16: Brain Cell Reduction

16: Brain Cell Reduction

Celeste felt like her eyes were going to fall out of their sockets. With Conrad, Albion, and Titus deciding to play games together into the wee hours of the morning, the number of hours she had slept fell far below average.

Plus, having to listen to the three guys cuss each other out for hours just... didn’t help. It felt like the fastest way to lose brain cells and she felt they, more than anything else, had grinded away at her.

She had woken up early too. Against her will of course. Her body had just decided to revolt. Trudging along towards the classroom after having cut her losses and prepared for the day early, she was hoping someone else was there...

Maybe Electra? Though, more likely she was getting in an early morning workout...

Climbing the stairs, Celeste rounded the corner and slid the door open. Freezing mid-door slide as she noticed a certain sleeping girl, she tiptoed into class while inching the door shut behind her. Making her way through the maze of desks, she set her bag down on the desk next to the girl’s before taking a seat.

Unsure as to whether she should wake up Nyssa or not, she ended up sitting there for a while in silence while twiddling her thumbs and scrolling on her phone. As someone who was tired herself, she understood the glory of getting a nap in—and Nyssa seemed especially in tune with this particular joy.

With class starting in fifteen minutes though, no one else had shown up. Yet, Celeste knew people would come trickling in any minute now.

Nudging Nyssa, she leaned over and gave her a couple of backrubs. “Good morning Nyssa, sorry to disturb you but you should probably wake up now...”

“Thank you,” Nyssa yawned back as she rolled her head over. Rubbing her eyes as a few years came forth from the yawn, she nodded a few times before reaching out and grabbing Celeste’s hand. “You’re very warm...”

“Indeed I am,” Celeste smiled while covering her mouth with her other hand. “If there’s anything you can rely on me for, it’s that.”

“That’s nice...” Nyssa sighed while pressing her face against Celeste’s hand. “I need another space heater at home.”

“Another? How many do you have?” Celeste raised an eyebrow while pinching Nyssa’s cheek. “Also, your cheek is very soft by the way.”

“I moisturize like I'm trying to drown my skin,” Nyssa smiled with a self-satisfied nod. “I only have three in my room right now. One more and it might get too cluttered though.”

“T-Thank you,” Nyssa stammered as she was faced with an utterly fascinated and awed Celeste. “It’s not that big of a deal, he just agreed to it during dinner... Also, another thing, Roxanne is apparently coming soon too. Dad and Slade mentioned it. I think I remember she mentioned it during the holidays but I didn’t really care at that point.”

Falling to her knees and clasping Nyssa’s hand, Celeste’s jaw continued to drop. “R... Really?”

Flabbergasted, Nyssa could only nod.

“I love nepotism...” Celeste sighed with a grin. “Life is so amazing. Oh my god. I can’t resist smiling...”

---

“You’re so toasted, just give up,” Albion shook his head while patting Conrad on the back. “Nyssa isn’t even trying.”

Falling to his knees, Conrad just knelt there with a despondent depression emanating off of him. “It’ll... it’ll work out.”

“Celeste’s fallen to her knees, have you ever done that?” Titus questioned while patting Conrad on the shoulder.

“That sounds dirty, why did you say it like that?” Albion furrowed his eyebrows. “But yeah, I don’t think you’ve achieved anything close to that level... She’s practically crying from joy!”

“It’s unfair... I’m not a Ravenstein...” Conrad crumpled as his voice quieted down. “She has the power of the entire institute on her side. I bet Celeste is biased towards her because of that.”

“Severely doubt that,” Albion retorted while trying to pull Conrad back up to his feet. “One, you’re rich. Richer than her. Two, you’re kinda a creep and can’t talk to women. Three, you’ve known her way longer. You’ve known Celeste like... for three years now.”

“Yeah, you’ve honestly got the looks, I don’t know man, just like... stop being so... yeah, I don’t even know what to say,” Titus sighed while joining Albion in supporting him back up to his feet. “I believe in you though, you got this. There’s always more time to improve yourself. We’re here for you.”

“Thanks... I won’t let you down! I have to assemble my super team in the future after all!” Conrad hyped himself up while flexing. “Thank you!”

Albion, raising his eyebrows, just shook his head. “This is exactly why this isn’t working.”