CHAPTER 43

“Are you sure you’re going to face Skip for the duel?” Stacy asked while she was simulating punching the bark of the tree. Chaz told us to have a warm-up for half an hour. I guess the duel’s pretty extreme every year. Maybe I’m going to die later.

I don’t about myself as well why I agreed to this. I can simply ignore or reject him. Backing out from a stronger opponent does not mean I’m afraid. It only means that I knew my capabilities. But I hate how he said those things. I hate how he challenged me. I thought we could be friends, but he’s making me feel that we’re rivals.

“I don’t know. Maybe this is my demise.”

Stacy chuckled. “To assure you, no one had died in duels before. Some got hurt pretty badly. I knew you can do well, but I’m still worried.” Though Stacy didn’t directly say that we were friends, I felt her worry for me. Girls could do that to other girls. Compassion for each other. “Break my best friend into pieces.”

Stacy was a fierce woman when I first saw her.