My eyes flickered from the blue mission screen to Jake's face, then back to the screen.
[Penalty for Failure: Acute Social-Triggered Spasmodic Diaphragmatic Flutter (Uncontrollable Hiccups) for 72 hours.]
'Hiccups?'
My brain just stalled on that one word. Socially-triggered hiccups. I pictured it. Standing next to Nina, trying to be cool, and then just—hic!—like an idiot. Trying to answer a question in class, and—hic!—everyone laughing. It was a nightmare. It was a weapon designed by the goddess specifically to destroy the fragile peace I had just found.
'No way,' I thought. 'Absolutely not. I'd rather die.'
The classroom door opened, and Miss Foibe walked in, a stack of papers in her hand. The chatter in the room died down as she walked to the front. "Alright, everyone, settle down. I have your life science tests from last week."
Her voice was calm, but my internal monologue was a siren. 'Don't do it, Kofi. Don't accept. You don't owe him anything. This isn't your problem.'
