Drew didn’t break up with Anne simply because of what she did. He would be too petty if that were the case. But since he couldn’t expose the real reason, he had no choice but to resort to something as shallow as that.
After talking to Anne, he ran upstairs and snatched his phone to reread the message from Ysmael. ‘Myco’s enrolled. I hope you’re classmates!’
He plopped on the bed as his legs felt weak. ‘Now Myco could meet Leslie anytime. What am I supposed to do?’ Different scenarios run through his mind. They weren’t pretty, and it made him feel nervous.
“Food is here!” Kevz yelled, and Drew pushed himself up. He headed downstairs to join the group for breakfast.
Looking around, the only space left was next to Lemon, so he sat there. But, as soon as his butt touched the couch, she slid to the floor.
He was embarrassed, especially when Kevz looked at him with pity. But just like the other times, he couldn’t blame Lemon. He could only sigh.
“Drew, here,” Homme called, passing the plate with fried chicken onto him. Kevz was about to say something, but Drew had already taken it and passed it to Lemon.
“He knows,” Homme whispered to Roj, and they laughed. Drew got irritated as he often fell for their childish traps.
After eating, he stepped out for a smoke. He doesn’t usually do that, only when he feels tense. And he had been tense since he woke up.
Although his cousins hadn’t started with their plan, he was already feeling scared for Lemon. He wanted to know what they were planning so he could protect her. But he doesn’t know how to ask.
“Guido!” Lemon called.
“What is it, ma’am?”
“I told you, just call me Lemon,” she told him off again. “Anyway, are you smoking?”
Drew suddenly froze in place, especially when Kevz came out. “It’s Drew Reagan who’s smoking!” he yelled.
His brow raised automatically. ‘Since when did smoking become an issue? I’ve been smoking since they’ve known me.’
“Dude, throw it! Didn’t you know Lemon’s asthmatic?” Homme scolded through the window.
His eyes widened in shock. ‘What the fuck? I didn’t know that!’ He quickly pressed the stub on the ashtray and threw it into the trashcan.
Glancing through the window, he saw Lemon pinching her nose with her lips pouted. He also saw Roj lying on the sofa with his head on Lemon’s lap again. But just like the other instances, he could only roll his eyes.
On the other hand, Lemon didn’t know that Drew smoked, and it turned her off. Not because she didn’t find it cool but because she was asthmatic.
She saw him steal a glance through the window, and Lemon wrinkled her face more. She wanted to show him how much she disliked what he did. But instead of apologizing, Drew rolled his eyes at her.
When Roj stood up, Lemon headed upstairs. She went to her favorite spot on the terrace and sat there, leaning far back and stretching her legs out.
She played music from her phone and wore her earphones. When her favorite song played, she didn’t think twice and sang along.
‘Ever since the day you went away and left me lonely and cold~’
Lemon sat up in preparation for the chorus. But before it could get there, someone pulled her earpiece. “So you think you’re Natalie?” it was none other than Kevz, of course!
She scowled and snatched her earpiece, but he just laughed at her, lifting her feet and placing them on his lap. “You’re such an asshole!” She spat, not noticing the rest of the crew.
“I told you not to disturb her when she’s having a concert!” Homme scolded Kevz, giving Lemon a high five.
“Wasn’t that Going Crazy? For who?” Roj teased, but it got her thinking.
‘To whom do I dedicate that song? When did I even start liking it?’ “For no one! I just like the song,” she told him as she continued to think about when she started liking the said song.
“I thought it was for…” then Kevz rolled his eyes.
“Kevz, don’t you have a girlfriend?” Lemon asked, and his forehead automatically creased. Rubbing his chin, he looked up as if thinking.
“It’s because no one makes a mistake of getting into a relationship with him,” Kip butted in.
“Wow, Kip! You’re too hard on me!” he spat before turning to Lemon. “I don’t have a girlfriend because I can’t choose. There’s too many to choose from!”
“So you’re content with having flings?” She asked him straight out, but for some unknown reason, he blushed before nodding.
“He’s content with flings because he can’t approach the girl he likes,” Homme commented.
Lemon wrinkled her nose at Kevz, “You should try to be serious sometimes. Maybe then she’ll notice you,” she laughed.
But Kevz, being Kevz, didn’t let her get away with it. He heaved a sigh and smiled at her teasingly. “What about Drew then? He’s serious, but you’re still ignoring him!” he stated, and Lemon suddenly felt her heartbeat quicken.
‘My God! How can he be this foolish!’
They were quiet for a while before everyone started laughing. “Do you both need to blush?” Roj asked out loud, and Kevz’s laughter grew louder.
She kicked the chair Kevz was sitting on, but that didn’t bother him. He just kept laughing, and all Lemon could do was roll her eyes and bite on her inner cheek to lessen her nervousness.
The teasing continued until Lemon heard Kale’s voice. She sighed in relief, thinking the pink could save her. Then again, she was wrong.
“Why are you blushing, Leslie Monica?” Lemon glared at him, but he just turned to Kellen.
“What’s the topic?” Kellen asked.
She wanted to cry at how slow they were. They couldn’t pick up simple signals. The good thing was that Kevz did. But, of course, Lemon can’t rely on him since he is in teasing mode.
“Topic! That’s a good one!” Roj chimed in, raising a finger like it was a eureka moment. “Since we’re not strangers, why don’t we confess who we like?”
Homme looked at him, and he seemed hesitant. Lemon was sure he was hiding something. When she looked at Kellen, her reaction was comparable to Homme’s.
Kevz was neutral, but Drew looked constipated. Lemon wasn’t even sure how she looked. All she knew was that she didn’t like Roj’s idea.
Kevz jumped off his seat, dropping Lemon’s feet to the ground, “Let’s go downstairs and talk about this!”
“C-Can we do it later? I think it’s best to do that while drinking,” Homme suggested.
Lemon laughed mentally. ‘Excuses, excuses!’ But she was hopeful their plan wouldn’t push through. She was not ready to answer whatever questions they had yet.
And since Homme couldn’t convince them not to do it, Lemon decided to nap. She hoped when she woke up, Roj’s idea was nothing but a bad dream.
After who knows how long, she woke up to Kale screaming. “Let’s go! IT’S TIME~” he announced, smiling from ear to ear.
Lemon clapped her forehead in disbelief. ‘They’re serious about it?” She sighed and pushed herself up. When she looked outside, it was already dark, so she went for a bath first.
Downstairs, they had already prepared for their drinking session. Kellen, Kale, Roj, Homme, Drew, Kip, and Kevz were seated in a circle.
“Let’s go, Partner!” Kevz excitedly called her, pointing at the space between him and Kellen.
Lemon walked over hesitantly. She knew she had no choice but to join them, and as soon as she sat down, the ceremony started.
Homme opened the bottle of vodka. He was in charge of passing the shots. It was a fair deal since he has the highest alcohol tolerance.
Kevz, on the other hand, was the leader of silliness. He won’t let the game start without having a rule. “After drinking your shot, you need to say who is your first crush at SMU!”
The group said it was simple. Lemon agreed. Simple because they had already moved on from their first crushes. ‘How will it be simple for me?’
They started the game by picking who would go first. In the end, Roj volunteered to start their foolishness. It was his idea, anyway.
Homme passed the shot glass to him, and Roj accepted it without hesitation. “Nico!” he announced after downing its content.
Then, it was Homme’s turn, “Tanya!” Lemon literally stared at him, shocked at his confession. ‘What the fuck? Did he seriously like that witch?
She looked at Kellen just in time to see her cousin roll her eyes, and Lemon almost laughed. Next was Drew, and he mentioned someone named ‘Hanna.’
“Nico,” Kip said, and everyone turned their heads to him. “What?!” he asked irritatedly.
“Are you serious? Nico’s your first crush?” Kellen was a bit exaggerated, and that caused Kip to feel embarrassed. He even bowed his head before nodding.
And everyone turned their heads to Roj. “I knew about that,” he told them right away.
“Actually, Roj and I liked her at the same time. But since Roj liked her more, I gave way,” he explained in between chuckles.
Kevz downed his shot and named his first crush, ‘Sam.’
When Homme passed the shot glass to Lemon, Kevz took it away. “Hold up, Kale and Lemon should be last since they’re new at SMU.”
When everyone agreed, Lemon sighed to calm her nerves. It was useless since her turn would come anyway. But it at least helped her relax a bit.
Kellen took the glass from Kevz and drank the vodka. It was funny that she blushed before she confessed who her first crush was.
“I think I know this,” Kip commented as he rubbed his chin.
Kellen rolled her eyes at her twin before clearing her throat, “It’s Yvo,” she whispered.
Lemon creased her forehead. She really thought she would say it was Homme, and when Lemon looked at the guy, she witnessed how his shoulders slumped.
“I knew it! That’s why you always watched my practices when I was still a trainee!” Kip spilled.
Roj turned to Homme, placing an arm on his shoulder, “That’s okay, bro. It was all in the past,” he told him, and everyone cracked up.
Homme poured vodka into the shot glass and passed it onto Kale. He obviously did that to change the topic and turn the attention away from him.
“Roj,” Kale announced after drinking. Kevz and Kip stood up and jumped in circles while holding hands.
The group almost died laughing while Roj tried to stop them. He would even pull his hair lightly as a sign of irritation and frustration. He turned red in embarrassment, but no one knew if it was because of what Kale said or because of what their friends.
When the laughter wound down, Kevz cleared his throat. When he looked at Lemon, she suddenly wanted to ask them to rejoice more, play more. Don’t stop until they’re dead tired.
But Homme seemed to be in a hurry. He poured vodka into the shot glass and handed it to Lemon, who took it and pretended to look at its contents.
She did that several times to drag time. Unfortunately, her friends noticed, and she got scolded. Without a choice, she drank the vodka, and as soon as she placed the glass down, everyone turned to her.
Kevz propped a hand under his chin while Homme and Roj leaned closer. Kale and Kellen held hands as if waiting for the winner’s announcement.
“Spill!” Kale squealed impatiently.
It shouldn’t be a big deal, but she was a nervous wreck. Once more, she inhaled before pointing at the guy on her left.
“It’s Drew.”
The group was quiet for a while.
A while longer, and Lemon was thankful they didn’t tease her. Then again, that was just wishful thinking because, in reality, everyone lost it.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Wooooooooooooooooooooo!”
“AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH”
There, chaos ensued.