Dangerous Games

A NEUTRAL PARTY

The next weekend, June visited the house, bringing some cake with her to say hello. It had been a while since she came over, and Kali was happy to see her. The house had been empty since Samuel left to visit a friend, and Giovanna had decided to spend the morning at her parent's house.

"How is my brother-in-law?" June asked.

"Good. He went to visit a friend. What about you? How have you been?"

"Busy. I have a report I have to submit in two weeks."

"What about it?"

Giovanna walked into the kitchen, stopping short when she noticed them. She took her headphones off and glanced at the cake on the counter before looking back at them.

"Hey!" June greeted, waving Giovanna over. "I came to see my sister. I didn't think to see you here. Do you want some? It's homemade."

Giovanna glanced at the slice of cake. She hesitated before relenting and taking a seat.

"Yes. Thank you."

June cut out a slice, and Kali handed her another paper plate. "You'll love it."

Giovanna managed to smile after she took a bite. "It's good."

"Thank you."

"What were you saying about your essay?" Kali asked, bringing June back to their conversation.

"Report. I am going to stop by the library to get some books. It's to boost my GPA."

"And it's only books you need?"

"Yes. I have everything else handled."

"Okay."

"How's the university?" Giovanna stared back at them, wide-eyed, when they sharply turned to look at her. "I was only asking to know, but you don't have to answer."

"No. No." June rushed to say. "I was just surprised. The university is alright. Difficult at times, but it depends on the person. Some of my classmates look like they have it all figured out."

"What course do you do?"

"Business and computer science."

"Oh."

"It's not so bad. What do you want to do?"

Giovanna glanced at Kali before replying. "I...I don't know yet."

"That's not a problem. Not everyone has the future figured out before university."

Kali stayed out of the conversation, eating and listening as June took Giovanna through her daily routine as a student. She explained the requirements for her courses and why she chose not to stay in a dorm or on campus. Giovanna listened attentively, heavily interested in every detail.

"You want to come check it out? I can show you around." Kali snapped back to the conversation at June's offer. "I am free today. I can work on my essay later tonight."

"Aren't you going to the library?"

"To pick some books," June replied, then faced Giovanna again. "I can give you a tour of the university. You can even check out the department buildings of the courses you might fancy."

"That's sounds nice."

"It does?" Kali promptly asked.

"Yeah. I'll grab my backpack.

"Great."

"And maybe I can also help you with your essay." Giovanna offered before June could get off her chair. "I am very good with report writing and stuff."