ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Terrance and Isaac both seemed to lock eyes for a second when Helene locked arms with both of them. Lightning seemed to jump between their eyes. It seemed that both wanted the same thing, and neither were willing to give up on their same goal. “Well, lets get this show on the road then!” And the trio were hurried to the car, and began to cruise the northern side of the town. Terrance couldn’t help but to be a little bit no edge as they visited so many scenic destinations on the north side of town. For some reason, it left a sour taste in his mouth. He wanted to experience seeing these sights alone with Helene for her first time. It bummed out Terrance that he was having to share this moment with Isaac. But why did it matter so much to him? He was just using her until he was done with her. Then he would move on to the next girl, and the natural cycle would continue. It just so happened that he wasn’t done yet with Helene.


Arthur seemed a little anxious still at her statement. Carlton? He hadn’t believed his father had ever gone there before. Both his parents were from Sweden, and only moved to the United States when the Patrone family moved to expand in the USA. Carlton didn’t sound familiar to any documents that Noah kept. So it was slightly reassuring. Besides, plenty of people on the planet had blond hair and blue eyes. Perhaps it was the long hair that seemed to worry him. But it was more common for girls to wear long hair than men. Her last statement hit Arthur like a dagger to his chest. Why didn’t they want her? He could feel his heart welling up in his chest and he held her even tighter. He took a deep breath, continuing to pet her hair. “I want you, Eva.” He wasn’t sure how to comfort her, so he just continued to hold her tight and pet her hair. He couldn’t imagine someone not wanting a daughter like Eva. She was perfect in so many ways. Oh well, their loss is his gain.


“I promise, only after death will I ever leave your side, Alyssa.” Jacob grinned wildly before passionately kissing back Alyssa. He felt like he could survive a bomb dropping on him, he was so full of energy at this moment. “I’d stay, but I don’t want to wake your parents… So I guess I’ll just see you on campus again tomorrow. My sweet girlfriend.” He smiled blissfully at the ability to call her that again.


While Eva continued to sleep on the bed, Arthur stood up and quickly got dressed. He could let her sleep in for a few more minutes. He could see where teardrops had dried on her cheeks from crying the night before, and it made his heart ache. But first he needed to clear something up. Descending the stairs into the kitchen, Arthur found his mother, Alyssa, preparing a simple breakfast. “Good morning, Arthur. You are up earlier than normal. Where is Eva?” She continued to focus on the eggs frying on the stovetop.

“Mom… Do you know why Alexander’s parents have been gone so long?” Alyssa seemed to slow down on her cooking movements as she thought for a while on what the correct thing to say was.

“If love could be measurable, then I would say they loved each other more than anything else in the world. And they showed it. I don’t think they would trade each other for anything. They have been that way since they first started dating, while we were all still in Sweden. Their love for one another is greater than anything in this world. With that said, They don’t truly care for anything else beyond themselves and… well… I don’t think that Alexander ever stood a chance to truly gain their love.” Arthur’s mom seemed to start to trail off there. Was that why Alexander was so obsessed with finding someone to love? That his own life had been so devoid of love from his own parents, that he needed to find his own? Perhaps Alexander just wanted to find someone who made him as happy as his parents make each other. Love really turned people crazy, it seemed… But Arthur didn’t ponder on it too long, as it was primarily Alexander’s problem, and he would have to find a solution on his own…


“Alright Jacob, don’t act weird. We gotta make everything seem normal.” Tuesday morning, the duo waited in Terrance’s car in the driveway to the Davids’ household. They were preparing to pick up Alexander. It has been over 5 years since he had last seen his parents, and always around his birthday, it seemed that Alexander could become exceptionally manic-depressive. Terrance honked his horn a few times, trying to catch the attention of their caramel-eyed friend. He hadn’t even woken up for the morning until he heard the honking of his friends. His eyes were still dull in color, and no grin graced his lips, as he sluggishly moved out of bed, dressed, gathered his backpack, and a separate bag for lunch. But once the door opened, and Alexander spotted his friends, he quickly threw on a smile, and his eyes lit up. “Good morning guys! Ready for class? God, I’m ready for the weekend…” Alexander’s smile only slightly waivered at the statement, as if remembering his upcoming birthday.

“Yeah, well school always sucks. Let’s make it through the day and maybe we can do something fun after class. It is still pretty warm, maybe we can make a quick trip to the beach? You like the beach, Alex!” Alexander’s eyes lit up quickly and he nodded to his friends jovially. Arriving on campus, Alex seemed to have a skip to his step. So far so good, Jacob and Terrance determined, watching their naturally hyper friend. They were going to have to treed carefully, because the smallest negative shift could push him over the edge. “Arthur! Jacob and Terrance suggested going to the beach after class. We should definitely go!” His caramel eyes darted to Eva, who was standing right by Arthur’s side and holding his hand. It seemed that this was going to be the norm for a while. “You should see if your friends want to join us… It would be amazing to see Gigi in a swimsuit!” Alexander smiled blissfully, rocking back and forth on his feet. “Do you know if she is here today? I have a gift for her.” Alexander held up the Tupperware package he had brought with him today. Arthur raised an eyebrow, looking at the mysterious package and just shook his head at his friend, signally that he hadn’t seen Gigi. “We just got here not that long ago…”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Worried.
✖✖ I am At... Arthur's bedroom
✖✖ I am With... Eva
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Feeling particularly groggy as she woke up Eva found herself with a slight headache. As she got up, she felt the entire room spin for a moment. She felt heavy, her chest tight as she got herself ready. This feeling was familiar, though it wasn't until she got dressed that she realized what was happening. Rummaging through her bag at a slow pace, she found her iron pills, taking a pair with her as she went to eat. After taking them she felt loads better, though she figured it was just another spell and thought nothing of it. Figuring recording it on her calendar just to be safe, she was shocked to see she had so many text messages. A majority of them were from Helene and Alyssa, mostly of them complaining about one another, although she got three from Gigi. The first two consisted of 'HELP' and 'THEY WON'T STOP' which meant since they couldn't get a hold of Eva, they had gone to her instead. The third was a little longer: Helene and Alyssa are still arguing.

She was so distracted by her phone that she nearly missed Alexander's invitation. The beach? That actually sounded like fun. She giggled at his mention of Gigi in a swimsuit, though she was a little surprised he had something for her. Had he cooked for her? "That's so sweet of you," She complimented his thoughtfulness. "And, um, the beach does sound like a good time." She hesitated for a moment, remembering the current feud between her friends. Choosing to avoid mentioning them, she decided to pander to Alexander a little more. "She'll be here soon, I'm sure she'll appreciate...whatever you made for her!"

Of course, Eva's optimism was a slight scam. Not that she doubted anything she said about Gigi, but anytime Alyssa and Helene fought for more than a day, it spelled out trouble. To her surprise, she spotted Gigi in a run, only stopping before them, her hands on her knees as she caught their breath. Eva stepped towards her, watching the usually composed Gigi get annoyed. "They won't--leave--me alone--" She managed between gasps as she straightened up, trying to communicate with Eva. "Why--didn't you answer--last night--?!"

Because she basically cried herself to sleep after having a little emotional break down in her boyfriend's bedroom. Not that she was going to admit that to anyone, less so in front of Arthur who probably knew but was too nice to say anything. It had been a long night. "I was tired after my performance," She said, frowning.

Finally stabilizing, she threw her a look of exasperation. "Then the best thing to do is to high tail it before they show up and make us take sides, I'm not getting involved again," Gigi stated.

As she opened her mouth to reply, she remembered Alexander's little gift. "Ah, well, we'll take things as they happen, I'm sure it'll blow over," She assured her, lightly nudging Alexander.

Gigi raised her eyebrow, though took a step back as Helene surprised them by jumping on top of Eva. To her surprise, Eva found she couldn't hold her up as her knees buckled, letting out a yell as they both hit the ground. Oof, there was that dizzy spell again, though as she was pulled to her feet she shook her head, clearing it away. She didn't get a chance to tell Helene off as the French girl pulled her into a hug, rubbing her cheek against hers. "And here's the little hellraiser that didn't answer any of my texts! Arthur occupying all your time now, hmm?" Helene sang as she clung onto Eva, much to the blonde's annoyance. "You know how much I need your advice! I'm starting to think he's stealing you away from me!"

"I was tired. After my performance," She repeated, wriggling herself out of Helene's grip and running back to Arthur's side, clinging to him in case Helene decided to pounce on her again. "And you're just really, really mad at each other right now so you're going to make us take sides!" Of course, all of Helene's playfulness evaporated as her eyes narrowed, and Eva followed her gaze to see Alyssa at the receiving end. Oh boy. "Good morning...?" She greeted Alyssa, although she was completely surprised when Alyssa began to walk towards them, especially when she dropped her bag on the ground. "U-Um..."

"Excellent, we can get this out of the way nice and early," Helene replied as she copied Alyssa and dropped her own bag, a cheerfulness in her voice that Eva instantly recognized as Helene's 'I'm actually super pissed off but I'm not going to show it in front of people' voice. Though it became super obvious how mad she was when she cracked her knuckles. Both Gigi and Eva immediately stepped in front of Helene, each one grabbing one of their friends and trying to prevent them from walking forward to one another. "Will you guys relax? We're just going to talk~"

"You're angry and your thought process is irrational," Gigi replied, easily stopping Alyssa.

"We can sit and talk this out! You don't have to fight!" Eva was still being dragged forward by Helene, not quite having Gigi's strength.

"No, it's about time we hashed this one out," Alyssa agreed with Helene, her fake smile a little unnerving. "Helene doesn't listen to reason, she wants everyone to get on their hands and knees and thank God every day like the sun shines out of her ass while she prances around acting like the Queen of England!"

"And Alyssa's stick up her ass is starting to affect her brain, you asked for the truth and you got it! How the hell is that my fault?!"

Eva groaned, throwing her head back as Helene dragged her along rather comically. Why was this happening?!

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

It was a little warming at first to see most of the gang together again, save for Helene and Alyssa. Of which, it seemed both Terrance and Jacob were acting strangely. Did they know something that Arthur didn’t? Not really. Terrance was still internally fighting over his feelings for Helene, that he tried his damn hardest to keep under wraps. He was also slightly frustrated at being cockblocked by Jacob’s eldest brother Isaac the night before. Damn that smug punk for wanting Helene. Jacob wasn’t done with her yet, and he definitely wasn’t ready to pass her on to someone else. Jacob on the other hand was internally conflicting with the fact that he and Alyssa had gotten back together, and no one knew yet besides themselves. He wanted to tell everyone, but at the same time he grew very anxious about rekindling their flame. In his heart he knew it was what he wanted, and it was the right thing to do. But considering this new alliance with Helene, having Alyssa too close could jeopardize a lot of things. Though, at the same time, Jacob felt he could trust Alyssa to keep her mouth shut and not expose anything to her father.

Alexander’s mood seemed to continue on the up and up when Eva mentioned going to the beach was a good idea. Even Arthur seemed a bit excited at the idea. Mainly seeing Eva in a bathing suit. Sure, he had already seen her naked plenty of times. But there was something about having her run around in a skimpy bathing suit that got his mind going. He didn’t like the idea of other guys oogling at her. But at the same time, he wanted to flaunt to everyone that she was his, and no one else’s. “Beach sounds perfect.” Arthur rested a hand on Eva’s shoulder, shooting her a very small grin.

When Gigi approached, it seemed as if Arthur completely missed her ramblings and how exhausted she seemed to be from running. All he could focus on was presenting her with his gift, and trying to convince her to go to the beach with them after school. When his eyes landed on Gigi, he felt as if a warm wave was already rushing over him, and he was continuing to walk on air. But before he could finally open his mouth, Eva was pounced on, and just as quickly, Helene and Alyssa were at one another’s throats. Almost just as instantaneously, Jacob and Terrance both hopped on their respective girls, holding the other back and away. “Woah, woah! Helene! Not here! Don’t start a fight!”

“Yeah, Alyssa. What has gotten into you two?” Terrance and Jacob were both significantly confused as to what could be causing the two to fight. But it seemed Terrance was the first to try and fit pieces together. The Swedes knew who Helene was and her family, and they also knew what Alyssa was and her family… so where they fighting over that? Terrance grew nervous at the thought of Alyssa exposing all of them, after Jacob made the dumb decision to tell Alyssa just about everything. That was when Terrance’s eyes shot up to Jacob, who was holding Alyssa around her waist to pull her back. Why was she not fighting Jacob for holding him? And why was Jacob so casually holding onto her hips?

More puzzle pieces fell into place, and everything clicked. They made up last night. And with this revelation, Terrance not only let Helene go, but held back her friends so she could move freely. “Do what you need to Helene!” Arthur stayed his distance, simply analyzing the situation for what it was. But something else felt off to him, and he turned his head towards Alexander he stood beside him. He looked like a statue, frozen in place and holding onto the little package for Gigi. The only thing that had changed was again, the disappearing smile and the dulling eyes. Oh shit. “Terrance.” He called his attention, quickly nodding his head towards Alex.

The fighting and aggression being taken out in front of his eyes seemed to trigger a depressive episode, as Alexander’s shoulder slumped and he let his package drop onto the ground, where it rocked back and forth a bit. Terrance and Jacob both witnessed this, and their eyes shot back towards each other, exchanging a relatively ‘oh no’ look. “Alexan-“ But he couldn’t get out the rest of the name when Alexander 180’d on his heel, and ran towards the main building, not looking back. “Shit.” Arthur watched as his friend took off too, not completely sure if he should chase his friend or give him space. He wasn’t good at comforting Alexander when his episodes would start. That was primarily handled by Terrance and Jacob. They had to maintain some kind of peace and simple life around him or he would fall off his rocker. And as of this morning so far, they were failing significantly.

Arthur walked picked back up the little package before any ants could begin to infiltrate the container. On the top was a sticky note with “Gigi <3” written on it. Arthur popped off the top to find Flan, probably big enough to share with two people. He closed the lid back looking at Gigi. He wasn’t sure if now was the right time to hand it over. Perhaps he should just hold on to it till lunch, and give Alexander a chance to present it to Gigi himself. However, Arthur wasn’t the most gentle person. He handed over the container to Eva, figuring that she would be careful enough with it, that it wouldn’t get destroyed. “Hold onto this for Alexander, would you?” Terrance stepped away from the brawling girls, prepared to chase Alexander. He turned his attention to Eva just for a second.

“If anyone can get them to stop fighting, it is probably you… For Alexander’s sake, please settle your friends. And convince them to come to the beach with us.” With that, Terrance ran away after his puppy dog friend.

Alexander had found himself a corner between some lockers to collapse in. It was often overlooked by most passerby students. So it was the perfect place for him to sit, knees to his chest, and face tucked in between them. He wrapped his arms around his legs and squeezed them tightly. As if he could just curl up into a ball and squeeze himself smaller, smaller, smaller, until his entire body would just vanish. But unfortunately, he was still here, and his body continued to shake. Why were they fighting? Why weren’t they just getting along, like normal friends? Are they not friends anymore? Is everything just falling apart? Terrance finally caught up to Alexander and crouched down on his knees by the shaking boy. He raised his head slowly to look at Terrance, the tears welling up in his dull, gold eyes. “Hey, buddy. Are you okay?” This was a stupid question, as it was very obvious that Alexander was anything but okay. Alexander shook his head, his eyes just scanning the floor. “Why is the world cruel?” Was all Alexander seemed to squeak out before getting choked up. Terrance sighed and rubbed Alexander’s back. “I don’t know… But you have to keep your head up. You don’t want Gigi to see you like this, do you?”

Alexander’s head seemed to perk up a little, but it didn’t clear the clouds from his eyes. Alexander shook his head, and wiped his face before getting to his feet. But even though he was standing, it was obvious to anyone that knew Alexander that something inside him had shifted. This wasn’t the same loving, happy-go-lucky, romantic Alexander. This was depressed, apathetic Alexander. Terrance and Jacob had failed, and Terrance knew it was going to take a lot of effort to get him out of the rut. “Let’s just get you to class, alright? We don’t have to go back to the courtyard.” Terrance patted Alexander’s back, and they made their way to homeroom.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Worried.
✖✖ I am At... School Courtyard
✖✖ I am With... TJacob, Eva, Helene, Alyssa, and Gigi.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Note to self: Terrance Flights is on my shit list.

The exact thought crossed Gigi's mind as Terrance released Helene, somehow managing to hold her back as the two went at it. Seriously?! But it was much too late to do anything, and both Alyssa and Helene were too stubborn and too proud to admit that the entire situation was not only pointless, but stupid. For just a moment, Gigi just watched, even after the boys had departed to chase after Alexander. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she looked at Eva, who held something in her hand. She caught Gigi's eye, the two sharing a mutual thought, and nodded to one another. After Eva carefully placed Alexander's gift next to her bag, she stood up and carefully approached the fighting pair. Geez, she hadn't seen them so angry like this, it was actually a little scary that they'd resort to good old fistcuffs.

Gigi motioned to Eva, who remained in her spot, and she managed to grab Alyssa's arm. Despite knowing that she was probably going to end up hurting Alyssa a little, she twisted it, pushing it into her back and successfully slamming her to the ground. Helene froze for a second, though Eva came out of left field and literally tackled her to the ground. "What the hell?! Stay out of this!" Helene yelled, fuming.

"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Eva ended up yelling back as she kept Helene down. "There's nothing that could possibly justify throwing a punch at your friend like this! You even upset poor Alexander, don't you have an ounce of decency?" Gigi watched the pair cautiously, though it seemed they had gotten it mostly out of their system, and after she released Alyssa she helped her to her feet. Eva helped Helene stand, though she made sure she was standing between the two. "We're friends! Friends don't go attacking each other like this! We're settling this at lunch, and don't try to run 'cause I'll find you!" She huffed, picking up her bag and Alexander's gift. She noticed Gigi had been looking elsewhere, seemingly distracted. Helene mumbled something, though she just grabbed her bag and took off. Alyssa did the same, marching on towards school. Fantastic! What a great start to the day! As the thought crossed her mind, Eva put a hand to her head, letting out a sigh. All the commotion made her feel unwell, though now with a moment of peace she steadied herself.

Gigi finally looked at her, frowning slightly. "Good job," She stated.

"We can't let this happen again," Eva told her. "Did you see Alexander? He looked like he had just saw his dog get run over! And Terrance wants us all to get together...how the hell am I going to convince them to stop their fighting?"

Now that she mentioned it, he did clam up when the fighting started, though she was too preoccupied with Terrance purposely letting Helene go. Why would he do that? Wracking her brain to find an answer, she figured she must have missed something, especially considering he was holding her back, and Jacob was--Jacob! Wait a minute, why was Jacob able to hold Alyssa back without her clawing his eyes out? Shit, were they back together? It was too confusing, and she didn't have all the facts. Her eyes then fell onto the little container in Eva's hands and was surprised when she handed it to her. "...what is this...?" She asked, wary.

"It's for you, silly," Eva replied, making sure she had a proper hold of it before letting go. "It's from Alex. It was made with a lot of love, so take care of it, okay?"

Gigi blinked in confusion, opening it carefully, though she was surprised to see her suggestion come to life. It was certainly well done, and one could tell it was homemade as opposed to store bought. Alexander made this? For her? Why? She suddenly remembered the conversation they had yesterday as she closed the lid. He was serious? She figured he had just been asking to be polite, she didn't think he would go out of his way to make it. Stowing it in her bag and making sure it was secure, she followed Eva into school, although she was still trying to figure Alexander out. Maybe he got enjoyment out of making something for someone. Then again, with all his claims of romance and the like, this was probably the first time he managed to hit the nail on the head. Her insides felt weird as she thought about it, and she dismissed those thoughts. She'd have to thank him later. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she half expected it to be him, though it was just Alyssa. She was a little disappointed by this, though she caught herself. Why was she disappointed?

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Alexander’s mood didn’t improve as the day went on. Terrance, Jacob, and Arthur each made sure to be with Alex as he moved to and from each of his classes. Thought Arthur wasn’t much help, Terrance and Jacob both tried to cheer up Alexander as they walked out to the courtyard for lunch. “Helene texted me last class, about the dish you made for Gigi. She thinks Gigi really likes it!” But surprisingly it didn’t seem to phase Alexander, as he kept walking with a straight face. He had a similar look to his face as Arthur’s normal resting face. Thought significantly less angry, and way more sad. Alexander kept walking out to their normal spot at the fountain, not realizing he was leaving his other three friends in the dust with each step. “Even mentioning Gigi didn’t seem to cheer him up… he must be really sad.” Jacob rubbed the back of his head looking at the ground. Jacob clenched his fist slightly, huffing. “Man, fuck his parents.”

“Speaking of Gigi- you and Alyssa.” Terrance crossed his arms, his eyes targeting the dirty blond. It seemed that the same fight that occurred between Alyssa and Helene was about to be repeated in the spirit of Terrance and Jacob. But before anything else could be done, Arthur stepped up, placing a strong hand on both their shoulders. “Now is no the time. Alex can’t see you two fighting.” For once, Arthur was right in the affairs of Alexander’s emotions and Terrance just naturally shook his head as always. “Don’t think you’re off the hook. You are walking into dangerous territory continuing relations with that girl.” Terrance turned his back on his friends, and moved to join Alexander on the fountain. Alexander was hunched over. His elbows on his knees, and his chin in his hands. He seemed to be staring off in the distance at something, but when Terrance turned his head, he didn’t see anything.

“So! Alex! What’s for lunch today? You always seem to trump whatever we bring.” But Alexander didn’t react. Usually he would whip out some Tupperware container and flash to his friends the wonderful meal his “mom” made the night before. Though his friends all knew it was just a façade he was using to cope with them being absent from his life for so long now. August was always a rough month for Alexander. But in his current state, Alexander didn’t move. He didn’t sit up, jump up, or begin rambling as was in his nature. He just stared off in the distance. Thinking of his lunch, he didn’t seem phased at the fact that he had no idea where his gift for Gigi was. That technically was also his lunch for the day. He had been planning on romantically surprising her and sharing a sweet lunchtime meal together. But at this point, it seemed Alexander didn’t care. In this state, Alexander was realizing that all attempts he made on impressing Gigi were all in vein. She didn’t like him, he knew that. And she would never like him! He knew that as well… Perhaps his parents had sucked up so much love from the world, that Alexander would never be able to find someone to love him.

“Alexander is a puzzle…” Jacob rubbed the back of his head, passively talking to Arthur. “He wants what his parents have, but it is so unrealistic. The fact that his parents got together in the way they did was like a one in 10 billion chance. That doesn’t happen all the time, you know?” Arthur nodded to his friend, as they slowly made their own way towards Alexander. Love is so dangerous, Arthur was observing from his friends. Arthur was consumed in it towards Eva, but he was already seeing such nasty side effects. Both Alexander and Jacob’s depressions were fueled by their emotions of love and desire. Arthur made a mental note to be more careful in the future with Eva.

For once in a long time, the group sat together relatively quietly, as Alexander was usually the one fueling conversation between them. Terrance also didn’t want to speak to Jacob, knowing it would lead up to them arguing over Alyssa, and possibly fighting. They would have to handle this later without the company of Alexander. Then, Arthur almost never spoke unless spoken to, so he was a very unreliable source at the moment. Arthur pulled his phone from his pocket, shooting a message towards Eva. If Helene and Alyssa are still fighting, don’t bring them around Alex. Terrance held out his lunch towards Alexander, now consisting of half a sandwich, some sliced apples, and carrots. “Alex, you must be hungry. You can have the other half of my lunch.” But Alexander just shook his head, dully looking out at the horizon. Jacob and Terrance both shot a worried glance at one another. It was extremely unlike Alexander to turn down any offer of food. He was a fiend to eat and critique just about any dish offered to him. He was really out of his game. Alexander was in fact starving, as he had skipped out on breakfast. But his hunger pains felt like nothing compared to the invisible weight that he could feel on his shoulders and his chest. Damn, when did it become so hard to breath?



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Worried for Alex.
✖✖ I am At... School Courtyard
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, and Alexander.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Oh, Alex..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Having to constantly hear each girl arguing her side throughout the morning left Eva without any energy once lunchtime came around. Despite it being her idea, she let out a groan as the bell for lunch rang, though as she gathered her things, she noticed Gigi in the next seat over staring out the window. Gigi daydreaming? Now today was really weird. Something was preoccupying her, and Eva had a feeling it was Alexander's little present. For as long as she knew Gigi, she never expressed interest in anything or anyone, usually only going along because Helene roped her into her schemes. Even something as simple as food gave her no interest, so the fact that Alexander had gone out of his way for her was probably puzzling the normally stoic girl. Eva thought it was so cute; Alexander was such a sweetheart, he was like a puppy always looking for Gigi's attention. She secretly thought that Gigi liked it, but it was impossible to tell. But today, Eva definitely knew Alexander got through to her, so once they were in the hallway. she decided to take advantage of it.

Gigi almost didn't notice Eva walking next to her until she nudged her. "Was it something you liked?" Eva asked her. When Gigi nodded, Eva grinned. "You should thank him, then."

"I suppose that would be the appropriate course of action," Gigi seemed to agree, pondering what to do next.

"Invite him to eat it with you," Eva suggested, picturing Alexander's reaction. "It looks like it's too much for just one person, right?"

That was true. Gigi nodded, and to Eva's delight, she watched the dark haired girl walk off, giving her a thumbs up when she looked back. At that time, she received Arthur's text and let out a small sigh. No pressure. Once she was on her way, Eva turned on her heel and walked into the cafeteria. Honestly, she much preferred eating outside when it was nice, but considering how tense Alyssa and Helene were, she decided that she needed to make sure to settle things somewhere that Alexander wouldn't see them just in case they started fighting again. Spotting the pair at one of the tables next to the window, Eva walked over, noticing that she could see Gigi walking through the courtyard. Excellent, she could keep an eye out for her, too.

Both Helene and Alyssa hadn't said a word to each other, eating as if the other didn't exist. Terrance had asked Eva to get them to settle things, but honestly, she wasn't really sure she could. Well, actually, she usually was the peacemaker in the group, but something about this argument in particular was...there was something more to it, she just didn't know what it was. Lunch probably wasn't long enough to properly settle things, and admittedly she didn't really want to waste her entire lunch for them to disagree and march off, so she decided on a different tactic as she sat down at the edge of the table, right between the pair of girls that sat opposite of one another.

"I can't believe you two," She started by expressing her massive disappointment. "There's nothing in this world that can't be resolved with words, not fists."

Helene chuckled. "Okay, Mom," She couldn't help but poke fun of Eva's wording.

"I'm serious. But I also know the two of you are super stubborn, so I'm not going to waste my time," She announced, catching their attention. "I want the next twenty four hours to be guaranteed peace. After that, we'll revisit this and properly solve it."

"That's pretty specific," Alyssa noticed.

"Alexander invited us all to the beach," Eva explained, frowning. "And seeing the two of you fight really affected him. So to make it up to him, we're going to go as friends."

"Wait, seriously?" Helene asked, surprised, though she looked a little guilty. "I wonder why..."

Alyssa seemed to remember something, scratching her cheek. "Oh, that's right, you guys haven't been here long, so I don't think you'd know," She seemed to remember something. "He tends to get super depressed around this time of year, hasn't failed since...uh, freshman year? I can't really remember."

"Really? Why?" Eva asked, curious.

"No idea. No one really knows, though I'm sure his friends do," She shrugged, and looked at Helene for a moment. "...I'm willing to if you are."

Helene didn't seem as forgiving, shooting her a glare. "You're the one that started this!"

"The only reason I've started anything is because of you!" Alyssa protested as Eva let out a groan, her hands on her head.

Meanwhile, Gigi had decided to approach the group of friends, though even she noticed the quiet between them. It made her pause for a moment, wondering if she was doing the right thing. His container was in one hand, the other holding two water bottles. She figured he maybe didn't think of drinks, so...why not? That was appropriate, wasn't it? But seeing the normally jovial group so quiet unnerved her, making Gigi second guess herself. No, Eva wouldn't lead her astray, she had to trust in her words. And so she resumed her walk, though she couldn't help but throw Terrance a look at the back of his head, recovering in time as she approached them. Wow, the quietness was unsettling. She noticed Alexander hadn't even looked at her, and she was slightly caught off guard.

Kneeling down in front of him, she tilted her head slightly. "Good afternoon," She greeted him, holding up what she had in her hands. "Would you like to join me?"

Inside the cafeteria, pandemonium had been unleashed. Whatever it was they were fighting about, Eva couldn't keep up, but for some reason, she felt like it was about more than Jacob. Helene kept mentioning the 'truth', but what truth? What were they talking about? As their arguing escalated in volume, Eva decided that she had made the right call asking for the pause for twenty four hours. Raising her hands, she slammed them onto the table, startling the two. "Enough! I don't care who started it, it's on pause!" She reminded them, huffing slightly as she glared at them both. "I mean it! That's it! I'm not missing out on spending time with my boyfriend to babysit you two!"

Alyssa was taken aback, though completely changed her demeanor as she realized what Eva had said. "Wait, what boyfriend?" She asked, slightly confused until it hit her, her eyes widening. "Arthur asked you out?! Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"A lot of things happened," She admitted, rubbing her temple.

Helene shifted slightly in her seat, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry," She apologized to Eva. "I haven't even asked about your living situation."

"Living situation? What?" Alyssa was completely lost.

"Her mom kicked her out," Helene lowered her voice to make sure any nosy people wouldn't hear.

"Sorry for saying this, but your mom is seriously a raging bitch," Alyssa shook her head, though the guilt hit her as well. "I'm sorry, I've been dealing with my own things, so I didn't know."

Eva smiled at the pair, taking both of their hands in hers. "It's okay, there's a lot I've been wanting to tell you guys," She said, her eyes lighting up.

For just a moment, Alyssa and Helene looked at one another, though it wasn't out of anger, it was a quiet, mutual agreement. The two had been neglecting their friend in her time of need, and it was unacceptable. There was a time and place for them to solve their issues, but at the very least, they couldn't rely on Eva to solve it for them. Helene patted Eva's hand, although she had a mischievous smile on her face. "So was it because your mom caught wind of the two of you doing it?" She asked cheerfully, watching Eva's cheeks turn bright pink. "I thought so~"

"You and Arthur--really?!" Alyssa expressed her surprise, though she shared Helene's look. "Well, how was it? He's so serious, I can't imagine him in anything but a scowl."

"It was..." Her voice trailed off as she remembered the way he touched her body, images of that day replaying in her head. While she didn't elaborate beyond that, her shy smile spoke volumes, and Helene ended up grinning at her. Eva noticed, slightly embarrassed. "I-I mean, I don't know, I enjoyed it..."

"You never did get back to me on his penis," Helene stated, gleefully watching Eva's face turning red, though she noticed Alyssa's look. "What? He looks like he has big shoes, so I'm guessing he's packing. He must have ripped the poor girl apart!"

Deciding to have some mercy on Eva, Alyssa diverted the conversation. "I'm more curious to know what it's like being his girlfriend," She said. "I...heard some rumors flying around, but I didn't pay any attention to them. He doesn't really look like he'd match you, though."

"What do you mean?" Eva asked.

"Because you're a romantic kind of girl and Arthur probably has no idea what he's doing," Helene elaborated.

"He got me flowers last night," She said happily. "He managed to get my favorite ones, too."

"What happened last night?" Alyssa asked.

"My recital--seriously, did you guys forget?" Eva asked, slightly hurt, though as she spotted Gigi talking to Alexander outside, she stood up. "Okay, we're going to go back out there and if I hear either one of you start anything I'm going to get my scary boyfriend to beat you up."

"You really enjoy saying that, don't you?" She asked, warming up considerably as she saw the look of happiness on Eva's face. Speaking of boyfriend, though... Looking at Alyssa, she decided to ask, "So what, you and Jacob are back together?"

"Wait, really?!" Eva exclaimed, clearly excited to hear the news. "So you took my advice!"

Helene and Alyssa looked at one another for a moment, though Eva shot them a glare, and they looked away from each other as they followed the blonde outside. This was news to Helene, considering she had just seen Jacob last night. Way to make shit more complicated. Taking out her phone, she knew that there was at least one thing she needed to make perfectly clear to Alyssa despite their temporary cease fire. Regardless of affiliation, Eva can't know what's going on. Things are difficult enough as it is and I don't think she can handle it. Agreed? She watched as Alyssa took out her own phone, and after reading the message, she nodded to acknowledge that they were on the same page. One less thing to think about, at least, though as she watched Eva run up to Arthur, clinging to his arm, she couldn't help but worry. No, she didn't have to worry, Arthur would protect Eva no matter what. Right?

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Terrance and Jacob both seemed to sit up quickly watching Gigi approach them. Jacob leaned over towards Alexander, gently nudging him in the side with his elbow. “Hey, it looks like Gigi is coming right here.” Alexander just shrugged, not lifting his eyes until Gigi was already standing in front of him. He finally looked up when she greeted him, an unusual first. He always was the one having to try and get Gigi’s attention, and now she was approaching him first? Alexander seemed to immediately recognize it as odd. But he looked up at Gigi and her offer to share. Shoot, he was the one that was supposed to be sweet and offer to share his food with her! So much for that plan. Jacob quickly scooted over, giving his seat beside Alexander to Gigi. Alex knew he was supposed to be happy right now, as in full of joy for being able to do something so romantic with Gigi, the girl he believed he loved. But why didn’t he feel happy then?

His stomach finally growled loudly, screaming at him to eat already, as he had been neglecting his body. Rather than say anything, Alexander just nodded to Gigi, pulling two plastic forks from his bag. He handed one to Gigi and took a bite. It was absolutely delicious, at least to Alexander it was. He was a sucker for sweets, and this flan almost seemed like it had come out perfect. He watched closely as Gigi took a first bite as well, and he seemed to finally find is voice. “Does it taste good? I had to stay up late last night perfecting it.” He was eager to know if she liked his gift or not. He tried to hard to make her happy, and show her they he cared for her. Even if she always pushed him away, he wanted her to know that he would always be there for her. A very small grin seemed to be sprouting on Alexander’s face. He seemed to be getting out of his little mood spending time with Gigi. Terrance and Jacob both nodded to one another, both taking a sigh of relief. They still had to be careful, as his mood shifts could be random and sudden. But usually once Alexander started to show some positive signs, his mood would perk back up. Outside of the month of August, he was an optimist, so it seemed even his occasional depressed spouts had a hard time keeping him down.

When Alyssa, Eva, and Helene finally joined them all, Jacob patted on the fountain for Alyssa to sit with him. Arthur raised his eyebrow, obviously being the last to know anything as usual. It was obvious that Terrance was watching very disapproving, but Jacob recognized this as being the best moment to make an announcement. Everyone was standing on their toes to avoid stepping on Alex’s feet right now, so no way was Terrance going to say something against their relationship. Especially in relation to ‘love and romance’, Alexander could be quite sensitive. “Well, I feel everyone knows now… But Alyssa and I are back, better than ever really!” Jacob smiled widely, wrapping his arm around Alysa to pull her closer to him, before placing a kiss on his cheek. Terrance’s eyes moved to Helene. He wondered if she was thinking the same thing as him, that it was dangerous for the two of them to be together. Or how their relationship could compromise their deal made. But watching Jacob wrap his arm around Alyssa, it seemed to spark a kind of jealousy in Terrance when his eyes shifted to Helene. He wanted to wrap his arms around her too, have her sit on his lap on the fountain together, run his fingers over her thighs. Obviously, that is lust not love, right? Arthur nodded to Jacob in recognition of his statement. Even with complications, it was better for them, right? Just as his relationship with Eva could be complicated, he wasn’t going to let that stop him from loving her. Alexander turned towards Jacob, a look of surprise on his face and gasping slightly. “That is so good to hear, Jacob! I knew it wouldn’t last long.” He gave a thumbs up to the “new” couple.

Alexander’s eyes seemed to bounce around at everyone. There was a calm air, and it seemed to help him relax, as he continued to chow down on the Flan. He turned his attention back to Gigi, his eyes now glowing gold as they usually did. “Gigi, it is so sunny out, not a cloud in the sky! We are all thinking of going to the beach after the last bell. Would you- I mean. I’d really like it if you would join us. And your friends too.” Alexander smiled and nodded to everyone else. Arthur was still on board with going to the beach with Eva, wrapping his arm around her hips and holding her close. He still had the image of her prancing around in a bathing suit playing through his head. “I expect Helene to join us. You’d better wear something nice and skimpy for me!’ Terrance shot a playful wink towards Helene, running his fingers through his own hair. “Alyssa and I will be there, for sure, Alexander. You can count on me to come through for you buddy!” He gave Alexander a friendly pat on the back and Alexander turned to Gigi, eagerly awaiting an answer. Arthur turned his attention back to Eva and nodded to her as a thank you for helping settle her friends for Alexander’s sake. “I can’t remember. Did we get your bathing suit from your home? I can take you and buy you a new one if you need to?” Terrance raised an eyebrow at this thought and jumped to his feet. Swimsuit shopping, huh? Sure, most guys hated shopping, as did Terrance. But having an excuse to go to a bathing suit boutique and watch girls walk around, trying on different skimpy bikinis. What guy couldn’t resist that? “Helene, do you need to go get a new swimsuit too?” Terrance’s eyes seemed to light up like a kid’s in a candy shop at the prospect of seeing Helene prance around in an array of bikinis.

“Besides, my muscles grew over the summer, so I may need to find myself a new pair of trunks as well.”

“I will give you 100 dollars to wear a speedo!” Jacob piped up and began to laugh out loud. But Terrance just shook his head, smiling cheekily. “Easiest $100 I would make then. I’m telling you, I’ll look good in anything!” Arthur had been so distracted by the thought of Eva prancing around in a swimsuit that he hadn’t thought about himself. Arthur was no longer in his awkward, tall and lanky stage, as he was very slimly athletic with quite a bit of muscular build as well. However, he was anxious at the idea of being shirtless around his friends and strangers. He felt so exposed and unprotected. Damn, now he was actually regretting agreeing to go. “I may need a new one as well…” He finally spoke up. In fact, he had no idea where his bathing suit could be at home. Arthur was more of a friend to the cold than to the heat. Alexander clapped his hands together. “Well, we can stop by the beach shop after school, get some new suits and towels…” Alexander reached in his bag, pulling out a notebook to write down things he began to list. “We should pack some snacks, water, plastic baggies for valuables, sunscreen…” His pen flew across the page of his notebook.

“Why don’t we make this a late night endeavor too? Bonfire at the beach. Bring some beers, maybe a few liquors- matches, logs, shovels. Damn. Now I’m really excited!” Alexander’s mood was now in full swing on the up and up, jotting down every little thing that was listed. There was definitely some left over alcohol and snacks from the party on Friday for them to bring to the beach. Alexander was happy and cheerful again at the prospect of partying with his friends at the beach.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Neutral.
✖✖ I am At... School Courtyard
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, Gigi, Helene, and Alyssa.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Am I beach body ready?"
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Taking the utensil from Alexander, Gigi took advantage of the moment to stare at the pastry on her lap. It was so shiny, moving slightly as she pressed the plastic fork into it. As she carefully parted her piece and chomped on the fork, she could taste how smooth and sweet it was. It wasn't particularly sugary, though it hit the spot at the moment. As Alexander asked if she liked it, she nodded eagerly, although said nothing and choosing to continue to eat. Every bite seemed better than the last, the taste lingering on her tongue after she devoured it. From an outside point of view, no one could tell if she actually liked it, but the amount of effort and speed she was putting into eating it was astounding. Eva bit her lower lip to suppress a giggle, but she was glad to see Alexander light up. As Jacob made his announcement, she grinned, though she caught the rather solemn look Helene had on her face. It was rare to see Helene so serious, though the redhead seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

What was it about seeing Alyssa and Jacob together that annoyed her so much? It was probably the fact that Alyssa held Helene's past against her but seemed to accept Jacob without a second thought. Still, as she watched them, she knew it had 'bad idea' written all over them. Her eyes inadvertently met Terrance's, who seemed to share her disapproval, but she knew they had different reasons for it. Oh well, there was nothing she could do about it. And that thought seemed to drag Helene down into a dark place she hadn't been in in some time. No, going to that place wasn't a good idea right now. She did, however, catch Gigi's look, who seemed to share the same mindset as Helene, but was in a better mood due to Alexander's treat. Ah, he hit her sweet tooth, so she was pretty happy right now. Hey, maybe Alexander stood a chance after all. Helene felt herself smile a little, resigning herself to the thought that she was alone and would probably just stay that way.

Gigi missed a lot of the conversation until Alexander addressed her again, at which she perked up. He wanted them all to go to the beach together. Hmm, it had been some time since she hit the water. As everyone else seemed to agree, she just gave a short nod and went back to get another bite, only to see she had finished. Crap, she hadn't quite savored the last bit like she usually did, and she had to restrain herself from trying to steal whatever Alexander had left.

Helene snapped back to normal at the mention of shopping, her eyes scanning the group somewhat mischievously. "Then we're hitting the mall after school!" She announced.

"You have like, eleven swimsuits," Alyssa pointed out.

"Then I need one more to make it a complete dozen!" Helene brushed her off, a glint in her eye as she watched Eva and Arthur. Eva noticed, clinging onto Arthur tighter as Helene approached her. "I'm thinking this is the year we get Eva into a two-piece, what say you?"

Eva almost disagreed, though she looked up at Arthur for a second. She wanted to say no, but that's what he would want, right? What a conundrum. Instead of answering, however, she spotted Gigi looking longingly at the Tupperware, and a light bulb went off. Sorry, Gigi! "Only if Gigi does," She said, watching as she successfully pawned Helene's attention over to the dark haired girl.

"What?" Gigi looked around, confused. "Do what?"

"Good job, Alexander, I haven't seen Gigi this distracted since she tasted my sweet sixteen cake," Alyssa joked, temporarily parting from Jacob to join Helene. "What sort of swimsuits do you prefer, Alexander?"

"There's only one answer for that: bikini!" Helene declared.

"Uh...there are more kinds of swimsuits than that...triangle tops, halters, bandeaus, tankinis..." Eva pointed out.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Terrance seemed to grin wildly as Eva listed off the different kinds of bikinis… tringle tops, halters, bandeaus, tankinis… His eyes scanned the racks quickly, looking at the array of women’s bathing suits. The group of high schoolers were wandering between the racks looking at the different colorful suits. There were quite a few customers walking around among them as well, and a few other high school girls coming and going from the dressing rooms, wearing string bikinis, to low cleavage one-pieces. Terrance felt like he had died and gone to heaven as his eyes scanned over each passing girls’ body. The back of Alexander’s SUV was packed to the brim with towels, coolers, beach bags, chairs, and blow up beachballs and beach toys. Alexander had a love for the beach, and his eyes scanned through the different men’s trunks, pulling out a pair that caught his eyes. They were colorful enough that his face seemed to glow, walking out of the dressing room to show them off. Much like Arthur, he was very slimly trimmed. But he wasn’t very muscular. To be stealthy, it was better for him not to bulk up too much. His eyes kept focusing on the window outside, clear skies, and high tides. He was filled with so much joy he was practically jumping up and down. “Get a grip on yourself, Alexander. We will be at the beach soon.” Terrance walked up wearing a rather tight men’s athletic swimwear.

“Jesus Christ, Terrance. Don’t wear that! It is like you are prancing around in your underwear!” Terrance just flashed a cheeky grin to Jacob, before striking a rather tough pose, showing off the muscles rippling under his skin. Of course, this attracted the wandering eyes of some of the girls in the store, who began to whisper and giggle amongst themselves, occasionally looking over at Terrance. Terrance knew he was attracting the attention of girls, and it was only causing his ego to bloat up more. Perhaps he would take this chance at the beach to find himself his next prey to pounce on. His fling with Helene was probably his longest standing one so far, and he needed to find someone new to move on… just to make sure he was still his womanizing self. Terrance walked to the dressing room doors and began to playfully bang on the one Helene was in. “Hurry up in there! You can’t keep me waiting so long, Helene! You too Arthur! You aren’t a girl, this should be an in and out operation.” He began banging on one of the other dressing room doors. Arthur jumped slightly inside from the loud pounding and yelling. He looked back in the long mirror at the simple blue swim trunks He was wearing. He kept fiddling with the tie strings, pulling them waistband up and down, deciding whether or not to have his hip bones showing or not. Terrance had mentioned to Arthur that girls find that kind of thing hot, but Arthur felt so uncomfortable being practically naked in person. He finally stepped out of the dressing room, hearing a roar of clapping from Terrance, Alexander, and Jacob. Terrance was teasingly whistling at Arthur and he growled slightly at him. “Don’t whistle at me. I’m not a dog.”

Alexander was laughing and smiling wildly, a very good and healthy sign for him. Jacob was wearing his own swim trunks that he had kept for a few years now. Jacob had a love for his pineapple swim trunks. To most people they were a harmless, cute design. But to those who knew, it was a sign that he was carrying weed on him to openly sell. The beach was one of his best business locations. Beach bums, reggae heads, other students looking to have a fun time were his primary customers on the beach. He figured he could rack in quite a bit to make up for the stash he blew from his father from the past party. As much as it wasn’t a big deal, he made sure that he wasn’t falling in debt to his own father over drug use. Though it was going to take more time to make up for the opium he used. Terrance continued his insistent pounding on the door. “Stop hiding, ladies! Come out!” Terrance playfully called into the room. Like a cat toying with hiding mice.

“You’d better control yourself around Alyssa. Or you’ll be eating a nice knuckle sandwich later.” Jacob crossed his arms over his chest. Arthur was a bit surprised from the statement. Sure, Terrance was a player with the ladies, but he wouldn’t make moves on one of their already established girlfriends, would he? That didn’t seem like something Terrance would do, but Jacob’s statement was making him uneasy. Arthur’s initial greed for seeing Eva prance around in a bikini was suddenly offset by his need to protect her from prying eyes. Alexander chuckled softly to himself over the encounter. He was waiting more patiently to see Gigi come out of the dressing room. Everyone was acting so obsessed to see their girls in bikinis, but Alexander didn’t care if she wore a full one-piece. He believed she would be stunning no matter what the wore.

“Now Jacob, you know you don’t have anything to worry about…” Terrance grinned slyly, leaning on the wall. Stranger girls were the ones that should be worried.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Neutral.
✖✖ I am At... School Courtyard
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, Gigi, Helene, and Alyssa.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Am I beach body ready?"
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

"Is this on right...?"

Having very little experience or say in whatever she would wear, Gigi had just left it to Helene and Alyssa to pick out a swimsuit. She thought Eva would get in on it, but the blonde was focused on her own swimsuit. Once Helene had gotten her a selection, she had pushed Gigi into the changing room, letting Gigi decide. Except, she had no idea what she was doing, often putting the complicated suits on wrong or finding that they left much to be desired. Either Helene thought Gigi was hiding her curves like Eva usually did or she just didn't know her size. Staring at herself in the mirror in the only swimsuit that managed to fit, she found that it was likely the former. She had a bust, though she didn't really have much hips, so she wasn't really curvy or anything. Shoot, was that weird that she looked like a stick? Things she never even gave a second thought to suddenly came into the light. What a predicament.

As Terrance knocked on her door, Helene couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Don't rush perfection!" She called out, although as soon as the words left her mouth, she let out a sigh. Admittedly the word shouldn't have meant anything, but she recalled him calling her body perfect and it ended up leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She was thinking way too much about everything, and as she yanked off another swimsuit that failed to meet her standards, she stared at her reflection. Of course he called her body perfect, her curves were something any girl would kill for. She didn't quite meet up with Eva's rack, but hers was impressive enough on their own, her hips giving her a proper hourglass shape. But the body she often prided herself on looked wrong for some reason, her normally cheerful face completely devoid of any emotion. That's all she was, just another pretty face. As she heard one of the other doors open, she pulled on the string bikini she had left. Of course she looked gorgeous in it, but at least it didn't look like the others she had at home, so she decided on it, opening the door. "Hold the applause, I already know how good I look," She announced, striking a pose, though she gave them all an appreciate look. "You guys look great! ...I wouldn't have picked pineapples, though," She teased Jacob, letting out a small laugh.

Gigi poked her head out of her room nervously, though she let out a squeak of horror as Helene caught her, and she quickly tried to close her door, only for Helene to grab the handle. "Can I get some help?" She called over to Alyssa, who had just stepped out. She let out a low whistle, impressed. Her green bikini came out great, though she thought it was pretty daring of Alyssa. Together, the two girls managed to slip into Gigi's room, the three exchanging a few words amidst Gigi's protests. "If you stop resisting, this will be a lot easier for you!" Helene's voice came out, and the door opened as Alyssa and Helene managed to push Gigi out, who didn't appreciate their roughness. Helene lightly poked Gigi's side, making her jump slightly. "Go figure, you're a lot slimmer than I thought," She teased, though truthfully she didn't want to admit her current lack of focus. "You look good! Right, Alexander?"

Gigi felt the slightest pang of jealousy as she saw Eva step out in the two piece she chose. Despite its simplicity, her curves filled it out for her, making it so she was wearing it and not the other way around. Gigi felt like she looked like a potato next to her. "How daring," Gigi commented.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Eva asked, looking down at herself. "I thought I looked good."

"Because you're sort of making the rest of us look bad," Alyssa joked. "You look great!"

"Massive rack, them hips...yeah, we aren't going to be the only ones staring," Helene stated cheekily. "Love the confidence, though, Arthur's done you real good, hmmm?"

Eva giggled, lightly blushing as she twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers. Yeah, normally she wouldn't have even considered anything like this, but she wasn't sure why she was okay with it. Well, maybe Helene had a point; she really wanted to look good for Arthur. She tip toed towards him, as if she was hiding some sort of secret, her big eyes looking for his approval. Helene's smile faded as she watched the pair, though she snapped back rather quickly, slinging her arm around Alyssa. "Showing off for Jacob, hmmmm?" She teased her, poking Alyssa's sides, much to the latter's annoyance.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Each of the four men seemed frozen in time when their respective girls stepped out of the dressing rooms. Terrance’s eyes hungrily ate up Helene and her stringy bikini. Hot damn, did she have a rocking body. That that swimsuit seemed to show off just enough of those curves for Terrance’s satisfaction. He wanted her then and there. Perhaps as the day grew later he would be able to sneak off with her to the privacy of the dunes, or the dark hidden spot under the pier. Sex on the beach would be another milestone to at to Terrance’s collection. Shit, Terrance was really going to have to control his behavior wearing such skin-tight swimwear. As nice as his body looked in the skintight brief shorts, it would also ultimately be his own downfall if he were to get too riled up. He instead quickly diverted his gaze away from Helene, focusing on a random mannequin model instead. “Looks cute, Helene.” Was all he could get out. But the bright red that seemed to dust over his cheeks said more than that.

Jacob’s breath was taken away as well by the simple green bathing suit that Alyssa wore. He wondered if she purposely chose green, since it was his favorite color, like his eyes. He missed seeing that body over the summer vacation. Oh, the number of possible beach trips he missed out on with her after breaking up. He was really going to have to work overtime to try and make up for all of the missed moments and memories with Alyssa. “More radiant than I could have imagined. I’ve almost forgot how perfect your body is, Alyssa.” Jacob grinned sweetly and wrapped his arms around her hips, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

Alexander couldn’t stop starring at Gigi when she walked out. But not so much her body at first. Specifically he just focused on her face and expressions. No doubt, Gigi was here more so against her will, or under the orders of Helene. And more than likely she wasn’t very comfortable in the final bathing suit that was selected for her. Simply, Alexander was thankful that she was there, and for him to spend time with her. He felt so many of his problems fade away being around Gigi. When his eyes finally had a chance to leave her face, and travel down her body- he determined that she had to be an angel. No doubt about that! She was slim and petite, which made Alexander feel more comfortable. Not being much to look at himself, he was worried about being puny compared to most voluptuous woman. But Alexander loved that Gigi was almost as slim as him, with her own fair amount of curve up top. He felt like their bodies could be like puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together. Oh, how he wanted to express these thoughts and feelings, but all that trickled form his lips were. “Wow…”

And as always, Arthur felt as if he were whisked away to another world when he saw Eva radiating her natural beauty. Sure, he had already seen her naked plenty of times, and had sex with her. But she never stopped stealing his heart. His eyes wandered up, down, and all around Eva’s body. From her full chest, to her skinny waist, to her curved hips. She was truly a product of perfection, and Arthur was able to call her his. She blew all of her friends out of the water physically, and it wasn’t fair to them. His eyes landed on the little string ties on the back of her neck, and on the hips of her bathing suit. He just wanted to grab the dainty little strings and just pull them so they all fell off. But that thought made him come back to earth and his eyes darted around the boutique. There were quite a few other guys walking around as well, and plenty of them had stopped to beginning eyeing the four girls. But all Arthur seemed to notice were the prying eyes looking at Eva. His face grew serious and he stepped forward, snatching a large, baggy t-shirt off a nearby rack, and throwing it over Eva to cover her up. He didn’t want other guys to be staring at her in the same way he did. He didn’t trust those eyes that stared at her the same way he did. She was his, they didn’t have a right to daydream about her. Only him.

Terrance rolled his eyes at Arthur’s sudden actions, and Jacob just seemed to chuckle innocently. “His brain must be pretty friend right now seeing Eva like that.” Jacob laughed, wiping a tear from his eyes. Heading out onto the beach, the warm sand was comforting under Alexander’s feet, and all too familiar. Alexander, like a little kid, took off running straight to the beach while Jacob and Terrance were left behind to put up the umbrella, towels, and a few chairs. Arthur, slightly hunched over under the umbrella due to his significant height, was going through one of the bags looking for sunblock. He was well aware that with his pale skin, he was going to go home looking like a lobster without it. His eyes redirected back to Eva, still wearing the giant t-shirt he had thrown on her. Had he over reacted making her cover up? He felt like it wasn’t very fair to do to her, but he was just worried about her innocence.

“Pass the sunscreen. I gotta help Helene put lotion on her back.” Arthur threw the bottle, Terrance catching it with ease before turning to wink at Helene, shaking the bottle in his hand. “May I?” Arthur eyes scanned around, and it wasn’t till he saw Jacob walking back towards their spot that Arthur realized he had been missing. Behind him some ways looked like a few surfer type guys, and Jacob now had a random wad of cash in his hands, counting off a few bills, before stuffing them in one of his pineapple suit’s pockets. “Yeah I need that after you. Don’t want my Alyssa burning to a crisp either.” Jacob smiled, snaking his hand back around her waist. Arthur’s eyes shifted to Eva, imagining her shirt off and just her bikini again. He would love to have an excuse to have oiled up hands exploring the hills and valleys of her body, lathering her up in sun screen. He practically become red in the face just imagining it, but all of the people around him on the beach made him so nerve wracked. How were Jacob and Alexander so okay with Alyssa and Gigi walking around dressed as they were? Were they not bothered by the idea that other guys would be staring at them?

Alexander had returned to the group as well, sand now caking his feet and legs just above the ankle, his swimsuit soaked to his skin, and his hair flat from getting wet. Little beads of the ocean water were trickling down his face and chest as he let out a sigh of relief. “I feel so refreshed! Gigi come with me!” Alexander smiled his signature, sweet eyes, and flashed those signature puppy eyes. He took her hand in his, and lead her down to the rippling waves of the ocean water. Terrance and Jacob watched their turned around friend lead Gigi down to the water. But Terrance had noticed a slight personality shift in Gigi. He wasn’t completely sure if it was because Gigi felt sorry for Alexander, with his mood swings, or if she may be feeling something different towards him. No one knew about Alexander’s issue with his parents besides his 3 closest friends. But it wasn’t a secret to the rest of the school how his mental health took a turn for the worst in August. “$200 that Alexander will kiss Gigi by midnight tonight.” Terrance turned his head to Jacob. “But she won’t reciprocate.” Jacob shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “$200 they kiss and she does reciprocate… I’ll throw in Arthur as a $200 for no kiss.”

“Don’t drag me into this…” Arthur murmured, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Arthur wondered, why were they betting on something like that anyways? Wasn’t that really unsensitive to their extremely vulnerable friend at the moment? Wouldn’t it also be dangerous for him both mentally and emotionally to try and get too close to Gigi, AND get rejected by her? It seemed to Arthur that his two friends weren’t thinking clearly in regards to Alexander’s mental health. Though at the same time, he noticed that his two friends already had beers in their hands. So, that told Arthur exactly where their minds were going to be going for the rest of the night. Arthur shook his head, turning his attention once again to Eva. “I’m sorry if I hastily pulled that shirt on you… you don’t have to wear it.”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Neutral.
✖✖ I am At... Beach
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, Gigi, Helene, and Alyssa.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."She is mine..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

'Cute' was for small animals and little girls. Or at least, that's what Helene wanted to say, but considering that the last thing she wanted was to cause a scene, she simply nodded and took the blow to her ego. Awesome. Just awesome. She needed a drink, and they couldn't have gotten to the beach fast enough, because as soon as she could get her hands on one she practically gulped down her beer in one swig. She caught Alyssa eyeing her, and couldn't help but shoot her a 'leave me alone' look, to which the brunette just shrugged it off. A little passive aggressive, sure, but she didn't care, and Eva hadn't caught wind of it either. Speaking of said girl, she watched the confused blonde walk around, helping Terrance and Jacob set everything up. Arthur had noticed the many, many wandering eyes and had subsequently covered Eva up in response. Helene personally found it cute seeing him so jealous, though she didn't think Eva saw it the same way.

Terrance called out her name, and she completely missed what he had said, though the bottle in his hand gave her a pretty good idea to what he had said. "Go for it," She replied, picking up her hair into a high ponytail. Downing her next beer, she put it somewhere where it wouldn't get knocked over and laid herself down on one of the towels stomach down, her chin on her crossed arms as she watched everyone else. Alyssa was all over Jacob, practically hanging off his arm, and for some reason it really annoyed her. No, she knew why, but she needed to get herself under control. Choosing to look at Gigi instead, she watched Alexander cheerfully invite her to go to the water with him. Gigi nodded, although she wasn't quite expecting to be taken by the hand, and she looked like someone who had a giant dog pulling her along. It was actually really cute to watch.

Eva agreed, watching Alexander lead Gigi to the water. She was actually surprised Gigi was so willing, though she had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with lunch earlier today. Despite the girl's seriousness and reluctance to get close to anyone, her sweet tooth was one of the ways to get on her good side. Seeing Alexander happy was great, too, considering how upset he was earlier. Taking a seat on one of the chairs set up, she scratched her leg, frowning slightly at her shirt. Well, the shirt Arthur pulled on her. She really didn't know what to think of it, considering it was probably the exact opposite reaction that she was looking for. Hmm, she really wasn't any good at trying to pander to Arthur, was she? The thought was a little depressing if she was being honest.

Feeling the water around her feet felt nice, and Gigi took in a deep breath as the wind hit her. That salty smell was one of the best things about the sea, though she wondered if it was affecting her chest since she was feeling weird. Nothing hurt, but as Alexander had taken her hand, she noticed her heart rate had gone up. Maybe the sun was just strong. Keeping a mental note not to stay out too long, she walked deeper into the water, the water cooling her skin. Alexander was right, the water was definitely refreshing. "This was a good idea," She told him as she floated on her back. "If the waves were bigger, we could have surfed," She noted, looking up at the sky.

Alyssa watched the pair, eyebrows raised. "I gotta hand it to your boy, his persistence paid off," She commented to Terrance and Jacob.

Eva smiled, agreeing, though at that point Arthur had spoken to her. He said she didn't have to wear it, further confusing her. So, did he want her to cover up or not? Maybe he felt bad? She shifted in her seat, trying to think of what to do that wouldn't further upset him. "It's okay, it's just until the sunscreen comes around," She assured him cheerfully. "I love the beach, but I don't really take the sun well, so I don't want to get burned."

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Pulling up his long blonde hair and tying it into a messy manbun, Arthur sat down beside Eva in the cool shade. He reached in the cooler and procured a beer for himself, and placing one beside Eva if she wanted it. With a snap and a fizz, Arthur was gulping it down in one go, and was already reaching for a second one. Arthur was using the beers as a way to calm his nerves. He could tell that Eva wasn’t very happy about wearing the baggy shirt over her swimsuit. Of course, she was so beautiful, he didn’t want her to think any different. But he just didn’t want anyone else trying to hit on her here. He rapped his fingers along the aluminum side of the can before leaning over to rest his cheek on her shoulder. “Sometimes you are so beautiful I don’t know how to behave…” he mumbled, taking another sip of his beer.

Terrance got down on his knees beside Helene, having squirted a generous amount of block on her back, he began to rub some in his hands as well, and his fingers went on their own adventure. Terrance was no stranger to every little curve and detail of Helene’s body, but it was always a wonderful treat to allow his fingers to explore. He tried to be somewhat careful when touching her swimsuit though. It felt as if the slightest touch would cause the suit to snap apart under his hands. Not that he would mind, Terrance felt that their city was due to create a nude beach sooner or later. Being able to stand out in the sun, full exposure, and around plenty of gorgeous women. Terrance was no stranger to attention and had enough confidence in his body and length to not be afraid to show it. Speaking of which, Terrance had to ease up on the touching in order to keep himself from overheating as well. Maybe he ought to take a dip in the water to cool off as well. When Terrance felt he had fully protected Helene from the sun’s harmful rays, he stood up and tossed the bottle towards Jacob. “Damn it is hot out here. I’m going to dip in the water for a second to cool off.” Terrance waved and made his way down to the water, wadding in up to his chest, then dived into the cool water, letting it lower the temperature of his skin.

Jacob was gently rubbing the sunscreen over Alyssa’s back, every now and again playfully planting a kiss on her back or the back of her neck. God, he was so in love with her, he could barely stand it. Getting ready to put some on his own shoulders, two random guys approached the group, their eyes bouncing around. But it seemed their main focus was on Jacob and his brightly colored swim shorts. Jacob knew what was coming, but he wasn’t sure if Alyssa knew what he was up to. They had only started talking again, and it didn’t change who her father was. But did she care about what he did for a living? Sure, he was fine with risking so much having her by his side, but would she continue to be okay with him running the family business. Before the strangers could utter out a word, Jacob ushered them to walk together. “I’ll be right back, Alyssa.” Jacob waved and walked with the two guys a ways away to the shady pier, where not much could be seen. The guys pulled out cash, and Terrance pulled out his own stash. “Shit man, we haven’t seen you around lately. Been busy?” One of the beach bums spoke up in the trade. Terrance shrugged. “My summer was busy running around with the old man. You know how it can be.” The surfer dude nodded and began to pull out rolling papers to make a joint. The other spoke up too, procuring a lighter from his pocket.

“Well, we missed having you out here over the summer. There was another guy cruising with bud. He was charging twice as much as you!” Jacob’s eyes narrowed slightly and he crossed his hands over his chest. “What guy?”

“He was Hispanic or something. Dark hair, tan skin. Never seen him before, but he appeared when you suddenly stopped coming. Bud was shit too.” The surfer dude stuck his tongue out. From the message he was relaying, it made it sound like someone from the Munez family was significantly overstepping their boundaries. Prior as well to the discovering of one of “his guys” in the Munez turf. Jacob thanked them for their information, as they willingly shared a drag with him, and Jacob made his way back to the group. Phone in hand, he was alerting his brothers and father of the news. Think of the devil, and he shall appear. “How did I know you’d be here when you weren’t home.” The all too familiar voice chimed in, playfully grabbing up Jacob and ruffling up his hair. Jacob attempted fighting back and protesting, but to his failure. “Hey man! Knock it off!” Jacob broke free before retreating back to Alyssa’s side. Isaac greeted the rest of the group almost as warmly until his eyes settled on the sunbathing Helene, a grin growing across his lips. “Helene, that bathing suit. Damn! Is it me or did the beach get hotter?” Isaac laughed, rubbing the back of his head. He was very similar in appearance to Jacob, but closer to Arthur’s height, with a more chiseled body. He was just a few years older, no longer a high school student, so it wasn’t odd that he was pretty well built. Since he was no longer having to sit through classes for seven hours a day, he could focus that time on building his muscles and working out business deals. “Sorry if I’m being too direct. But you just never cease to amaze me, it seems.”

Rising back to the surface out in the water, Terrance took in a huge gulp of air. A few giggles behind him signaled to Terrance someone was nearby, and he was met with the company of two other bikini clad girls. Damn, they were smoking hot too. “Are you a life guard? You totally look like you could be a life guard.” One of the girl’s spoke with honey sweet voice. Terrance grinned and raised his arms above his head, flexing his biceps and pecks in one quick movement, the girls eyeing him hungrily. “Sorry, ladies. No life guard… But I can give you the kiss of life if you need it.” The two girls turned to one another and giggled almost uncontrollably. Oh yeah, he still had it! Terrance’s eyes shifted from the two flirty girls in front of him and rose up to the group where Helene sat. Terrance felt his blood run cold when he spotted Isaac standing over Helene, laughing and smiling with her. What the hell was that tool doing here? “Can we feel your muscles?” Terrance’s attention was brought back to the two girls, who were already reaching to feel his biceps before giving them an answer. “Wow! They are rock hard!” One of the girls insinuated, running her hands over his arms and onto his chest. Terrance’s eyes moved from the girls again and back towards Helene, who looked like she was now talking and laughing with Isaac, and he felt a click within him. They were friends with benefits. Why did he care if Isaac was hitting on her? Let her flirt with who she wanted and fool around with whoever. It didn’t matter. He turned his attention back to the two girls, his arms around both of their hips now and pulling them really close. In a rough whisper he murmured. “That’s not the only rock hard thing I have.” He shot both girls a wink and they bit their lips in response, giggling and running their hands over his chest and arms.

Far away from the debauchery of Terrance, Alexander watched Gigi float on the water and Alexander nodded. Yeah, the water seemed really calm for today. He didn’t care whether there were big wave or no waves, he just enjoyed the water. His face lit up for a second at the mention of surfing “Oh! Do you surf, Gigi?” Alexander moved through the water towards her and placed his arms under her back and legs, picking her up in the same bridal style that Arthur had so many times before with Eva. Alexander lifted her up and down slightly, feeling her weight. “You’re really light, so you must be really good at keeping your balance. I love to surf too! I’ve been known to be very agile in my own way.” Alexander was referencing how he has been known to sneak around and swipe objects from people without their noticing. But being light on his toes had other benefits as well. He continued to hold Gigi though, beaming his bright, toothy smile at her. Wow, she felt so nice in his arms, and she was so light and small too. Alexander felt as if he could hold her up like this all day long.

The sunscreen eventually made its way to Arthur, and he turned his attention back on Eva. His eyes travelled up her legs, stopping once they reached the bottom of the large shirt she was wearing. He sat ups straight and reached for the shirt she wore, pulling it over her head. “Let me help you with the sunscreen…” His breaths were caught in his throat when the shirt came off, revealing once again her perfect body to him. He exhaled slowly, as to remain calm, and began to put sunscreen in his hands, reaching for her shoulders first, massaging in the sun screen. His eyes darted around a few times, and it didn’t seem like anyone was really noticing that Eva’s cover shirt had come off yet. Most strangers seemed more preoccupied with talking or playing with friends to look in their direction. Big loss for them though, as Arthur just soaked in Eva’s gorgeous body, his hands slowly making their way down her back.



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Neutral.
✖✖ I am At... Beach
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, Gigi, Helene, and Alyssa.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."She is mine..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...School Uniform

Eva looked at Arthur, unable to control her smile. Was that what it was? She blushed lightly, though it made her feel better to know she hadn't messed up. "You're fine," She assured him as she tucked a stray hand of his hair behind his ear. Taking the beer he had for her, she thought it tasted great, a good contrast between the heat. She caught Alyssa's eye, who was wiggling her eyebrows at her as she drank her own beer, and she returned the gesture with a grin. "Just remember I'm only yours." She told him quietly.

Alyssa grinned, leaning back in her seat and relaxing. It was really nice to have everyone together like this. Her hand went to her chest, though she was too afraid of losing her necklace so she had secured it safely in her bag. She half wondered where Jacob had gone, though she felt like she had an idea where. It sounded bad, but she would rather feign ignorance than think on it too hard. They hadn't really discussed that, and the last thing she wanted to do was burst their little bubble. At least, not yet. They could just enjoy themselves for a little, right? It wasn't like he was hurting anyone. But the justifications made her feel somewhat guilty even as she tried not to think about it. Luckily for her, Jacob's return threw all those thoughts to the side, and she couldn't help but smile as his older brother teased him.

Helene was genuinely surprised to see Jacob's brother approach the group. Considering that Jacob was doing his business, maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising after all, but he was still unexpected. His line was a bit on the cheesier side, but it still got an embarrassed smile out of her. She didn't know what Isaac had, but there was something about an older guy who knew how to talk to her, and she greatly enjoyed it. It was the kind of compliment she was looking for earlier, but finding it here wasn't too bad. Raising her eyebrows at him and playing coy, she decided to get up, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "I like direct," She admitted, her eyes traveling up his body before settling on his eyes. Although as she caught sight of Terrance in the distance, her smile dropped immediately. It shouldn't have been so shocking to see him with other girls, but she felt like she had just got sucker punched in the gut. Maybe it was how open he was about it. Maybe it was how she wanted to yank those girls off of him and drown them in the ocean. Maybe it was the realization that that's why he had been acting weird lately; he was done with her. Made sense, he never did hang on to any girl for too long, and all good things would come to an end. She felt like she was owed at least a goodbye or last hurrah or some sort of explanation, but his actions said otherwise. This day was getting shittier by the moment. Scooping down and grabbing Alyssa's beer, ignoring her "Hey!" of protest, she downed the rest of it, flashing Isaac a smile as she closed the distance between them, looking up at him curiously. "So what brings you around here?"

As Alexander asked if she surfed, Gigi nodded. It was a bit sensitive for her to discuss the where and why, but considering they were alone and they already knew the nature of one another's work, she figured it was fine to talk about so long as she didn't go into any details. "I learned it about five or six years ago. It's great exercise, though a little dangerous if you don't know what you're doing," She admitted, although she felt herself getting lifted up. If this were a cartoon, a multitude of question marks would be around her head. What was he doing? Her question was answered when he mentioned how light she was, and she gave him a quizzical look. She was light? Considering how Helene had the audacity to tell her she needed to lose weight, it was a compliment, but that weird feeling in her chest returned. Why was he holding her like this still? Her heart seemed to be beating faster, too. How strange. "All muscle," She replied rather lamely, though as she looked up at him, she realized that she probably sounded lame. She tried to think of something her friends would say, but nothing came. Argh! Why was she feeling this way?!

On the shore, Eva was still watching Alexander and Gigi in the water. No wonder Helene messed with her love life so much, it was genuinely enjoyable to watch other people interact with one another. As Arthur pulled off her shirt, her face turned red, as whether intentional or not, it was the same movement he used whenever he wanted her shirt off in other situations. Distracting herself with her own hair, she decided to braid it to get her mind out of the gutter, but as she felt Arthur's hands travel down her back, her mind decided to grace her with the image of him yanking off her swimsuit, climbing on top of her and--no, no, no, she needed to calm down, this was a public place! Once he was finished, she exhaled a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. "U-Um...let me get you, now," She said, not quite able to hide the shakiness in her voice as she hurriedly took the sunscreen from him. Rubbing her hands together, she positioned herself behind him, though she kissed his shoulder lightly before rubbing the sunscreen on him. Lord have mercy, she was having a hard time right now, trying to keep her head low as she made sure he was protected. Once she was finished, she reached up and kissed him on the cheek, smiling sweetly. "Wanna go in the water?" She asked, praying he'd say yes so she can cool herself off. Though a cold shower would probably be more effective...

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Arthur sighed blissfully feeling Eva’s small hands massaging his back. He closed his eyes, savoring the moment with her. He loved the feeling of her hands exploring his body, not too unfamiliar to the young man. He welcomed it greatly, his mind wandering off as well. It was late on the beach and the two of them were the only ones there. The sun was setting on the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful pink and blue. Arthur sat down and was promptly pushed over on his back by Eva, where she climbed on his lap. Hm, perhaps that was something they would have to try someday. Arthur shook his head, coming back to reality when Eva mentioned wanting to go in the water. That was probably the best idea to try and rinse out these dirty thoughts. Arthur just nodded, scooping Eva in his arms as he always did and carried her down to the water. He placed her back on her feet once entering the crystal clear water, Arthur stepping father in, and leading Eva by her hand. When the water reached Eva’s hips, Arthur stopped, not sure how far out she wanted to go. He kept a gentle but tight grip on her hand as to not lose her. But the water was still very calm. Looking down, Arthur could still see her curvy figure in the water, and at the same time saw a fish begin to swim in figure 8’s around her leg. Arthur, probably more startled by the fish than Eva, quickly reached down to shoo away the fish, as it swam away. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around Eva to hold her close, one of his arms and hands resting bellow her breasts, hoisting her very slightly off the sea floor. “Is nowhere safe you? Do all animals have to try to get between your legs?” Arthur huffed, flailing his legs now and again to continuously shoo away curious fish that seemed to get too close. It was more obvious to others than Arthur that he was venting about his frustration of other guy’s peering eyes on Eva. Poor fish had nothing to do with any of it. Arthur was just never very good at sharing. Arthur thought about what she had said earlier about just being his, and he felt tired. He knew that she was his, and only his. But that didn’t stop others from wanting to have a piece of his prize it seemed.

Alexander’s attention turned towards Eva and Arthur for a second, watching what seemed like them playing in the water. Alexander felt a slight pain in his chest. That was something he wanted too. Looking back at Gigi, Alexander quickly put her back down on her feet. He still held a smile on his face, but it seemed less cheery than it had a few moments earlier. No longer was he flashing his bright teeth, but instead was just curling the corner of his lips. His eyes seemed to dull down a little from their golden puppy dog look. “Sorry. I can really get carried away from time to time.” Alexander’s eyes had drifted away from Gigi and were now staring off at the infinite horizon. From Alexander’s view Gigi was still just as uninterested in him as she had been for a couple years now. He remembered the first time he saw her in the hallways. Before seeing Gigi, he and Terrance were the natural school prowlers. Always on the hunt for the next girl to charm, wine, dine, and sixty-nine. But Alexander remembered when he first laid eyes on Gigi, standing with Helene by the lockers, her straight dark hair, and dark eyes. She was so cute in her messy uniform. He had walked over to introduce himself but instead was promptly greeted with a swift punch to the face and was left with a black eye for almost a week. Weird way to find out you fell in love with someone, huh? It wasn’t anything like the story his parents told about their fist meeting in high school in Sweden. They had both fallen head over heels for each other almost instantaneously… however… Gigi… Gigi hadn’t fallen head over heels like Alexander had. Instead she had punched him in the face, which he had initially thought was because he startled her. Now, knowing and understanding more about Helene and Gigi’s relationship, he concluded that Gigi probably saw him as a potential threat to Helene, and was doing her part to fend him off. His eyes stayed locked on the horizon for a while, thinking the scenarios over in his head. “Do you remember when we first met, Giselle?” Alexander hadn’t realized he used her actually name and not the endearingly sweet one that Helene had assigned to her. His smile seemed to waiver just slightly, feeling another mood swing on the horizon.

Isaac remained sturdy where he stood as Helene moved in on him, his charming smile only growing slightly as his eyes absorbed every curve of Helene’s body. “Was just looking for Jacob. He usually comes straight home after class, but I must have missed him. My first instinct was that he must have been cruising the beach for a ‘paper run’ and figured I should check in on him. Little did I know there was a party going on, huh?” Isaac leaned down to the cooler, pulling out a beer. “As an adult, I should lecture you on the dangers of underage drinking…” He popped open the can and through his head back, downing the whole can in one go. He turned his head to a nearby trash and recycle bin, and tossed the can like a basketball, bouncing off the rim and into the plastic bag. “But now as a compromised adult, with such a sexy young woman in front of me… I want to encourage you to drink more with me.” He grabbed a second drink, clinking his together with her newly swiped one from Alyssa, and took another sip.

“I’m glad you’re able to come see our beach. Probably one of our more profitable territories in our reign. We can mostly thank Jacob for his efforts here.” Isaac reached his hand up, playing with her orange-red hair between his fingers, his eyes continuing to eat ever little bit of her body right up. His hand moved down to her neck, playfully rubbing under her chin. “I don’t know what it is like these days. But when I was in high school, the beach was known as one of the better get aways for… those with certain intentions. The Pier gets really secluded at night, and with the lack of light pollution, and sky is breath taking, almost like your eyes, beautiful… Perhaps, later tonight I can show you that, hm?” His hands were now trickling their way down her shoulder, to her arm, and now to the center of her back, as his fingers gently rubbed the small of her back.

Terrance from the ocean was not enjoying the view he could see of Isaac touching over Helene’s body, like a little play thing. Terrance tightened his muscles in frustration, though it seemed to also fuel the girls on more, as they pushed him through the water and father and father from the group. The girls whispered and giggled about doing something right there, in the open. But no one would see if they went far enough out, where the water became less and less clear, and the only things sticking above the water was their heads bobbing with the waves. Terrance saw Helene initially closing the gap of distance between her and Isaac before he turned his attention fully to the two girls, hanging on to him as they seemed to go further and further out of view in the water. The excitement and taboo of doing it out in public was too much for Terrance, the womanizer, to handle himself, and once he felt far enough from view, he gave in to his inhibitions with the two other girls, ravaging one of their necks and grabbing onto the other. However, throughout the entire endeavor, all he could see when he closed his eyes was Helene in his arms, and all these actions being performed on her rather than these strangers.

Jacob, much feeling like a babysitter, let out a long and tired sight, plopping into one of the beach chairs, and pulling Alyssa on to his lap. It seemed that he and Alyssa were the only sane ones, despite the trouble of their relationship. Jacob was keeping out an eye on his three friends as they had all made their way into the water. Jacob didn’t admit it to anyone, besides Alyssa in the past, that he had a fear of open water. He loved the beach, being in the sun, going in the sand. But anything higher than the knees made him extremely anxious. He heard plenty of stories of sudden rip currents pulling people out to sea, even in water as shallow as one’s knees. So he stuck with the safety of sturdy land under his feet. Jacob noticed Alexander putting Gigi down in the water and staring off into the distance, which made Jacob sit up a little bit more, keeping his hand on Alyssa’s back so she wouldn’t fall from his sudden movement. It wasn’t enough of a sign to determine how Alexander was doing, but Jacob could see the start of another drop. Jacob’s eyes shot back to where he last saw Terrance, perhaps to signal to him to check in on Alex, But Jacob’s eyes scanned around and saw no sign of Terrance, or the two girls that were hanging off of him. Though Terrance was the more observant of his friends, it didn’t take more than putting 2 and 2 together to know where he wandered off to, and what to do. Jacob couldn’t pull himself to look over at Helene for her reaction. Specifically since he didn’t want the mental image of his brother hitting on a girl to become burned into his retinas permanently. Instead, Jacob just sighed loudly, rubbing his temple. “God, I have shitty friends.”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Annoyed by 'animals'
✖✖ I am At... the Beach
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, Gigi, Helene, and Alyssa.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Eva..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Bathing Suit

Thank goodness for the water, as she felt her more naughty thoughts melt away as she followed Arthur. She was glad for his grip, the sand being slightly unsteady underneath her feet. Being on the shorter side, she usually preferred pools since she could see the bottom, but she knew as long as she was with Arthur, she'd be fine. Letting out a childish giggle as she was lifted up, Eva watched Arthur try to shoo away the fish she hadn't noticed. As he mentioned the animals, she gave him a slightly puzzled look, though with how high he had hoisted her, she was able to kick at the water with her feet. "They're harmless," She assured him, though as she made sure to cling to his arms, the urge to splash overwhelmed her, and she began kicking her legs feverishly, the water rising up and hitting them both. As she stopped, she found she couldn't stop giggling, though she noticed her childish antics had caught the attention of a few people nearby. After giving them an apologetic smile, she looked up at Arthur, grinning at him. "You're giving them too much attention!" She pretended to whine, trying to get him to look at her. "If you just look at me, you won't see them looking," She told him, smiling gently. "It's just you and me, okay?"

Once her feet touched the ground, she let out a slight sigh of relief. The feeling didn't completely go away, but being so close to Alexander made it worse. Following his gaze, she noticed Arthur and Eva as well, though when she looked at Alexander, he was looking elsewhere. Gigi looked back at Eva, then to him, trying to connect the dots. Did he want to play, too? That seems like something he would like. As she knelt down to charge her attack, however, Gigi perked up as he called her by her full name. When they first met? Her stomach knotted as she distinctly remembered attacking him immediately. At the time, they had just transferred and she didn't know friend from foe. In hindsight it was completely reckless and unprofessional, not to mention after that he clung onto her like glue. Why was he thinking about that? Gigi stared at him for a moment, though he wouldn't look at her, so she stared out into the horizon, too. "I don't think I ever apologized to you for that," She admitted, scratching her arm. "Oddly enough, you never did hold it against me. Still...I'm sorry." She exhaled, realizing something was wrong, but her emotionally repressed self didn't know what to do. Anytime something like this happened she kept trying to think of what her friends would do. Placing her hand on Alexander's shoulder, she figured she would take the opportunity to say, "After that, I don't think there was a day you didn't try to be by my side. It was...strange. I had my mission and didn't really think it was a good idea to get attached to anyone. But there you were, every day," She hesitated for a moment, trying to find the words to what she was trying to say. "I still don't understand why. The way you are, either Eva who's more caring or Alyssa who has the same energy you do would probably give you what you're looking for, but you kept coming after me anyway. I don't...it's..." She began to get slightly frustrated at herself, though she figured there really was only one way to come out with it. "I guess I'm just wondering 'why me' when you can do better?"

Geez, Isaac really, really knew how to charm a girl. Helene actually felt a little shy for once. Was it because he was older, or was it the way his touch felt on her skin? But that touch was a foreign one, and despite its warmth it didn't feel anything like Terrance's--ARGH! NO! Why were those kind of thoughts going through her head right now?! As he popped into her head, however, her eyes darted to where she saw him last, but he was gone. She wasn't stupid, she knew where he went, and it tore her up whether she wanted to admit it or not. It was frustrating to know he had moved on so easily, whereas she--no, she wasn't going to be the girl crying after a breakup. Breakup? This wasn't a breakup! Nothing seemed to make sense in her head anymore, though Isaac's hand traveled along her body, calling for her attention. Her breath got caught in her throat, and she ended up finishing her can in record time to try to cover it. If it hadn't been clear yesterday, Isaac's intentions were crystal clear now. Unless she was mistaken, he wanted her. Or rather, he wanted her body. And considering how today was going, she needed at least some kind of victory, something to go her way. Her lips curved into a smile, a finger to her chin as she contemplated his words. "That sounds nice..." She admitted, returning her gaze to meet Isaac's.

Alyssa watched the pair with mild curiosity. The whole day Helene was acting strange. It was hard to tell, really, as Helene was an excellent actress, but every once in a while Alyssa kept noticing cracks. She could see as she had looked at the ocean for Terrance, she noticed how she tensed up a bit as Isaac told her what he wanted, her reaction to his words. But as she leaned against Jacob, she didn't say anything. She couldn't so much as approach her without Helene getting hostile, and she had promised to keep things civil for today. Jacob's movement made her sit up slightly, though she was grateful he kept her steady. "What's wrong?" Alyssa asked him, frowning slightly as she ran one of her hands through his hair to try to calm him.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Jacob looked at Alyssa and shook his head slightly, letting out a heavy sigh. He made sure to talk low enough as to be unheard by Helene. “Terrance is a tool, Alexander is more sensitive than a fresh wound, and Arthur is an actual rock.” Jacob rubbed his head still in annoyance, but feeling Alyssa’s fingers running through his hair seemed to settle his restless mind, and he rubbed her back, smile growing on his lips. “To start off, Terrance is the smart one, yet he is as dull as a plastic knife sometimes. He doesn’t let his heart do any thinking. Tell me this- Do you think Helene likes Terrance? Because I feel like I could put money down on the fact Terrance likes Helene. But he is too stubborn in the idea that none of us can be romantically involved due to who we are. But we exist, don’t we? Our parents had to have started off somewhere as well, right? It seems to me, Terrance is too afraid of something, I guess commitment, to recognize the fact that he is just as “stupid” as me, Arthur, and Alexander for falling for Helene. And now he is running away from the problem, like it will help.” Jacob ranted, waiving his hand off in the direction that Terrance had disappeared to. Jacob knew it would probably be a while until Terrance returned, probably beaming at the idea that he just hooked up with two girls at once, but obviously still bothered by Isaac making moves on Helene.

“Then we have Alex. He is so caught up in wanting to be loved, that he doesn’t realize Gigi doesn’t like him. And I know that is going to be his downfall… He is a blind, hopeless romantic. And I’m scared for his mental stability because of it.” Jacob rubbed the back of his neck, not sure whether or not to go into the details of Alexander’s private life. Sure, Jacob had already told Alyssa about who he was, but he wasn’t about to expose his friend’s secrets without them knowing or having control over it. “Arthur. I don’t have much a bone to pick with him now as I did before. Perhaps because he seems so absorbed in another world with Eva… he is starting to slack. I guess that is my fault, for telling him to let his emotions go but, now he is letting them run free. I’ve never seen him like this before, and it is causing him to slip up in his work and integrity. I think of all of us, he will have the hardest time maintaining his work ethic, and keeping up with Eva at the same time.” Jacob grabbed his beer, feeling a bit better after ranting and getting his thoughts off his chest. He took a quick sip of his beer, sighing in relief while keeping his eyes on Alex. “Sorry if this is a lot for you to absorb in one sitting. I just really had to get this shit off my chest.”

Alex watched Gigi through his ever-dulling eyes. She was sorry for hitting him? Guess that was a normal way to feel punching an innocent person in the face. But Alexander had forgiven her forever ago, probably the following day when his black eye was the darkest. This was probably the most Gigi had ever spoken to him in one sitting, and it felt so serious. Yeah, she was right in that it wasn’t a good idea to get attached to someone. Alexander thought he could hear Terrance’s voice in that statement. Mainly how it seemed that Alexander was always chasing Gigi, and Terrance obviously disapproved of it. But then she asked the question that stab Alexander’s chest. Why did he chase Giselle? He could have just about any girl on campus, much like Terrance. He was a charmer, smooth talker, and a romancer. So many girls had already expressed interested in him. So why was he so hooked up on Giselle? Though he felt as if he could rattle his brain for a million reasons, his mind was coming up short. And simply put, he couldn’t think of one single reason why he chased her. Why he liked her. Why he thought he loved her. That was when he felt the twisting of the knife in his chest, as his eyes grew duller, and his smile vanished completely from his face. He wasn’t meant to have a fairytale love like his mother and father. They were so much in love, that there was none left for him. Finally breaking away from his constant stare at the horizon, Alexander looked Giselle in the eyes, not showing the same glee and joy as he usually had. “I don’t know…” Was all that left his lips before he turned around and headed back in towards the group on land.

Jacob, watching Alexander coming inland quickly stood up, steadying Alyssa to her feet. Jacob could see it already in Alexander’s face and eyes, something had gone wrong. “Woah, Alex, buddy. You okay, what happened?” Alexander didn’t respond, and simple grabbed up his phone, car keys, and bag of clothes and continued walking up towards the dunes. “I’m going home. Mom and Dad are probably wondering where I am.” Jacob’s face twisted slightly in alarm and he turned back to Alyssa, taking a deep breath. “I’m so sorry. I have to go with him.” Jacob quickly kissed Alyssa on the forehead, before chasing up the dunes after Alexander. “Just keep an eye on everything and everyone! I’ll come back to get you all as soon as possible!” Jacob called back to Alyssa, as he and Alexander disappeared over the dunes. Isaac raised an eyebrow when Jacob shot off with one of his friends. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but it struck him as odd that Alexander mentioned his parents. Knowing fully well that they had been gone for… 5 years now? But Isaac turned his attention back to the lovely Helene, keeping a tight grip on her hips. As he pulled her slightly closer, Isaac suddenly looked up. In the distance he could see Terrance approaching the group. “Oi! Terrance! That was fast.” Terrance didn’t look at Isaac, nor respond to his comment, grabbing up his own items. “Where is Alex? I want to head home.”

Isaac raised and eyebrow towards Terrance. “Woah, woah, woah. You can’t go home now. The evening is young. The sun hasn’t even kissed the horizon yet. You can’t just up and leave yet! Besides, you gotta tell me what happened with you and those flickor.” Although he used a Swedish word, it was obvious he was talking about the two girls that Terrance was last seen with. Terrance tensed up slightly, wrapping a towel around his waist, keeping his back to Isaac and Helene. He took in a sharp breath, and brushed back his salt water soaked hair. “You already know what happened.” He growled through clenched teeth, slowly growing agitated with Isaac. Isaac finally let go of Helene, approaching Terrance to murmur to him in a hushed whisper. “Hey, I get it. Don’t want to talk about it in front of a past fling. No biggie. We can talk about it lat-“ Isaac’s sentence was cut short by Terrance whipping around and slugging Isaac in the jaw. Though it was the strongest punch that Terrance had ever thrown in his life, it didn’t seem to phase Isaac as much as it should have. And so the fist fight ensued.

Arthur, finally getting the hang of blocking out everyone around him, once again found himself absorbed in his own world with Eva. It was just them together on the beach, and he playfully started to splash her as she splashed him. He chased her through the water, and at one point picked her up just to throw her in the air and catch her with the brace of the water. It felt amazing, not paying attention to anyone around him besides Eva. All there was, was the cool ocean water, and the feeling of her clinging onto his arms and chest now and again. “Thank you, Eva.” Was all that Arthur got out before placing a kiss on the top of her head. But his daydream of being alone with Eva was interrupted by the all too familiar sound of punches being thrown, and Arthur began to turn his head towards the scene. Now, normally Arthur would intervene at any moment, at any time, in any place, to step up and protect one of his friends. However, Terrance was now picking a fight with the one person he shouldn’t have- Isaac Patrone. First born son, and mammoth of a man. Arthur had no doubt that a fist fight between himself and Isaac would be one to remember for the ages. However, contractually Arthur was obligated not to intervene in situations like this. He was contractually obligated to protect all members of the Patrone family. Along with all members of the Flights family. But in this moment, he had no idea what to do if a Patrone was fighting a Flights. He had to think quickly on what actions to take. But it didn’t take long for the fight to turn for the worse, at it seemed Isaac was already drawing blood from Terrance from one swift punch. Arthur grabbed Eva tightly, turning her back towards the beach and holding her face to his chest so she couldn’t see. "Don't look. Keep your back turned, and walk backwards towards the beach. Promise me." Arthur once again kissed the top of Eva's head, and began to run towards the shore and to the fight.

Alexander climbed into his SUV, and Jacob jumped quickly in the passenger side, snatching the keys from Alexander’s hand and throwing them all the way to the trunk. Alexander looked at his hand, slowly turned his head to the back of the SUV, then turned his head to Jacob. “Why did you do that?...”

“Because we need to talk, Alex.”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Annoyed by 'animals'
✖✖ I am At... the Beach
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, Gigi, Helene, and Alyssa.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."Eva..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Bathing Suit

Hearing Jacob talk about his friends revealed just how stressed he really was about everything. He cared so much about them that he essentially took on their burdens as if they were his own, which was admirable, but dangerous. Terrance in denial, Alexander not realizing what he was doing to himself, Arthur neglecting what he needed to do--but that was just normal teenage behavior, wasn't it? Even with everything they did--not that she knew specifics, but she wasn't stupid enough to think they didn't at least get their hands dirty like Jacob did--they were still human, still adolescents, still growing. Alyssa listened patiently, and as he thanked her for listening, she found herself smiling at him. He had been holding it in for a while, it seemed. Not like he could complain about his friends to his friends, and suddenly she realized that by losing her, he had no way to properly vent. She laid back down on him, taking his free hand and holding onto it tightly. "It's okay," She assured him.

Something was definitely up with Alexander, even someone like her could tell as they made eye contact. The change in demeanor was completely jarring to Gigi--and this was the same girl that had just put a bullet between someone's eyes just the other day. As he left her, she followed him, but he didn't even look back at her. She watched him for a while, though once the water reached her shins, she just sat down, not really knowing what to do with herself. Alexander grabbed his things and continued, and she figured he was just done and wanted to go home. It was her fault, wasn't it? Jacob gave chase, and she figured maybe it meant it was time to go. She sat in the water, wondering if it was her fault when someone walked through with rather angry steps, splashing her. After sputtering out some water, she saw it was Terrance who had walked past her, and she threw another glare at the back of his head. God, he was really good at pissing her off whether he was doing it intentionally or not. Not that she was going to do anything, just watching him go and start to grab his stuff too. Yeah, it was definitely over if two people wanted to leave, though as she would stand, she was shocked to see Terrance throw a fist at Isaac. Helene let out a scream, and Gigi found herself scrambling to get out of the water. She genuinely felt more like a damn nanny than a bodyguard, though as she spotted Arthur running ahead of her, she froze in place. Eva couldn't see that happening, the shock would probably affect her. Luckily it seemed Arthur thought the same, so Gigi changed course and went straight to Eva.

"Gigi, what's going on?!" She asked, her voice shaky as she tried to turn, but Gigi forced her to keep her back to the commotion.

"I'm going to guide you to shore, just stay calm," She instructed her.

Meanwhile Alyssa had to pull Helene out of the way as the fight erupted. The redhead was in shock over what was happening, though Alyssa had a feeling she knew what was going on. Dragging her away as the fight got bloody, she felt Helene crumple, nearly taking the brunette with her. "Stop...!" Her voice came out rather choked, and Alyssa ended up having to pull her back as the redhead tried to intervene. "Stop it!" She cried as Alyssa spotted Arthur approaching the scene. Would he be enough to break them up? Gigi wasn't too far behind him, having set Eva down on the sand and charged after Arthur, but considering how violent the fight was getting, she got worried he was going to end up getting hurt. Successfully dragging Helene with her, she managed to hand her off to Gigi. "I'm getting Jacob! Keep her with you, she tried to jump into it," She told Gigi, and as soon as she did, Alyssa sprinted towards the parking lot. The dark haired girl looked at Helene, who looked utterly defeated but kept trying to get back to the fight, then looked at Eva, who did as she was told, but she looked just as pale as Helene.

Running through the sand wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be, but then again, this wasn't the first time she had to do it. Boy, this had to be the first time Alyssa was actually glad one of her father's boot camps was paying off, and as soon as she found Alexander's SUV, she banged on the window rapidly. "Jacob! Your brother and Terrance are in a fist fight!" She called through the window, repeatedly tapping the glass.

ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴ'Ｓ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe тнe вαd мαɴ
тσ вє тнє ѕα∂ мαη

ＡＮＤ ＮＯ ＯＮＥ ＫＮＯＷＳ ＷＨＡＴ ＩＴＳ ＬＩＫＥ．．．

тo вe нαтed
тσ вє ƒαтє∂

Alex’s hands rested on his lap relatively defeated by such a simple gesture. Jacob groaned, slightly annoyed, before turning to Alex. “What happened with Gigi? What did she say?” Alex was staring at the steering wheel, twiddling his thumbs back and forth as if he had to think about it.

“She asked why I chose her. I guess, why I like her.” Jacob scratched the top of his head, reaching in his pocket for his own phone and tapping around. “Oh yeah? And what did you say?” Jacob was suddenly caught of guard by the ensuing waterworks from Alexander, who was resting his face in his hands. “Holy shit, Alex. What did you say?”

“Nothing, Jacob! I told her I don’t know. I- I really don’t know. I feel empty and I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Alexander held his face, just shaking. Oh jeez. “Alexander, you know that is a fucking lie.” Jacob pushed his phone into Alexander’s hand. At that moment Alyssa was banging on the window to get Jacob’s attention. A fight?! God, he was only gone for two minutes!!! Jacob groaned loudly, opening the door to jump out. “Just read those! Come back when you feel better.” Jacob closed the door and took Alyssa’s hand, running down to the beach to assist. Arthur had finally reached the two Swedes, Terrance now on his back on the towels while Isaac was going in straight on his face. Punch, after punch, after punch. Arthur got behind Isaac, wrapping his arms around his torso and lifting him off of Terrance. There was a lot of straining in Arthur’s face, but he managed to pull Isaac back, who was breathing heavy. “What the hell, Terrance?? The fuck is your problem!” Arthur was straining holding back Isaac and Jacob finally appeared, assisting in pushing him away as well, and Arthur felt like he could breath again. “Isaac, go home!”

Isaac shook his head, rubbing the sweat from his head and the blood from a cut on his lip. “Your buddy fucked up, Jacob. Get your men under control!” Isaac threw his hands in the air, before storming off the beach. Arthur and Isaac got down beside Terrance, grabbing up some of the clean towels to put pressure to his face. His right eye was already beginning to swell up from a black eye and a cut on his lip. He really wasn’t looking so good. In fact, Jacob had a feeling he couldn’t see out of his swelling eye. “And don’t put your hands on her again!” Terrance muttered and turned on his side, coughing up blood and wheezing. Jacob pulled him up, so he would sit up straight. Jacob grabbed a water and a bottle of vodka from the cooler. First with the water, he poured it over Terrance’s face to wash away sand and some blood. Arthur grabbed the vodka, getting a towel wet with vodka. He pressed the vodka soaked towel to Terrances face, flinching away at first and hissing in pain. “Give that to me. You are so rough, Arthur.” Terrance snatched the towel away and gentle pressed it against the cuts on his face, wincing more in pain from the stinging alcohol. “What the hell, Terrance? What happened? Why were you two fighting?” But Terrance rolled his eyes and turned away, holding the towel over his face. “Your brother is an ass, that’s why.” Jacob shook his head, putting pieces together himself. Jacob assumed that Terrance must have came back and exploded seeing Isaac flirting with Helene.

Arthur, seeing as the fight was now broken up, hurried down towards the water, putting a hand on Eva’s shoulder, turning her to him and encapsulating her in a hug. He hoped that she didn’t see that, but there was going to be no chance of Terrance hiding his face from Eva. It was entirely fucked up. “It is okay now. I’m sorry I ran off like that.” Over the dunes, Alexander reappeared, his eyes bright and a small smile on the corners of his lips. Seeing Terrance nursing a wound didn’t seem to really phase him, as he tossed Jacob his phone back, and resumed standing beside Gigi, not really registering much of what was going on. Besides the fact there was obviously a fight. But Alexander seemed to have his own things on his mind now. Jacob tucked his phone away, giving a quick nod to Alexander and helping Terrance to his feet. Terrance didn’t look at Helene, he couldn’t look at her. He wanted to, but he couldn’t face her right now, as he felt like he was drowning in guilt. “Well, I think this may be enough beach for today… What do you all think?” Jacob looked around at the crowd. Alexander seemed a bit bummed out, but it seemed like his mood wasn’t shifting anymore. “I can take everyone home… Terrance, just don’t get blood on my interior.”



ＢＵＴ ＭＹ ＤＲＥＡＭＳ．．．

ＡＳ ＭＹ ＣＯＮＳＣＩＥＮＣＥ ＳＥＥＭＳ ＴＯ ＢＥ

Ｉ ＨＡＶＥ ＨＯＵＲＳ， ＯＮＬＹ ＬＯＮＥＬＹ．．．

ＴＨＡＴ'Ｓ ＮＥＶＥＲ ＦＲＥＥ

✖✖ Translations:...
✖✖ I Feel... Worried for Eva
✖✖ I am At... the Beach
✖✖ I am With... Jacob, Terrance, Alexander, Eva, Gigi, Helene, and Alyssa.
✖✖ I am Thinking..."..."
✖✖ I am Wearing...Bathing Suit

As Arthur hugged her, Eva clung onto him nervously, unsure if she actually wanted to know what happened. Once the dust had settled, however, she couldn't help but wince as she saw Terrance's face. It didn't take too long for her to put the pieces together, although she couldn't tell who felt worse, her or Helene. The normally vivacious redhead was as quiet as a mouse, walking around on her own and helping to cleanup and pack. But the look on her face was empty, unreadable. She couldn't bring herself to press on it, and as they all got into Alexander's car, there was this really quiet discomfort lingering in the air. It was too bad, she thought that the day was going well. At least Alexander seemed to be feeling better, so that was one problem solved, but she couldn't help but feel terrible for Terrance. But were things so bad that they really had to fight? She thought of Helene and Alyssa fighting earlier, and Eva felt uneasy, holding onto Arthur tighter.

Alyssa watched Helene carefully the entire trip. She wouldn't look at anyone, choosing to stare down at her lap. As much as she felt like she should leave things alone, she was obligated to help. Even if she sort of thought that if she said the wrong thing, she and Helene would be the ones getting into another fight. Again. As Alexander's SUV came to a halt, she gave Jacob a guilty look. "I'll call you later, I need to help her," She told him quietly, giving him a quick kiss before getting out of the car. Helene hadn't bothered saying a word to anyone, practically jumping out of the car and running into her house. "Helene! Wait up!" Alyssa called, running after her. Gigi stared at the pair for a moment before realizing she was going to have to take their things out of the trunk. Wonderful. She simply nodded to the rest of the group, going over to the trunk of the car. Why the hell did Helene have so much crap?!

Inside her home, Helene had went went straight to the mini bar, grabbing a couple of bottles for a mix and pouring them all into a pitcher. Normally the liquor there was reserved for her siblings, but the only thing she wanted to do was black out and have tomorrow come along. As Alyssa entered, she shook her head as Helene continued, ignoring her. She hadn't seen her this stressed since...actually, never. The worst was getting trashed after those drinking contests, but even that was happy drinking. "Can we talk about what happened?" She asked, sighing as Helene chose to drink instead of answering. She followed Helene to her couch, the redhead clutching the pitcher and cup. "Come on, Hel, it bothered you. Talk to me," She asked as she sat down next to her, trying to be sympathetic.

"You're making it hard to uphold the whole twenty four hours thing," Helene told her, filling her cup again without looking at Alyssa. "Go home. Don't worry about me, I'm going to drink until I black out, hopefully I trip and bang my head against something so I can forget about this shitty day."

"Yeah, that's real healthy," Alyssa replied dryly. "I'll only go if you stop drinking." She tried to bargain. Helene paused mid drink, shooting her a weird look."Wait, that's stupid. You and I both know as soon as I leave, you'll just drink again," She realized.

"That's the idea!" Helene grinned, though her expression fell almost immediately as she shook her head. "I mean it, Aly. Go home. I promise I'll be back to normal in the morning, but right now, I don't want to talk about what happened. The only thing I have to say about it is right now is that it fucking sucked, and that's not talking, that's complaining. Please, just leave me alone." She pleaded with her.

Against her better judgement, Alyssa decided to comply with Helene's wishes. Getting up, Alyssa walked outside, spotting Gigi struggling with the bags. "Um...I changed my mind, I still need a ride," She said sheepishly, ignoring Gigi's glare as she carefully put her bags back into the trunk, sliding into the car before Gigi decided to throttle her. She spotted Eva's worried look, unsure of what to say. "She wants to be alone, so I figured I shouldn't push her," Alyssa shrugged. Meanwhile Gigi threw Helene's bags the doorway, although not without bringing out a cigarette and deciding to have a smoke first. If Alyssa wasn't able to stay, chances were that Helene was going to kick her out, too. Once she pushed all of Helene's bags inside, she grabbed her own and went over to her bike, letting out a huff as she wanted to finish the cigarette before going home.