Boot Camp: Old Version

The sweet, artificial scent of sugar and waffle cones hangs heavy in the air. It's six o'clock at your favorite ice cream parlor, Sweet Treat, and you've just successfully navigated your notoriously indecisive best friend, Mina, through the arduous process of ordering ice cream. Two pistachio bowls are now in your hands, a victory hard-won after ten minutes of agonizing deliberation and the audible impatience of the two boys waiting behind you.

You settle into your usual red booth in the corner, a familiar haven from the dramas of life – particularly the recent conclusion of "Hell School," also known as high school. The pistachio is good, as always, despite a brief, sharp brain freeze. Mina, ever conscious of her socialite mother's standards, toys with her spoon, debating the wisdom of another bite.

As you chat about the strangeness of high school being over, the name that sends a shiver down your spine is mentioned: Willow Gerard. The queen of high school drama, the source of countless headaches, and the main reason you're actively trying to block out the last four years. Just as you shudder at the thought, Mina's eyes widen. “Speak of the devil,” you mutter, catching sight of the familiar blonde entering the parlor.