Hair///Trigger

"Now observe carefully as I magnify the image. The more I zoom in, the more straight this curve appears to be. The basis of linear approximation..."

I stare at my math textbook. I'm already way ahead of what he's talking about, so my eyes just wander around the room. Looks like I'm not the only one staring.

It's like in romance movies where the main character is eyeing his or her love interest. Hollywood being Hollywood, the lover is always pictured against some romantic, effects-boosted sunset. Like how her red hair perfectly catches the final amber-violet rays of twilight.

"...and be sure to label and scale your graphs appropriately. We will review these concepts next week. Have a good weekend."

And that marks the end of class. Most of the students left in more of a hurry than usual. Running from the demon girl, I guess. She's waiting for more to leave.

Finally, she gets up from her seat. I wonder how this looks to the students still in the room. The District 1 guy, living under constant threat of demon based crime, and the demon girl, face to face.

"Hey, I want to apologize. I overreacted. It's just that reborn, well, it's a lot. We get a lot of criticism, hate, a lot. And I kind of took it out on you. I didn't mean to act so rude. So, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I get it. Okay, maybe I don't. But I'm not going to judge you—what you said was technically true, wasn't it? I'm just glad to see your arm's not broken."

"Still, it doesn't excuse my behavior. Thanks for being nice about all this. To be honest, I didn't expect you to answer me so easily. I was kind of worried that you hated me." She's right in front of me, but her tone sounds so far away. But I think I can safely assume we can both skip the apologetic formalities.

"Really, don't worry about it. You have it hard enough without having to think about silly things like this." And here I go. Humiliation, please spare me.

"I'm Felix, by the way. I was thinking grabbing something to eat before leaving. There's this thing on the menu I've been really curious about, wanna try it out with me?"

I can't tell if she or the faces behind her are more shocked. Everyone's gonna be talking about this tomorrow. After a long pause, "Sure! I'd like that. I have a late shift at work today, but I have some time before I have to go. So what's it like?"

"Well, I've never tried it before, but it caught my eye last time. It looked really good, haha."

I hope she doesn't ask what it is. I am making all of this up on the spot. I seriously have no idea what I'm doing. I was just going to walk in, look at the menu, order the coolest sounding thing available, and hope it tastes good. That would be a crappy first date if the food was terrible.

"Oh, no; not the food. I meant the cafeteria."

It took me a moment to realize the significance behind what she was asking. A place like the campus cafeteria is a place where you buy food, sit in one place, and more importantly, surround yourself with the eyes and judgments of strangers. I wouldn't be surprised if she avoided places like that because of what people think she is.

"It's pretty big. Spacious, and to be honest, it can get pretty loud because of how well sound travels. No one can really hear each other unless they're close. It's partly because of the wood and the design. Personally, I like it. Definitely looks nice."

I try to phrase it in a way that says "It's an exposed space with no privacy, but no one can try to eavesdrop on your business because everyone minds their own." To make good on the point, I'll try to find us seats far enough from other students.

"That sounds pretty nice." She says, with a smile. "Oh, uh. Felix. My name's Janine. Thanks again for yesterday. How you tried to make sure I was okay. And for yelling at that jerk. Despite, well, you know. It meant a lot to me."

Devilish beauty and an angelic smile. Humiliation, I'm begging you again. Please don't screw this up for me.