first, despite the arguing seconds ago.

Gritting her teeth, she rapidly tore off her shoulder pad (with the cape) and her boots. Feeling lighter, Sasha unsheathed her sword, scraping it on the floor, and rushed at the wrestler.

“Let. Her. Go!” she yelled.

The wrestler turned just as Sasha slashed at its leg. It howled as it was forced to its knees. It seethed at Sasha, who was already sprinting towards it again. The wrestler slammed the ground to make her stumble, but to its surprise, Sasha used the momentum to leap into the air. With a flip, Sasha swung her sword and sliced down from its head to its body.

A crate formed around her as she landed into a crouch. The wrestler then smiled and gave her a thumbs up before exploding. Thankfully, the gravity returned to normal, and Sasha could functionally breathe.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t take a break when she saw Anne falling from the sky. Sasha briskly positioned herself underneath her. She almost doubled over at the catch as Anne clung to her neck, but she regained her balance. After securing Anne in her arms (bridal style), Sasha examined her.

“Are you okay?”

Anne blinked, calmed her breathing, then met patient and worried eyes. She hesitantly nodded.

“Y-yeah. I’m good. Thanks.”

Sasha smiled, in which Anne returned. For a moment, everything felt right – holding her in her arms, soft eyes meeting hers, and a little but genuine smile. Sasha’s gaze unconsciously flickered to her lips, and something tugged at her to close the space.

To her (internal) protest, Anne (fake) coughed, snapping her to reality.

“Uh, can you put me down?” she requested.

“Hm? Oh! Yeah, of course. Sorry,” Sasha stammered, embarrassed, then gently set her on her feet and avoided her baffled stare.

Suddenly, a podium rose in the center of the ring with a small hole in the middle.

“You did it, Sash!” Marcy cheered, approaching them giddily.

As if remembering where they were, Anne frantically reached into her backpack and pulled out the music box.

“Here, go ahead,” she insisted, giving her the gray gem.

Sasha analyzed it wearily then placed it in the hole. The room glowed as a beam of pink light shot from crystal, almost blinding her. She watched in fascination as the beam faded white to a now charged, pink gem. Similar to the trials, ancient writings appeared on the ceiling.

“‘Congrats, brah. You finally know what it takes to go the distance. For what is true strength without persistence?’” Marcy read.

Blue eyes met brown, and the two shared a smile. Anne then held up the box.

“Wanna do the honors?”

Sasha carefully took the box and placed the gem in its respected spot. She thought they were going to test it there, but Marcy suggested taking it to King Andrias to properly use it. Agreeing, she handed the box to Anne, who put it in her bag.

“Look at this! The gang’s back together again!” Marcy declared joyfully, hooking an arm around both of their necks and bringing them close.

They laughed at their favorite nerd, but the moment was short lived when Sasha glimpsed at Anne. A silent message was conveyed – “we need to talk.”

Once they exited the volcano, Sasha and Anne lingered behind as the others hydrated and chit-chatted.

“Hey, I understand if you still don’t trust me, but I really am sorry. For everything. I shouldn’t have gotten angry and forced you to tell me something you’re not comfortable with . . . again. You have every right to hold a grudge,” Sasha said sincerely.

Anne frowned. “I want to say it’s okay even though it wasn’t, but apology accepted. I’m also sorry for not trusting you earlier . . .” –biting her lip– “and for not telling you the full truth. I was afraid that– erm. Okay, promise you won’t get mad?”

Sasha furrowed her brows but nodded. “Promise.”

Anne took in a breath. “We were in Newtopia, and I was teaching the Plantar siblings tennis until Marcy showed up. I left the racket with them, thinking they would continue the game while I hung out with her.”

Sasha’s heart tightened at the image of her friends hanging out without her, but she remained silent.

“We regrouped at the hotel to find out that they accidentally broke it while fighting a mean –and apparently strong– newt. I then blew up at them for breaking it because– um, well, it was a reminder of home, I guess. Anyways, they apologized a few days later and presented me with this.” She held up the makeshift racket. “So, um, yeah, that’s pretty much what happened,” she ended awkwardly, then risked a glance at the girl, expecting rage.

To her surprise, Sasha appeared to stop working, wearing a blank expression. A million questions spiraled inside the blonde’s head, but she only asked one.

“Was it just a reminder of home?”

Her voice was so quiet that Anne almost missed it. The Thai girl paused in thought, then sighed and half-heartedly shrugged.

“No. It . . . reminded me of you too.”

It was as if Anne stole the oxygen from her lungs.

“Was that good or bad?” she asked wearily, already guessing the answer.

“Both to be honest.”

“Oh.”

Not what she guessed, but she’d take it.

“Yeah.”

A beat.

“Did you mean what you said in there? Why you bought me the racket?” Anne asked.

Sasha winced and shrunk into herself a bit.

“. . . yes,” she answered softly. “I don’t expect you to feel the same or give me an answer now, but please believe me, I do care about you, Anne.”

Anne looked at her, stunned, then smiled.

“Thanks. I care about you too, Sash. But I would appreciate it if you gave me some space and respect?” Anne requested.

Sasha nodded. “Of course.”

Anne’s shoulders sagged in gratitude, then fiddled with her hands.

“Sasha, do you think we can maybe start over? Do things right this time?” she asked.

Sasha’s eyes widened at what Anne was asking, then gave a soft smile.

“I’d like that.”

Anne grinned then looked over towards the group.

“I'm going to check on the Plantars. Thanks for the talk."

“Thanks for listening."

Anne gave her two thumbs-up with a dorky smile that made Sasha blush then walked away. Rooted to the spot, Sasha watched her friend chat blissfully with the others as guilt weighed heavy in her chest at what she’ll (and Grime) have to do in the future.

Little did she know how badly her actions affected possibly the last chance of friendship she had.

Water dripped onto her hands and the tennis racket, and Sasha looked up to find the source only to remember that she was in the basement.

In Anne’s room.

She slowly touched her cheek to realize that it was tears. Sniffling, she wiped her face and gazed down at the broken racket. Anne never gave her a real response to her confession, but she made her opinions about Sasha clear that day.

“I’m done listening to you! And I’m done trusting you! You’re a horrible person! And I am done being FRIENDS with you!”

The last two sentences echo loudly in Sasha’s head, sending chills down to the bone. Sasha hadn’t stopped pondering over them since then. She wasn’t a horrible person. No, a horrible person wouldn’t do anything to protect their friends. Wouldn’t sacrifice their social status to keep two dorks around in school. And especially wouldn’t hurt the only two people that ever mattered to them.

No, they wouldn’t.

But after seeing her reflection in her new sword’s blade, Sasha realized that she was in the wrong. All this time, she thought she was protecting her friends from harm, but she ended up being the one hurting them instead.

Oh, if her younger self saw her now, she would flip. If Sasha could travel back in time, she’d shake the living fool out of little Sasha and tell her that everything she believed in and thought was right wasn’t the way to contain earn her best friends’ love.

She learned that lesson the hard way.

But that was the old Sasha. The new one promised to be better. To fight what’s right. To be deserving of friendship and love. Especially hers.

Clutching the racket, Sasha caressed the loose strings. For probably a hundredth time this week, Sasha wished for Anne to be by her side and to mend what she broke.

“I’m so sorry,” she cried, repeating those words.

Over and over and over and over.

Eventually, she had no more tears to spill as her voice became hoarse. She had no idea how much time passed by, but she guessed enough to be considered slacking. With shaky breaths, Sasha rose to her feet. Her legs wobbled, and she steadied a hand against the wall. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing.

In. Out. In. Out.

Feeling composed, Sasha sighed then walked to the box containing Anne’s things. She looked at the racket then placed it in the box and on top of Anne’s journal. The blonde smiled sorrowfully at the two objects – finally seeing the Thai girl’s perspective.

Who would’ve thought that a journal and a broken tennis racket was the closest to comfort and a reminder of home. Not her physical house(s) (or parents for that matter), but of her friends – of Anne Boonchuy.

A tear streamed down her face, and Sasha shook her head.

Picking up the box, she checked the room one last time. It was as empty as her heart. Steeling herself from the anguish and for what’s outside, Sasha headed up the stairs and shut the door.