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Chapter Text

Ymir brushed her blinds out of the way and peered out of her window on the side of her house, staring at the driveway of the house to her left. There were trucks. Four of them lined up in front of it.

Great . Now she’ll keep on getting complaints from her new neighbors about the smell of smoke coming from her room. 

What she also noticed was that the exterior and the backyard of the house were cleaner than before. She could see the cleanliness most when the brick met the white siding. 

Just splendid, she was going to be living next to another rich freak. She peered over to where the two backyards were, a white picket fence separating them. A large contrast. Ymir’s backyard had overgrown grass contained by the fencing and random items that didn’t have anywhere else to go were sprawled out here and there, whilst her new neighbor’s was mostly empty. But the lawn was recently manicured and there were fresh beds of dirt, ready for planting. 

She had observed the moving people bring in large boxes and above-average furniture into the shell of a home. After that house was vacant for so long, she debated on breaking in and using it as a hangout spot. Now that plan was off the table. 

With a sigh, she plopped back onto her bed and thought of all the ways this small event could ruin the entirety of summer break. It just pissed her off seeing the same trope of people come and go while she was stuck here, in this godforsaken small town.

Soon enough, the sun was setting, and it was almost time for Ymir to head to work. It had to be illegal to work this late of a shift. But she needed to make a living somehow—at least enough to survive when she could finally be given the opportunity to move out of her household. 

Tightening the laces on her shoes, she headed out the door. As she was walking down the driveway, she shoved her hands in her pockets to not seem suspicious and became a little too curious, craning her neck back to the house to the point of hurting. Ymir took a little detour and walked back through her backyard gate. 

She managed to find a random chair residing in the yard to step on to give her some leverage. Propelling herself up the picket fence, she took her sweet time examining the nuclear-family-looking backyard. 

Everything seemed so shiny—blinding in comparison. The bushes were trimmed to resemble spheres, and were those..? Guidelines for a pool? First someone was moving in, and next they’re gonna start building a stupid-ass pool? Not to mention, the noise that would transpire the weeks following would be excruciating. 

When Ymir decided that she had enough, she hopped back down onto her overgrown lawn, and stormed off in the direction of her workplace. 

-

Upon arriving back at home, she threw her uniform into the corner of her bedroom, that stupid paper hat the diner forced her to wear went along with it too. Rough day . Fanning herself with her shirt, the humidity wasn’t helping at all, so she cracked open the only window in her room, where it was facing the other house. She sighed at the cooler air and came closer. 

She sat down on her knees and propped her hand up, leaning against the windowsill, using her free hand to fish for the familiar rectangular carton. Amidst her frantic search of the box, her eyes darted up to the house in front of her. Coincidentally, the neighbor's window was also open, which gave the perfect opportunity to sneak a peek; it wouldn’t hurt anyone, she thought. 

Then, she saw it: billowing white lace curtains blew in time with the slight breeze outside, contrasting with the warm summer sunset. Ymir could ever-so-slightly make out a head full of golden locks, her back turned against her. 

She was practically a princess— a rich brat that one would only see in movies, she assumed. Despite having only seen the back of a girl’s head, Ymir decided at that moment that whoever that girl may be, she would absolutely hate her. 

Chapter Text

The days went by quickly, the heat slowly quelled as the seasons were prepared to change, though Ymir has had some sleepless afternoons due to the next-door construction. After she saw that girl in the window, there weren’t any signs of the inhabitants of the house at all. Maybe she slept through whenever they were out. 

What mattered more right now, was that the first day of school would be tomorrow. September fifth. Ymir wasn’t particularly fond of school. She’d say she would be getting by, but with the missing assignments and amount of times she’d get detention racking up as the year progressed, her academic life was to be described as ‘passing’. 

She emptied whatever junk resided in her backpack all over her wooden floor and started cherry-picking what she needed to bring. She ripped the used pages out of her notebook, took a few worn Number 2 pencils and shoved them into the abyss of her backpack. In addition, she took a few loose articles of paper and a ballpoint pen and added it to the mix. There was only so much one would do on the first day of school. 

Ymir sat still for a moment. 

Junior year. 

The year where everything starts to matter—the year where things begin to take shape, and people begin to fit into the mold they were destined to be manipulated into. Fuck the school system , Ymir would quietly mutter to herself as she prepared for school tomorrow. If she had a choice, she wouldn’t attend school, but she so desperately needed a good job for her other motives. 

But there it was again. The jarring noise of the heavy machinery. She covered her ears again and ran to the window, seeing if she could spot anyone besides the workers in the backyard. 

No one . So she shut her curtains and finished her preparations. She popped in her earphones and turned her music player volume to the maximum. Blasting punk rock, she zipped up her bag and threw it aside. 

Besides from her neighbors, summer wasn’t all that bad. 

-

Morning came and she rubbed her eyelids as the sunlight hit them. Looking at her clock, she had two minutes before it went off. With an annoyed sigh, she groggily dragged herself out of her bed and went to her bathroom. 

While brushing her teeth, she went back to her bedroom and searched for her usual attire: a white tank top, a beige plaid flannel over it, and long denim shorts that fit baggily around her waist. She spat out her toothpaste and rinsed her mouth out and then brushed out her unkempt hair, which was then contained in an unkempt ponytail. Looking in the mirror, she carefully traced a light line of liner under her eyes. 

Once outside, Ymir decided to stall her journey to school today by taking the scenic route. It was a path behind her house that led into the woods. It would be more peaceful to clear her head and hopefully stop her impending headache. Dry leaves crunched beneath her feet as she made her way down the barely visible dirt path she had created for herself after living here for so long. 

The shagbark hickory trees slowly transitioned into buildings, and more buildings until Ymir made it to school. Seeing as it was the first day, it was natural that students were scattered about in the front yard. She scanned the hundreds of faces looking for two familiar figures. 

She huffed. This place was already a hellhole, the halls smelling like Axe, loud chatter from people whom she rendered annoying, and most of all, the social hierarchy that took place in such a small school. On this pyramid she drew up in her mind, she didn’t particularly fall in any category for now. She was just this figure that oriented towards the bottom. 

“YMIRRRRRRRR!” A girl with mahogany brown hair waved, jumping up and down from across the grass, distracting her thoughts. She was with a boy slightly shorter than her. Finally , her friends. 

“Yo,” She raised a hand back and made her way to the two.

“How was your summer, Ymir?” She asked, running up to engulf her in a bodyslam of a hug. Seriously, how strong was this girl? Ymir pushed her off in a playful manner. 

“I,” She paused as the two looked in suspense. “Got a job!” 

With starry eyes, they celebrated as Ymir had a smug smirk of pride plastered on her face and put her hands on her hips. 

“Really?” The boy asked. 

“Yeah Connie , I reckon it’s about time you do the same, with your unemployed ass.” 

“Wha-What about Sasha!” He turned to her in a frantic expression.

“I work with my family. At the stables, remember ?” She replied innocently. “Oh, and Ymir, what’s your schedule?” She took a folded paper from her back pocket and showed it to Ymir. In turn, she leaned in to take a closer look. 

“Wait, let me get mine,” She pulled the paper she received from orientation out of her bag, taking a moment. “We have history and P.E. together. Cool.” 

“Yay! Connie has P.E. as well. I’m so excited to finally have some classes together this year! See you!” Sasha waved, and Connie followed suit. 

Then, the two went away to excitedly mention details of their summer to other people. Ymir couldn’t wait to tell them during lunch how these snarky neighbors thought it would be a good idea to work on their pool when she was attempting to sleep in. She couldn’t help but to eavesdrop on a conversation happening next to her. Some ‘higher-caste’ girls were surrounding this new face. 

A freshman? No, preps like Hitch are talking to her, she isn’t one. 

She had blonde hair that looked too perfect at seven in the morning, clutching her purse in one hand, and her schedule paper in the other. Psh, another one of those girls. 

Ymir brushed it off and walked in the other direction, uninterested in whatever conversation they were having with her, and the prying questions that came with it. 

The bell rang, signaling that it was time to head to class. Ymir had math first period. Usually, she’d roll into first period late without a care, but she was already at the building, so why not? Going into the place and walking down the hallway, she switched her gaze between the paper in her hand and the classrooms. Everyone dissolved into their respective classes within the minute. Her sneakers uniformly squeaked with each step against the freshly-cleaned tiles.

“Um, excuse me?” 

Ymir stopped in her tracks and turned. 

“Where can I find room 140?” It was the same girl from earlier. Ymir’s eyes slightly widened and wondered why out of all people, this prim and proper girl had decided to come up to her. She paid no attention to her appearance, not yet at least. Ymir wanted to get out of this awkward situation. 

“Oh yeah? looks like we’re in the same class then. Follow me.” She motioned for her to follow and she did. 

Arriving at the class, they took any seats that were available. For Ymir, she wanted to sit all the way in the back. Unfortunately those seats were obviously taken, so she took a seat somewhere in the middle. Just her luck, this princess sat in the other available seat, right in front of her. 

Math began, and the class went silent when the teacher stood in front of the board and began attendance. Ymir zoned out, awaiting her next class. Once the teacher went over the syllabus, she tried hard not to doze off. 

Once passing period arrived, she sighed a breath of relief now that she won’t be bothered by that girl’s too-perfectness again, and she’ll be with Sasha. It’ll be less of a pain to be in second period, where she can pair up with her for projects or subtly leech off her work. She walked into her next classroom: History. Opening the door, Ymir froze.

Are you kidding me?

That blonde girl from math. What’s worse was that she was talking to Sasha, sitting to the right of her. 

What was her name again? Maybe if I wasn’t so tired I would’ve paid attention. Whatever. Just pick a seat far away from her this time. But I wanna sit next to Sasha. 

Ymir made the painful decision of sliding into the desk beside her friend and ignored the other girl sitting next to her. After class, she went to Gym, which wasn’t anything special, much like the events of today. But she goofed off with the duo, as usual. And she was away from her presence.

She noticed that other students rendered the first day of school as an exciting event, but Ymir didn’t at all. She despised school, and above everything else, hated first days. Of course she wouldn’t show it. More than enough times did her mother leave her at school for hours after dismissal on the first day when she was just in elementary. Once she attended a walking-distance highschool, she wouldn’t have to bother asking to be picked up. 

Lunch came and as usual, she was behind the bleachers with Sasha and Connie, sitting criss-cross on the grass, taking in the warm shade.

“Why don’t we do something fun later, y’know, to kick off the school year?” 

“We’ve been everywhere already,” Sasha responded while munching on her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “The mall, the bowling alley, everything. And they aren’t showing any good movies, either.” She sighed, taking another bite. 

“I heard that new girl in town is hosting a party.” Connie remarked. Ymir perked up at the mention of that. 

“Oh Historia? That soon?” Sasha asked.

“Yeah it’s what all the juniors are talking about.” 

So that’s her name. Historia. Ymir thought to herself.

“We could, like, sneak in. It’ll be the most interesting thing we’d do all year.” Before the group could discuss any further, they heard a voice coming towards them, and two pairs of footsteps rustled in the dry turf grass. The three halted their chatter, eavesdropping on the conversation, hoping to pull even a sliver of drama out because nothing goes on in this small town.  

“Thank you so much for showing me the football field, Reiner.” Historia exclaimed. Ymir immediately recognized the new voice. 

“No problem.” This jock who was at the top of Ymir’s mind pyramid put his hands on his hips and brooded, looking at the wide expanse of the green field with white chalk painted-lines. 

“We start cheerleading soon, so this is a big help! I would’ve totally gotten lost.” 

“You can make it to my games, right?” 

“...Yeah, I’ll be cheering at all of them?” 

“Great, because a guy’s gotta get that support, you know what I’m saying?” 

“No? Well, um, I’ll see you!” She waved and turned the other direction, managing to regain her tone. 

Ymir practically cackled at this lame excuse of an interaction and the other two tried to shush her to see if there was any more information to be gained. Did this meathead really think he had a chance with the new girl?

Once the coast was clear, Ymir spoke up, “He considers that flirting?” and pointed a thumb of where Historia and Reiner were. On such low standards, this was the most eventful thing that happened today. Lunch was ending soon, but Sasha insisted she missed the vending machine food so dearly and wanted everyone to come with her.

Turns out, that was a horrible idea.

In the cafeteria, Ymir spotted Historia instantly, sitting at one of the tables. Beside her were Hitch, Marlowe, and a whole lot of other girls. While waiting for Sasha and Connie to finally land on a decision on what to get, Ymir sat at an empty table and observed from afar. 

She would expect Historia to soak in the attention she was getting, but instead, she was staring down at her light pink Motorola Razr and typing while everyone conversed around her. 

Seriously, who was she? She thinks she’s too cool to be popular, I bet. 

Ymir couldn’t figure out if she hated or loved the attention she was getting. From the look on her face, she looked bored of the constant compliments. To be fair, she probably heard them every day. Not to mention her clothes, black sweater layered over a white button-up and a neat string of pearls. No wonder she was well-liked off the bat. She was rich . 

But Ymir was unknowingly staring for a bit too long because next thing she knew, Historia exchanged a quick glance at her—or was it in her direction. It looked like it was by accident. She ignored this—blocked it out of her mind for now. 

“Ymir,” She heard when Sasha passed her a bag of chips with a smile from behind her. “Let’s go, we have mmmfmfm—” She mumbled with a mouthful of chips.

“Thanks, Sasha.” Ymir took the bag and treaded away into the hall with the other two. 

-

Once Ymir stepped through the front door of her home, her backpack dropped to the floor and she hit the couch in almost one fell swoop. Thank goodness her mother wasn’t home, she would’ve had some words to spare. Ymir chuckled to herself.

Summer was closing out, and the sky transitioned into darkness quicker. But the warmth lingered, seeping in from the windows and putting Ymir to sleep. She would usually ignore these signs of weariness, but today, she felt different. She allowed herself to relax her muscles as her eyelids became droopy. Her mother wouldn’t be home early tonight, like every other night. Tuning out everything, the annoying construction next door, the cars passing by, and the chirp of the birds, she let her body take control as she closed her eyes. 

She dreamt of many things, especially her ultimate one: to get out of this house and live on her own terms. 

Waking up, her surroundings were dark. She trudged upstairs into her bedroom to continue the nice dreams she was having, like a high she was constantly trying to feel again. Once she was changed and ready for bed, she paced over to her window to shut the curtains, until she spotted a warm light emitting from her neighbor’s second-story window, where she first saw that blonde-haired girl. 

Ymir didn’t stop to put the pieces together at all today until she saw Historia , the new girl, and apparently her new neighbor, brushing her hair whilst sitting at her vanity. 

And that instantly woke her up again.

Chapter Text

Ymir shook her head. No way . She must’ve been extra tired because in the blink of an eye, that girl who eerily resembled Historia wasn’t at the window across from her anymore. 

Maybe I’ve been seeing things. Yeah, seems about it. Fuck this, I need some fresh air. 

She slid open her desk drawer and took her small flashlight and shoved it in her large pocket, top half peeking out. Even if she was in her night clothes, she needed to get that— looming tension out of her mind. When she peered through her window at her driveway her mother wasn’t home yet, so she didn’t exit through her window she always snuck out of. Before actually leaving her room, she left the latch to her window unlocked, just in case. 

When Ymir exited the back door, she stared at the moon. It was split down the middle, but she couldn’t tell which half was rescinding— she was no expert , or just didn’t pay much attention in elementary school where she was supposed to learn that . Grabbing her favorite chair that was discarded in the dump of a backyard, she dragged it to the edge. She then climbed over the worn picket fence and found herself in the woods not too long after. 

She went down the oh-so familiar path, reminiscing about how her mother would forbid her from going behind the fence, but she chose to do so anyway, knowing the consequences. Her already-on flashlight clicked off as she decided to rely on pure intuition to find her way there. 

As a child, Ymir felt like she didn’t have many friends. The neighborhood kids all thought she was weird, so she found a place to sit alone. Just her in her solitude. She found this place when she decided to wander in the woods and hoped she’d never return. 

The dirt and twigs shuffled as she walked along the path, and she took a deep breath. She saw the waning, or waxing , moonlight in between the gaps of the leaves. Every time she went down this path, she took in all the sensations. The warm night breeze, crickets chirping, all of it. After about five minutes or so, she reached this tiny clearing where a flat rock was in dead center. Ymir climbed up the rock about half her height and laid down on her back. Her small town, despite the active streetlights in many parts of the city, wasn’t bright enough to dim the glow of the stars above. 

Ymir could count them, imagine interesting shapes with them. She wanted to become one of those stars to finally let go of all her emotions—because she felt like no one, like transient cosmic dust in the universe. So why would it matter if she lived or not? 

Her mother, her father, and her friends could easily find replacements for her presence. Ymir wanted desperately to live for herself, but what if ‘herself’ was someone she was not used to? 

Ymir finally took out her crappy lighter and lit the stick she dreaded using, but needed nonetheless. 

Chapter Text

Before actually going to bed, she peeked out her window one more time into the room across from her, and there was still no sign of that girl. 

The next morning, Ymir woke up in ruffled sheets and messy hair. She had snuck back into the house through her bedroom window again because her mother was home before the time she got back. One of the only instances where Ymir was grateful that her mother rarely checked up on her. 

Her beat-up sneakers creaked against every step on the wood. Careful to not wake her mother up, Ymir crept downstairs and left for school. 

-

Taking the long way to school again, she examined the people who were scattered in the yard upon arrival. Geeks huddled with their laptops underneath a shady tree, the preppy people gossiping on a bench and trying to chat up the rising queen bee, none other than herself, Historia Reiss , she learned her name to be.  

She thinks she’s the queen of the neighborhood, thinks she’s hot stuff, giggling with those wannabe popular girls . Ymir clenched her fists as she walked further down the concrete path that cut in between the grass.

Ymir scoffed and walked closer to the school building to find Sasha and Connie, the two people who kept her sane during her school days. Ymir turned her head back, curiously taking a peek at Historia. She didn’t know why she was so interested at all, nor the fact that her eyes kept darting over to Historia as she walked past her. 

Upon a second look, she wasn’t giggling at all. She was staring down at her phone like she wasn’t interested in whatever gossip she was hearing. A lukewarm expression was painted on her delicate face, her eyes not darting up at her group at all—an impassionate display of a half-held conversation she was having. 

Once Ymir found her favorite duo, she greeted them, holding a hand up in place of a wave. 

“Yo.” 

“Hey, Ymir! We’re wondering if you wanted to go to that new place after school!” Sasha waved as she clutched her bag in the other hand.

“Let me guess,” Ymir rolled her eyes playfully. “It’s a restaurant.”

“Bzzt.” She held up both of her forearms to create an ‘x’ shape.

“Not even a fast food place?”

“Try again,” Sasha shook her head no. “Well, I’ll tell you! It’s an aquarium! I’ve never been to one, like at all. We should go!” She barely gave her time to think and then grasped Ymir’s arm and her face transitioned into one of a plea, begging Ymir to go with her. 

“She’s gonna gawk at the fish and rate their taste! I just know it!” Connie chimed in, making a snarky comment in which Sasha paid no mind to at all. 

“As much as I’d like to, I have work right after. Next time, maybe.” She huffed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Aw, alright,” She looked back at Connie standing beside her. “Next time.” Just then, the bell signaling the start of the day rang and everyone in the front yard began to migrate to the inside of the school, herding like sheep at the doors. But the trio wanted to linger around for a bit. She exchanged some crude humor only the three of them would find amusing, making Connie draw attention to himself from his eardrum-shattering cackling at her jokes and then headed inside.

When the other two left, Ymir found that she was by herself. She turned to walk into the building as well, but a person loomed behind her, one who had lighter footsteps, light enough to barely hear the clack of her wedge heels. Ymir turned around again. 

It was her. 

She strutted daintily down the concrete, past her. She didn’t even think Historia would spare a glance at her. But she did. Turning her head to the right slightly, she captured Ymir’s gaze. Historia’s eyes turned to the side, but not with any sort of negative connotation paired with it. She just looked. No fake smile attached, no false words, nothing. Everything was as if the world were in slow motion; her pin-straight golden hair effortlessly flowed past everyone who stared at her in adoration in the yard. Ymir didn’t bother, or didn’t have enough time to avert her eyes that automatically locked onto hers. Historia then walked past. 

Time resumed in Ymir’s mind and she went inside moments after that ordeal.

She found her locker that she was assigned to yesterday. Ymir turned her lock to her combination numbers and opened it. A small amount of dust flew at her with the newfound air she used to swing open her locker door. Gruntling, she shoved her books in and was ready to close it. Until she heard Reiner’s heavy steps from a distance approaching her direction. 

“So, you like cars?” The absolute meathead of a teenage boy asked in the most grating voice ever, a delight to listen to at seven in the morning. Ymir paused and peered from behind her locker door, hoping that she wouldn’t get caught eavesdropping. 

“No—?” The girl, none other than Historia, replied, her voice laced with both unamuse and concern. Oh great. She’s here again. I have two classes with her already, and I have to deal with her before school too? Kill me now. Ymir cursed internally.

“What about bikes?” 

“No,” This time, blondie was a bit more serious. Her demeanor wasn’t actively trying to be interested in whatever Reiner was saying, but she wasn’t looking down at her phone this time. 

“I’ll just have to take you on a ride on one after school. Ever been on the back of a motorcycle?” 

“I haven't, and I have cheer practice, sorry.” She turned her back to him and put her books away in a neat and graceful manner. 

“If you’re ever interested, hit my line up,” He gave her a half-assed wink and slung his letterman jacket over his left shoulder and strided away in confidence, thinking he actually accomplished something other than making Historia uncomfortable. Ymir couldn’t help but to chortle and choke on her own laugh in an attempt to stifle it at his second failed attempt at flirting with Historia. 

“But I don’t have your number,” Historia trailed off in an unsure manner. Reiner did not spare a glance back, only confidently walking away. 

Such a stupid guy, thinking a girl like her would be interested in a dumbass like him. He looks too old to be in the same grade as us, too. Poor girl. Must be hard being admired like that off the bat. 

Now that Ymir noticed, Historia’s locker was a few ones down from hers. She sighed again and just decided to let go of her frustration. She knew that sooner or later, Historia would have people swarming her locker in the morning and passing period, which was just going to make it more annoying on her end. 

The classes proceeding that, Ymir found it hard to concentrate. She had to get up from her seat to sharpen her pencil a total of five times because of the sheer pressure she put when writing on her paper. 

Later, after third period, Ymir stayed behind after gym to return her borrowed uniform because she forgot hers, as usual. So she told Sasha and Connie to go, and she’ll catch up with them later. Once she stepped into the cafeteria, where Sasha messaged Ymir to meet her, she saw her friend seated next to Historia, and what’s worse—Sasha was swooning over her like she was an angel of some sort. 

At first, Ymir wanted to back away and say she had something come up, but that wouldn’t be believable, as that duo were the only people she spoke to in the entire school. So she swallowed hard and tried to only focus on Sasha. She could feel her blood rising as she practically stomped her way across the cafeteria. Her jaw involuntarily clenched and so did her palms, gripping her phone she found for cheap at a pawn shop. The device in her hand became sweaty, growing warm in her palm as her anger worsened with each step.

“Sasha, let’s go to the bleachers, c’mon,” Ymir tried pulling her by the back of her shirt collar. 

“But she’s so nice!” She practically cried out and resisted Ymir’s efforts to pull her away from the table. “She offered me the rest of her lunch! Are you a god by chance?” Sasha turned over to Historia. Sure, food meant a lot to Sasha, but Ymir just wasn’t having it. She wanted to get away from the presence of the table. Away from her . 

Historia just gave the two of them a smile, which Ymir received as a blank one, devoid of any emotion. She didn’t look nice, so why would she be nice at all?

“Trying to act all cordial? Well that won’t get you anywhere at all,” Ymir commented as she finally managed to drag her friend outside to the bleachers. She didn’t pay any mind to the other girls at Historia’s table laughing. She wasn’t sure if that blonde herself was too, but she bet she was, imagining the slight upturn of her glossed lips, sway of her golden hair as she moved, and those blue eyes that closed when she giggled. Ymir wasn’t a familiar face in this cafeteria at all, so this would blow over among their group sooner or later. Historia’s face looked hurt, but she didn’t say anything. 

Sasha whined until they made it under the secluded bleachers. “Why did you drag me all the way here? It was perfectly fine at her table!” Her behind made contact with the turf grass and uttered out an oof as Ymir dropped her down. 

“We hang out here , Sasha. It’s always been here.” Pointing at the ground that was shaded by the bleachers, she had nothing else to say for what Sasha would describe: an outburst of hers. 

“Jeez, controlling much?” Sasha slumped and rubbed the back of her head. 

A moment of silence washed over the two. 

“What happened back there?” Ymir finally sat beside her, but her tone was still unwavering.

Sasha almost immediately perked up at her question. “ Oh , after gym I ran into Historia walking to lunch. Until we got into this conversation about summer, and I recommended her some good food to eat to cool down, and she was like ‘yeah’ and we got lunch and she offered the best part of her lunch to me, which were the quesadillas, although they were a little burnt, I ate it though, and then you came in—” 

“I think I get it.”

-

After school, Ymir sat against a brick wall behind one of the furthest school buildings out, legs pressed to her chest. Her hands were trying to grip the concrete ground and run her fingers through it, as if it were grains of sand. She was just that angry. Connie was kneeling beside her, trying to calm her down, admittedly not doing a very good job.  

“Woah, woah, Ymir,” His hand hovered over her shoulder, knowing she would sneer at his touch if his hand made contact with her. “You messaged me you wanted to smoke behind school again, what happened?” 

For a moment, she was silent, staring off into the distance, further out from the chain link fence that enclosed the whole campus. 

“Her.” 

“What?” He rubbed the back of his head, backing off from Ymir and choosing to sit beside her. This time, with his back pressed against the brick wall. Ymir didn’t see how she could hate someone so much, yet barely interacted. “Who?”

“I know you know,”

“No, seriously, who?”

“Ever use context clues much?" She sighed and joked, but slumped her head forward into her knees, pressing her chin against her pants, the last part of her sentence being muffled by the cloth. Connie was an absolute dumbass. Ymir should’ve known better.

-

After an excruciatingly laggard shift at the restaurant, Ymir dragged herself back home just as the moon began to rise. She glanced down at the paper hat in her hand. The red line that continued along the rim that matched her vibrant red apron which she had bunched up in one hand. Each step, each clack of her rubber soles on the concrete sidewalk, made her aware that her days would be like this for the rest of highschool. Walk to school, walk home, walk to work, walk home. A cycle of torture that would send her into hypnosis not long into the newfound routine. 

She peeped at her driveway when she turned the corner leading to her house. No sign of her mother yet, and she sighed. She went up to her front door and twisted the key in the keyhole. 

Once inside, Ymir went straight upstairs and tossed her backpack into the corner of her room alongside her stupid apron and hat, making a muffled thud once making contact with the ground that she brushed off. She then showered and proceeded with the rest of her night routine—which was short and sweet. She didn’t believe in doing too much and splurging on these crazy products and remedies that apparently would clear out her acne. 

With damp hair, she stared at herself in the semi-fogged mirror. Well, she more so enhanced her view on the slight scarring on her freckled cheeks. She didn’t care, but at the same time, she did. She ran a hand along the dips and bumps on her cheek that she wished weren’t a burden to her. Ymir seldom envied the skin on other girls, but when she did, she felt a thousand times more insecure. She soon sighed and a wave of weariness washed over her. 

Ymir yawned. She didn’t want to go through all that trouble to dry her hair completely, so she decided it was time to hit the hay. As she exited the bathroom and neared her room, she heard something quaint—almost like a squeak from a small critter in the woods. Except that it wasn’t. It sembled lots of human-like qualities, almost like a cry or sob, she figured. She went to investigate by looking outside the nearest window, which was in her room. 

She didn’t turn any lights on upon entering. That’s when she saw her again, curtains drawn, warmly-lit lampshade on her nightstand being the only light besides the moon. When she inspected further, Ymir pinpointed the sobs to that girl Historia, who had her face buried in her knees. The hem of her pink pyjama shirt was bunched up into one fist, and her other hand was gripping a handkerchief. 

Her window was wide open, allowing Ymir to get a better peek into her room, not that she would be creepy and do that. 

It was an interesting sight, though. Just a few hours prior, Ymir saw the girl at the cafeteria and in class. She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world. What possibly could have been bothering her?

Chapter Text

Her stupid alarm clock woke her up the next morning. Ymir fished throughout her ruffled blanket and the area surrounding her nightstand, only to pinpoint the ringing coming from underneath her bed. Once she turned the damn thing off, she lay flat on her back and took a breath. Today was only Wednesday. 

It bothered her how time was moving painfully slow this week. And also the loud whirring noise of what seemed to be a hairdryer coming from the house over. 

Oh yeah, she was sobbing into her knees on her bed last night. 

She wondered if Historia was still crying. But to her surprise, sneaking to the windowsill to look, she looked as effortless as ever. But apart from the hand that was drying her long hair, her other hand was holding a shiny metal object, that elbow propped up on her vanity that was tucked in the corner of her larger-than-average room, but still visible to Ymir from her window. She distinguished that to be a spoon, and she was pressing the back of it on her undereyes and the areas surrounding, attempting to eliminate the puffiness from last night. 

Why do all girls do all that crap? Seems unnecessary to me. She assumed Historia might have gotten it from those teen magazines sold at the gas station.  

But her gaze lingered for too long. She studied her hands, the way she flinched to the apparent coolness of the spoon, her frantic motions implying that she was rushing to get ready, which reminded Ymir that she, as well, needed to head out soon. 

Snapping out of whatever trance-like state that girl unknowingly put her in, she shook her head and shut her open window and curtains. She felt a bit gross. Like some sort of peeping tom who exclusively spied on teenage girls. 

And she felt flustered. Heat rose to her cheeks at the realization that she had been looking directly into Historia’s window for the past three days. She wondered if she was ever caught like this by her, she’d soon be labeled as a creep to the whole school using her looks, social status, and money. Word spread fast, and she was sure Historia would help the word. 

“It’s not like I’m some pervert now. We’re both girls, so why does that matter anyway? And it’s not like I wanted to take a peek into her room,” She mumbled under her breath and shuffled around her closet for her simple, loose, t-shirt. Ymir was reassuring herself. Distracting her from that not-so-familiar feeling she’s been having since she laid eyes on Historia. 

As usual she took the long way when she needed to think. She arrived in front of the school—the brick jail of a building enclosed in chain-link fences—a few minutes before class started. She ignored Historia’s very evident presence, choosing to turn the back of her head towards her, talking to her usual duo. 

Today, she chose to not linger as much out front as she normally did, wanting to avoid any weird, but admittedly funny conversations between Reiner and Historia near her locker. 

“Where are you going, Ymir?” Sasha quirked an eyebrow as she sipped hot chocolate from one of the many local restaurants in this town. Sasha followed her a few paces behind, trying to not spill her drink whilst keeping up with her. 

“Inside. Why?” She retorted with a huff. 

“You never do that—” Sasha paused to take another hearty gulp of her cup. “Usually, you stay out here until the last minute.”

“Well maybe I wanna switch things up this year. It’s getting boring.” She rested her hands behind her head, intertwining her fingers, walking in the same, slow, rhythmic pace Sasha was when she realized how odd she was acting. Once inside, she quickly gathered her things at an unimaginable pace for her first period.

In math class, she had to dread sitting in front of her. She was too out of her mind the whole period, tuning out the teacher’s boring lecture, and tuning into the sight of the back of Historia’s head. She noticed that her head periodically went down to her notebook and back up to the board, the pen in her right hand jotting down some things. She assumed that it was important stuff to write down, but she didn’t care. She was almost brain-dead. 

She instead tuned into the scribbles that Historia was making on her paper, proceeding to get louder and louder until she gave up, putting her pen down. Now her focus wasn’t on her paper or the board. Instead, she was looking around the room, scanning for something. 

“Um, Ymir, right?” The blonde hair Ymir saw was replaced by her deep ocean eyes and a pretty little face. Her voice was also something to die for, at least for all of the guys at school. 

“Huh?” She looked confused, eyes instantly locking onto the sight in front of her. She looked around the classroom. But after taking a moment to process whose name was said, she pointed at herself. “Me?” She mouths, just barely below a whisper that she was certain no one else could hear. 

“Mhm.” She gave a light smile. “Do you have a pencil I could borrow?”

Nah, blondie. This is my only one. Find someone else to torment with your ‘nice girl’ act, she desperately wanted to say with grit teeth and a clenched jaw.

“It’s in my backpack,” She raised a finger before digging into the void where she found a decent-looking #2 pencil and handed it over to her without further question. Like she was part of the entourage who sat next to Historia in the cafeteria all the time, like the girls who would follow her like a lost puppy around the front of the school before classes. 

“Thanks, Ymir. I’ll be sure to return it tomorrow.” She nodded and turned back to the lesson. 

And the next day, she kept her word. 

Ymir came into math a little earlier than usual in hopes of avoiding Historia’s presence in the halls, so she took her time finding her seat. But Historia was not there, sitting in front of her, early to class, as always. Instead, she was chatting up some other girl in her newfound clique on the other side of the classroom. As Ymir approached her desk, she threw her things under her table and was shocked to see her pencil back on her desk, not stolen. Not bitten or battered. She did, in fact, keep that promise.

Paired with it was a pink sticky note laying underneath the pencil, and on it was the most beautiful cursive Ymir’s ever seen. Like each word was chosen and written out ever so carefully. The glittery pink color of the gel pen surely screamed immature, but all that Ymir could think was: Historia.

‘Thank You!’ The note neatly wrote, a small heart etched out in place of the point in the exclamation. 

Maybe Ymir was second guessing it all. Maybe her previous notions about her were wrong. It would have been cruel to keep the so-called act of hating on any person at school with high status, but it was something she’d known for practically her whole life. 

She picked the note up in disbelief. She couldn’t believe such a small gesture could elicit a small rush of heat up to her cheeks unknowingly. She was actually blushing. 

But before any more people flooded into the classroom, she snatched the note off of her desk and hastily stuffed it into her back pocket. 

-

Sasha: meet me @ Niccolo’s! Burgers r on me! ^^

Ymir: Fine if ur paying

She let out a huff and shoved her phone back into her pocket. She wouldn’t have agreed if it weren’t for the free food. School just ended, and Sasha was already thinking about food. Typical, but uniquely her. She was down, too. Didn’t eat yet today. 

-

“So, what’s wrong?” Her friend asked, swirling two french fries in a glob of ketchup on parchment paper that rested on a tray. 

“Nothing.” Ymir rested her head on a propped elbow and shifted her gaze elsewhere, out the window as the sunset hit her eyes perfectly. 

“Oh, then did I say something stupid again?” She questioned, wiping her salt-coated fingertips on the napkin. 

“No, you didn’t.” She shook her head, barely picking at her food.  

“You just not in the mood for burgers then? You could’ve told me! We would’ve gone for ice cream or something instead.” Sasha pouted.

“No, the burgers are fine, it’s just-” Ymir paused for a moment, considering if she should reveal what she felt today. 

“Just tired.” She looked out of the window again. If she did make eye contact with Sasha, it wouldn’t end well. She clenched her jaw and kept her secret hidden. 

“Well, if you’re having trouble with something, why don’t ya just spit it out? I’m sure it’ll help,” Sasha started. So she did know that something was up with her. 

“So, you know?” Her gaze lifted, but back out to the window. 

“You didn’t go to the bleachers today, of course we’d notice!” She proceeded to finish her fries. 

Ymir’s fingers traced along the greasy tabletop, and she took a deep breath. “Wasn’t feeling well.” 

“Like a stomachache?” 

“No, er, well, yeah.” It was sort of like one. Butterflies, as she heard people call them. 

Sasha let out an almost obnoxious exhale of relief. “Thank god, you just had the runs or something, right? I almost thought that something was actually up.” And then she gulped on her third drink refill and continued talking about her day. 

“So you know this Historia girl? Right? The one you dragged me away from? She’s like, totally, a hotshot out there. I was doing some warmups before practice and she did their whole cheerleading routine so perfectly-! Like she’s only been here for what? A few days, and she’s like, popular popular!” 

Ymir in response crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “That so?” She cocked her eyebrow. 

“Yeah, she’s probably gonna be cheer captain or something next year at this rate.” 

She didn’t want to hear it at all. The infectious name of Historia seemed to have spread to her close friend as well. “I don’t wanna hear it. When we’re done, let’s get ice cream.” She said, finally starting to touch her food. The faster this conversation ended, the faster she could try to get blondie out of her mind. Historia—a sight to behold. But not for Ymir, though her heart couldn’t help but race whenever someone mentioned her name. It was pure hatred and resentment, yeah, that was the closest thing to what she was feeling. Totally. 

And so, the two promptly left Niccolo’s after eating to go to one of the two ice cream stores in town, Ymir secretly clutching the crumpled note in her hands until they hurt when she thought no one was looking.

Chapter Text

Football season was kicking off. 

It was still fairly early into September, and the trio was sitting under the bleachers, chatting their lunchtime away. 

“No Sash, you have to roll it like this. Smoking it like it’s a taco is just plain wrong.” Ymir instructed and shook her head. They were messing around with crumpled strips of notebook paper, playing pretend and rolling fake blunts full of turf grass that took a considerable amount of effort to extripate. 

And as always, Ymir couldn’t help but see the sorry display of Reiner’s horrible attempts at flirting with Historia near the football field a few strides away. 

“So, Historia,” He put an odd emphasis on the girl’s name. “You have really nice hair. Do people talk about your hair?” Reiner bashfully admitted, ruffling the back of his head. 

“Uh, thanks? And yes, they do talk about it a lot.” The girl in question tucked her arm under another with her phone in hand, looking like she wanted to ever so desperately break away from this conversation Reiner trapped her in. 

“Looks like it’d smell nice too.” What a creep. At this point in time, Ymir decided to fully tune in.

“Look, I have to go. Catch you later?” Historia asked in the most feigned politeness she could as she waved. 

“Historia—wait.” And to everyone’s surprise, she turned on the ball of her foot back around to face Reiner. “Do we have a date? Sometime this weekend? To, um, your party? Me and the guys were thinking of going, so-” He wasn’t the first guy to ask the same question, although he surely wasn’t going to be the last. 

“Sorry, man, you gotta find someone else, she’s got a date with me!” Ymir butted in, putting on a happy-go-lucky front, as if nothing was ever amiss about her display. Her arm snaked around the blonde’s shoulder. It was soft. And it was warm. 

Reiner shook his head in disbelief. “What?” 

“You heard me. Historia and I are hosting an all-girl’s party right after the game!” Ymir swayed with her in her arms, but to her surprise, she didn’t relent or break free or even try to deny her blatant lie. 

“I see how it is. Catch you later, ‘storia…” Mission accomplished. Ymir managed to ruin a jock’s day and save herself from the cringe. 

Except that there was one hitch. 

“Ymir!” Historia sighed in relief, letting her shoulders fall down relaxed, but she didn’t attempt to break free of Ymir’s grasp. The other girl quickly took notice and immediately put her arms back to her side. “I can’t thank you enough, really.” She put a hand on her chest and exhaled contently, finally unsticking her eyes from her fancy new phone. 

Ymir found distance between her and Historia when her actions finally registered. 

“Why’d you do it?” 

“Huh?” She turned away from her face, unable to look at such a holy sight. “It was nothing…” 

“As a thank you,” Historia moved closer. “why don’t you come over to my party after the game?” She glanced towards the bleachers where she could make out two familiar figures. “And bring your friends too.” 

“But-” 

“It’s just next door, remember? I’ll see you there!” Historia waved and smiled. Literally freakin’ smiled the most genuine smile Ymir had ever seen. “And also,” She paused once more, clutching the strap of her purse. “You’re invited to every party of mine from now on, ‘mkay?” She winked as she walked towards the direction of the locker rooms. Her blonde hair swaying in the conveniently-timed breeze. Such freakin’ beautiful blonde hair.

Chapter Text

Ymir had never felt so giddy in her life. So giddy in fact, she rolled up into math class about twenty minutes late that morning, a paper cup of sugary and steaming coffee in her hand. 

Her teacher cleared her throat when she noticed Ymir unhurriedly sneak into the room. “Ymir,” She turned away from the board already filled with lecture content. “Glad you could join us,” She glanced at the clock. “Twenty minutes late. And you brought coffee.” She faked a smile and a polite tone as Ymir shrugged and shuffled into her seat. 

She sipped without a care. “Yeah. Was cold.” 

That morning was like no other as she woke up earlier than ever, even to manage a glance at Historia’s window, where the curtains remained shut, implying that she was still fast asleep. Ymir hummed throughout the entirety of her morning routine, paying a little extra attention to the neatness of her eyeliner. As she checked in the mirror one last time before leaving, she was very meticulous about brushing off every lint particle on her clothes she actually planned the night before. Not that anyone would notice, of course. 

During her walk there, she decided to take the long route again with a little pep in her step. Once her school was in sight, she noticed the people in front of the school, congregating as usual, but she avoided letting anyone see her and walked straight past the building, and over to a coffee shop around the corner. 

There, she ordered some drink she chose with her eyes closed. She almost debated on buying Historia a drink, too. But that would be a bit creepy. First, keeping the note with the pencil on her desk as a keepsake was a bit weird, and the whole window thing too. She had only invited Ymir because she saved her from that overly-beefy jock, right? 

Besides the point, once Ymir was in class, she settled at her desk as the teacher droned on. She didn’t even care, as yesterday’s exchange was playing on loop all throughout her mind. 

-

“Ymir, what’s gotten you so happy this morning?” Sasha asked her friend during lunch. “And I thought you hated the school lunch,” She pointed at her small square of pizza that packed an unhealthy amount of grease per square inch.

Ymir had gone to the cafeteria that day. Brushed past a table, with no one sitting there in particular, maybe except Historia. But it would be weird to just sit and stare, so she reluctantly filed into the lunch line and chose whatever. From afar, she saw her blonde hair and disconnected look from the rest of the table. She was wearing a navy blue sweater vest and a white button-up underneath, with slacks and heels that put together her spoiled-brat look. 

Ugh, she was turning into such a creep, and she needed to let go of it fast. She was only excited because out of all people, she invited her over. 

-

Ymir didn’t particularly enjoy football games, let alone attend any games in her life. Tonight’s home game was late into a Friday as students and parents alike were bundled up in their coats and scarves. Once she arrived and paid for her ticket, she climbed all the way to the very top and said hello to Sasha and Connie, who were talking about something dumb. 

“Look who showed up!” Connie greeted with a wave. He was bundled up in an obscene amount of layers, outdoing everyone else at the game as it was merely September. It was humorous that Ymir couldn’t help chuckling at the sight. 

“Heyyyy!” Sasha also waved. Ymir took a seat on the cool metal beside them, watching the players and cheerleaders warm up below. People in the stands chatted on and on, but she could almost discern a certain name: Historia. 

And there she saw her, taking off her jacket down below, just in front of the field as the announcers were saying their introductions. She flipped her golden hair around as the other cheerleaders followed suit, talking lively with each other. 

“Ymirrrrr,” Connie interrupted in a sing-songy voice. “What’s gotten you so quiet.” 

“Could be that Miss Reiss invited her over tonight.” Sasha added. 

“Shut up!” The freckled girl hushed the other two, face red. But she passed it off as being a little cold. But internally, she was feeling quite warm in her flimsy jacket that couldn’t protect her from a breeze whatsoever. “I’m just tryna’ be nice here. Just so you know, she invited all of us to her party. We’re going no matter what.” She crossed her arms and scoffed. And just then, the signal for the football game to begin was heard. 

Paradis High never had the best reputation when it came to football, or any sport, really. It was partially due to the microscopic school size compared to other schools out of town, where they had more funding, more players, and more support overall. Ymir had noticed that at her school, the football players were particularly known for acting like complete douchebags and focusing on being flashy rather than focusing on their sport. Besides, Ymir never found a bunch of sweaty guys running back and forth a grass field very intriguing, and she assumed that the other girls didn’t either. 

As the game went on, people cheered at certain times, which left her confused as ever. But what she did see were the cheerleaders doing their routine with practiced ease, of course, Historia being on top of the pyramid they formed, higher than anyone else. 

And even as she did those strenuous cheers Ymir couldn’t ever dream of doing without dislocating something, she looked as pristine as ever—an effortless look only this princess of a girl could ever achieve. She couldn’t help but to be drawn to her, even from afar. 

She couldn’t help but to zone out for the rest of the game, chin resting on her hand that was propped up on her lap. It was boring to her overall. 

Later, Sasha offered to drive Ymir and Connie back to Ymir’s place right before the party started. There, she offered what she had in her fridge as the duo flicked through channels on her TV. She had made up a lame excuse of going upstairs to find something. Once up there, she shamelessly peered through her window and saw her again, brushing her golden locks without a care in the world at her vanity. 

She was radiating perfection. Ymir wanted to scream and hurl the note attached to a rock at her window, cursing her for the inability to pick out any flaws from her. She was truly an angel. At this point, she wondered why she was even mad at her in the first place. But she shrugged to herself and laid flat on her bed, blasting music through her earbuds in hopes of drowning out everything. 

Later, she could hear music booming from below, vibrating the brain in her skull as she chipped on the thin coat of nail polish on her thumb, indicating that the party had started. When she peeked out again, there were purple and blue lights radiating from Historia’s backyard. Just then, she could hear the clomper of Sasha’s sneakers up the stairs, already eager to go. She yanked the wires from her ears and hopped up on her feet. 

“Ugh, fine!” Ymir acted angry, but she was more intrigued than ever. 

-

A chill hit their faces when they exited Ymir’s home, and that was when they noticed the ungodly amount of cars littered throughout the neighborhood, all presumably wanting to receive a taste of the new girl’s party. 

The trio were at the front door. A damn fancy one at that, the type where it was made of hardy wood with designed glass in the middle. She could see the bodies swaying in the ocean of people through the blurred glass, which made her palms sweat. Was she really doing this? 

They didn’t even have to knock, just invited themselves in, where they saw the warm light shine over the crowd. It reeked. Reeked of sweat and booze. Oh yeah, she’d definitely be the talk of the town after this little gathering. 

Historia was not to be found, presumably for her own safety, as the crowd of teens (seriously, it seemed like the whole school was here) began to grow more rowdy. 

The bass of the speakers was nearly eardrum-shattering, and created ripples in the unidentified drink Sasha gave to her after promptly locating Historia’s kitchen. There, she looked down at the amalgamation of liquids that were in there. It looked to be orange juice, vodka, and some other type of syrupy liquid Sasha managed to get her grubby little paws on. 

Ymir hung around a corner, back against the wall as the other two of her friends were off hanging around with someone else. She wasn’t one to dance, never in a million years. She cringed at the couples making out shamelessly in the open. And then she saw an opening: an open glass and screen door heading out into her backyard, which let the colorful lights flood into the house. She trashed her drink and decided to head out. 

She had to push and shove her way through the sticky sea of teenagers, when finally, she sighed when she caught a whiff of fresh air. She had never seen this many strangers packed like sardines in one place. It was cooler. More dreamy. The music was still as obnoxiously loud as humanly possible, but it was less crowded. There was a table to her left where she saw multiple people mingle with each other, but she particularly noticed two boys, one with his arm wrapped tightly around the other one’s shoulder, his free hand trying to shove a drink down the other one’s throat. 

The whole display was humorous, like a typical-looking preppy, horse-faced bully, shoving alcohol down the freckled-face’s throat. He must be the bane of his existence. The rest of them were just a bunch of dweebs hogging the punch table. 

As her eyes drifted, they landed on the pool. A glimmering turquoise in the night, with lights illuminating it from within. Her eyes sparkled at the sight. She hadn’t found the courage to open up her curtains or climb up a chair and take a good look at her backyard, which had a pool now finished. 

Lights danced across Ymir’s face as she stared starstruck at the water. But then her eyes drifted off to the side, now seeing the group on the top of the pyramid under this wooden pavilion-like structure where a large couch and a fancy coffee table in the center were under. There, bodies were strewn about the cushions, except one. 

Historia was sipping on a red Solo Cup. Back away from the wall of the couch, straight and sitting upright. Legs crossed as she listened attentively to whatever her drunk friend was saying, a forced smile, really. Quite the sight. She was even perfect when she didn't need to be. Ymir wondered what she’d look like if she got blackout drunk, or became ill and cried over a toilet bowl from her alcohol consumption. How ugly of a sight that’d be. But she didn’t. She couldn’t at this rate, Historia was just perfect. 

Ymir decided that since her friends were nowhere to be found, and she didn’t bother to try looking, she went into the kitchen to fix herself another drink from this ‘secret’ alcohol stash. She found  Once back out, thankfully in one piece, some douchebags set up a folding table of beer pong. They missed every shot. One ball rolled to the back of her shoe, and that was when douche number one decided to yell at her. 

“Hey! Give me that ball, will ya?” He asked, well, slurred, out of breath and sweaty. Ew.

“Get the damn ball yourself!” She yelled back. She scoffed under her breath and kept on moving, her attention all on her drink. Some people, they are just complete-

Thump!

She had spilled her drink all over her own shirt. “Hey! Watch where you’re goi-” It was her again. 

“Historia.” Her tone seemed very pointed, although she was just taken aback from the suddenness of seeing her again. 

“Ymir! So glad you could make it!” She looked up at her and smiled. Like a freakin’ angel. And it made Ymir forget that she now reeked of that sticky alcohol that clung to her shirt, like she forgave her. 

“Yeah, Sasha and Connie were coming, so I decided to tag along.” A lie spurred out of her mouth. In fact, it was the complete opposite. She shoved a hand into her jean pocket to look as carefree as possible, eyes anywhere else but on Historia’s face. Like she didn’t want to come and snoop about in her backyard. 

“Where are they, by the way? I wanna say hi.” 

“Gone. Don’t know where. Could be out getting ice cream for all I know.” She fake laughed, but there was nothing light and airy about it. In fact, it was very awkward. “What about you? Shouldn’t you be with all your friends over there?” She pointed towards the pavilion with the couch where everyone—yes, everyone, was in repose—all in deep tranquility from the amount of alcohol they had shoved down their esophaguses. 

“Um, actually, Ymir, I thought it’d be best if I left them alone for just a while.” She cringed at the sight. Historia looked down at her shoes—shiny and polished leather wedges as the light of the pool made patterns on them. 

“Nice pool. Good to know that summer with all that noise paid off.” Was this her version of small talk? Oh god, how she wished she could leave and never come back. 

“Thanks. Too bad it’s cold to use it now, but my dad refuses to cover it up.”

“By the way, where are your parents?” 

“On a business trip.” 

“So, you’re throwing this thing without their knowledge?” 

“Not quite.”

“Wha-?”

“Follow me.” Historia adamantly requested as she threw her drink in a bin. “I need a breather.”