Everything was smooth and peaceful for Rawbin and Lemon. Since they reported Tanya to the principal, she stopped bothering the couple with her evil schemes.
Tanya also took the initiative to avoid them. If she could wipe the two out of her sight, she would have done so.
Weeks passed, and their ninth year in school was almost over. Everyone was excited about their upcoming vacation, and the group had already started planning.
“So, everything’s settled?” Kevz confirmed, and they all nodded.
According to Kippler, Homme’s family owned a resort. He suggested they spend their vacation there. Everyone was coming, including Audrey, who had been avoiding Kip the entire school year.
“Aud, I hope you can join us often next year,” Kale said sweetly. He was with the girls while the rest of the boys were busy playing poker downstairs.
Audrey sighed, smiling lazily at the pink. “Sorry, it’s just that I feel shy around Kip, so I can only hang out with you at school. Don’t worry! I’ll make it up to you next year. I’m sure by then I’ve already moved on from him,” she even raised her right hand to swear.
“Wait, why do you have to move on from my twin?” Kellen asked.
“BFF, it’s been three years since I started liking him secretly. Of course, it will get tiring too.”
“But Aud, you’re not even sure he doesn’t like you!” Kellen snapped.
“Still, I have to move on. It’s time for me to find a new prospect,” Audrey grinned, though her eyes looked sad.
“No! Can’t you just keep liking Kip?” Kellen insisted.
“Wait, Kel, does Kip like her?” Lemon asked, and she reacted like she was caught red-handed. She was in a trance for a few seconds, as if she said something she wasn’t supposed to have said.
“Ahm, well… I’m not sure either, but…” Kellen trailed. “Ugh! I think Kip will kill me!” she exclaimed exaggeratedly.
“I’ll kill you first if you don’t finish what you were saying,” Kale threatened while peeling his nail polish. Lemon chuckled when Kellen looked more anxious after what Kale said.
“I haven’t confirmed it either, okay?” she snapped at the pink. “But Kip’s been asking a lot about you recently, especially when we rarely see you.”
“Really?” Audrey exclaimed. She was happy for a second, but her smile turned upside down.
“Why?” Lemon asked out of curiosity.
“I dunno. I just don’t want to give myself any false hopes. Kippler’s questions might not even mean anything. Maybe he’s just curious since we’re almost always together, ever since,” she explained.
Lemon nodded. She perfectly understood what Audrey was trying to say. She has a point. Maybe Kellen was just overthinking.
Lemon sighed, and they all turned to look at her. It was as if she had done something outrageous. “What?”
“That was deep!” Audrey commented, “Are you going through something?”
“I’m not!” Lemon responded casually, but they were unconvinced. “Fine, it’s Rob, actually,” and again, she sighed.
“Oh, why? Did something happen? Is it Tanya again?” Kellen asked worriedly. She even moved closer to tap Lemon’s back.
“No, it’s just that he feels distant. Like he’s starting to drift away,” Lemon explained, smiling faintly at them.
“Did you two fight?” Kale asked, and she shook her head.
“We’re okay, actually. But as days went by, Rawbin became less and less sweet. He’s not like he used to be. I can tell since we’re almost always together. I can say that something’s changed in him.”
“Graduation jitters, maybe?” Kellen chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
“Could be. Maybe because Rawibn was unsure whether he’d continue studying here or they’re migrating.”
Kellen gasped, “Then maybe that was it. Because you’re going to part from each other.”
That is true, and of course, Lemon was a little apprehensive too. She doesn’t buy long-distance relationships. She never will.
That was one of the reasons why she didn’t say yes to any of her suitors in France. Because she knew she would have to go away.
All four sighed as if they were all going through something. “Life’s complicated, isn’t it?” Kale expressed, still working on his nails.
“Exactly! If only you and Rawbin can be together forever,” Kellen said as she turned to her, then she continued, “The same goes for Audrey and Kip, me and Homme.”
“What is that forever we’re hearing?” They all gasped when Kevz suddenly showed up. They didn’t even notice they all went upstairs. Behind Kevz stood Rawbin, Roj, Homme, Kippler, and Drew.
Lemon suddenly felt thirsty, and when she looked at Audrey, the girl had frozen again. Even Kellen bowed her head. ‘Please don’t let us get caught.’
Kale let out a short, loud laugh. “Why are you suddenly quiet?” he asked, but not one of the girls could respond.
Kellen threw him a death glare, and he immediately covered his mouth. Audrey and Lemon kept kicking each other under the table.
“What is it about forever?” Rawbin asked as he walked behind Lemon.
“We’re not talking anything about forever!” Kellen snapped. “Besides, why are you all here? It’s an all-girls talk!”
Homme pushed himself up to sit on the railings. “We got bored playing poker. Besides, we missed our muses too,” he said.
“Kellen, did you just blush?” Kevz pointed out, laughing, and she could only roll her eyes at their silly friend.
“Lucky for you guys that you got muses to miss,” Roj shook his head and pouted while Kippler tapped his shoulder.
Kip stood right behind Audrey, and Lemon caught him staring at their friend. She chuckled mentally. It seemed like there was something behind Kellen’s words.
After a few more minutes, Guido called the boys. They wanted to grill, so they had to start cooking in time for dinner. However, Rawbin had to leave. Her older sister arrived with her husband and will have dinner with the family.
When Rawbin bade them farewell, the boys followed him downstairs. The girls were left again, and it seemed like it was only then that Audrey was able to breathe.
“Shit, you think they heard?” Lemon whispered.
“I don’t think so, but that was close,” Kellen chuckled nervously, fanning her face with her hand.
“It’s because you talk too much!” Lemon told her off, and they all broke into laughter.
“By the way, cuz,” Kellen turned to Lemon when she seemed to have remembered something. “I got something to ask you, but please be honest, okay?” Lemon’s brows shot up automatically. “Are you avoiding Drew?”
“Why? Did you and Drew fight?” Audrey pried.
“Not really,” she told Audrey, and she turned to her cousin. “And no, I’m not avoiding him. Why do you ask?”
“Well, it’s Kip who asked me. You know him, being the leader of your band, he’s a bit too observant when it comes to you guys, So he noticed that you’re avoiding or you looked like you’re avoiding Drew,” she explained.
“In all honesty, I don’t know why too.”
“So you’re indeed avoiding him?” Kellen asked again, and she nodded slowly. “But why? Did he cross you or something?”
“He didn’t, and I don’t understand either. That was just my reaction after that incident at the bar.”
“What happened then?” Audrey probed, and Lemon generously narrated the story.
“And?” Kellen asked, her forehead wrinkled.
“The same incident happened several times. At the library, gym, parking lot, and avoiding him sort of became a hobby for me,” she told them, chuckling.
However, not one of the three found it funny. Kellen and Audrey stared at her with their brows knitted. Meanwhile, Kale stopped picking on his nails and stared at her too.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” She snapped, looking at each one of them.
“And why are you affected by his kissing scenes?” Kale asked.
“I’m not!” she quickly answered, sounding defensive.
“Actually, you are,” Kellen and Audrey said in unison.
She looked at the two back and forth, weighing whether they were serious with what they just said. She looked at Kale, and he gently nodded, agreeing with the duo.
“I don’t think I am. I mean, there’s no reason for me to be affected,” Lemon stated, trying to defend herself.
“Exactly the point! There’s no reason to act like that, but since you are avoiding him, it only means you’re indeed affected. The million-dollar question is, why?” Kale asked knowingly.
Lemon was suddenly at a loss for words. ‘How am I supposed to answer him when I can’t answer the same question myself?’ She shook her head and raised the white flag.
“Could it be that you like Drew?” Kale asked, and she almost hit him.
“That’s absurd! I have Rawbin. I have a boyfriend. How did you come up with such a ridiculous idea?” Audrey and Kellen exchanged weird glances, and Lemon suddenly felt nervous. “Is that even possible?”
“Come on, Leslie Monica! It’s not like it’s your first time seeing a live kissing scene! Remember when you saw Zone kissing some random girl?” Kale reminded, and she nodded. “Why didn’t you avoid him after that? Heck, you even became friends after you turned him down.”
“O-M-G, cuz!” Kellen shrieked.
“O-M-G! You like Drew?” Audrey asked with wide eyes.
“Who likes Drew?” Yet again, Kevz showed up, and they all froze in their seats.
Lemon facepalmed as she tried to calm down. ‘Why does he always show up at the wrong time?’ She threw death glares at Audrey and Kellen, especially Kale.
“Kale, of course! He’s fantasizing over Drew,” Kellen responded after thinking for a few seconds.
Kale wanted to refute her statement, but Kellen lightly pinched his leg, so he decided to shut it. Kellen then sighed in relief. Even Audrey slumped her shoulders after they survived the ambush.
Kevz nodded, seemingly convinced by what Kellen said. After a while, the others showed up, and Kevz just had to say it. “Hey dude, Kale’s fantasizing over you!”
Everyone started laughing after what he said. “I didn’t know you weren’t just a chick magnet!” Homme teased, messing up with Drew’s hair.
The snob guy brushed his hand off, evidently irritated, but they all laughed at him. Lemon stole a glance and clearly saw his long face.
“Don’t worry! I’ll start moving on tomorrow!” Kale snapped, rolling his eyes at the girls.
Their attention turned to Kevz when he clicked his tongue, “What a pity, I thought it was my bet who likes Drew. It turned out it was just Kale,” he stated.
Lemon wanted to see if he was serious about what he said, but she couldn’t turn to look at him. Her neck felt stiff as he was sitting behind her.
Drew was leaning on the wall next to the door. Homme and Roj were sitting on the railings. Kip squeezed himself onto the chair Kellen was sitting on so he was facing Audrey. And their friend looked like she wasn’t breathing again.
“You’ve been here for hours! What are you talking about?” Kip asked no one in particular.
Lemon was still thinking about what to say when Kale suddenly spoke, “Lemon and Rawbin!”
“Why? Did you fight with him, Partner?” Kevz asked, and she shook her head in response.
“She said Rawbin’s been distant lately,” Kellen added. These are the times Lemon wished her eyes had lasers. For sure, it would be good for the two of them.
Audrey looked at her apologetically. Lemon doesn’t know if she was sorry because of what the two said or if she was sorry they were their friends.
“Llamansares is graduating, right?” Roj asked.
“Yep! So he’s leaving Partner soon!” Kevz responded, and weirdly, he sounded happy about it.
“Maybe that’s why he’s being a bit distant. Because you’re bound to part ways anyway,” Homme added. She smiled lazily at him, and he messed up with her hair. “That’s okay! It’s part of growing up.”
“If you break up with Rawbin, does that mean my friend will soon have a chance?” Kevz asked.
Lemon couldn’t understand why he was talking about his friend suddenly. He even sounded happy about her pending breakup.
“Who is it? Does he like Lemon?” Roj inquired.
“He does, but he won’t admit it. He’s a shy type, you know,” then he laughed out loud.
“But do you really think you two will soon break up?” Kip asked.
“I don’t know, maybe,” Lemon shrugged.
“Then you’re available again, Partner. That means you’re open to suitors and courtships,” Kevz commented.
Lemon doesn’t know if he was tripping or what. But everyone who asked her sounded melancholic. He was the only one who was chirpy.
“Not right away, of course. Lemon had to move on, too,” Kellen told him.
“Shit, I think my friend will be delighted if he finds out,” Kevz exclaimed.
“Who’s your friend? He can’t be less charming than Rawbin, or that will be a total downgrade,” Kale commented.
“Of course not! He’s a qualified heartthrob,” yet again, he laughed annoyingly. “I’ll send him a message now to give him the good news.” He then took out his phone and started typing on it. “Sent!” he even said.
Seconds after, someone’s phone beeped.