“I… am… full” Emily moaned. She leaned on the back of her chair, cradling her neck on the top of the backrest. Her grandmother outdid herself this time. The food all smelled delicious. They tasted divine as well. Even if she tried to resist, she didn’t leave a single bite uneaten.

Her only problem left happened to be her dress. The built-in corset did not allow her stomach to expand. She focused on breathing. It would take time before the food would be broken down and digested.

“I’m surprised you still had room for dessert” Jae joked, finishing his glass of soda. A waiter came by to refill it and he accepted gladly.

“I wouldn’t miss dessert. It was cheesecake with a layer of flan on top. It. Was. Heavenly” Emily sighed dreamily. She needed to get herself together. They had only one more dish to go, “I’m surprised you’re doing fine, Alex.”

Her cousin was in the middle of sipping her water when she called out her name. Alex raised her eyebrows and set down the glass, “That’s because I haven’t drank much. I probably should but that would be painful.”

“Damn, I should have done the same.”

“Will you be able to move enough to accompany me to the bathroom?” Alex chuckled.

Emily closed her eyes and raised a finger, “Give me a minute.”

“Why can’t girls go to the bathroom alone?” Logan asked out of the blue.

“Because you never know if wolves would pounce” Emily thought out loud, “Not to mention if any bitches would be around. We, girls, stick together.”

She couldn’t count how many times she had the experience—especially at school. It was probably because the teachers and staff had their own lounge. The bathroom would also be the place without a camera. Some students thought they could get away with anything in there.

Jae immediately thought about the time he bumped into her near the bathroom. Well, if she placed it that way, it did sound reasonable.

Emily stood up abruptly and stretched her arms, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Alex grabbed her purse, rising up from her seat.

“We’ll be right back,” she told the boys.

Both girls walked side by side to the bathroom. The hotel had built it a good distance away from the ballroom. They passed through a hallway to reach it. Once they arrived, it turned out to be empty. Each of them picked a cubicle.

Emily finished first. When she opened the door, she saw two other girls had come in. They stood in front of the mirror, touching up their makeup. Now, it seemed like a coincidence but she didn’t buy it—at least, not with these two.

“Emily!” The brunette gasped at her reflection in the mirror. She turned around, all smiles on her face, “I feel like I haven’t seen you in a week.”

“That’s because you haven’t, Elena” Emily replied, rolling her eyes, “How’s Foundation Week going?”

She went to an empty sink and washed her hands. She could feel the two girls resist looking in her direction. Normally, she would have chatted away but tonight didn’t belong in a normal night. Based on how she knew them, their presence had ulterior motives.

“Nothing as exciting as your week has been probably” the black-haired girl replied. She finished cleaning up her lipstick and placed the cap back on. With that out of the way, leaned a hip against the marble and smiled knowingly, “Who’s your boyfriend?”

“Why do people keep saying that?” Emily muttered. She grabbed a paper towel and dried her hands. She threw it in a bin, giving the girls her undivided attention.

“Because you bicker like an old married couple?”

“Because it’s true?” Elena wiggled her eyebrows. She leaned her head over her sister’s shoulder. Her blue eyes shone with mischief, “That blonde guy is your boyfriend, right?”

Emily scoffed. Why couldn’t that big blonde oaf leave her alone? Even when he wasn’t around, his presence followed her. And how did people see them as a couple? They did nothing but fight. If anything, they should see a desperate guy pinning on an uninterested girl.

“No, he is not” she clarified for them, “If he was my boyfriend, do you think we’d have an empty seat between us?”

“Unless you intended it to fool people,” Elena retorted. She nudged the black-haired girl’s shoulder, “Right, Charlotte?”

“Right” her sister nodded at her. Then, they both turned their attention back at their target.

Emily shook her head. They didn’t even bother to hide their intentions. She clicked her tongue, crossing her arms over her chest, “Just admit that you want to know if he’s single.”

“Is he?” Charlotte asked. Elena leaned further. Their facial expressions were nearly identical. It felt tempting to tease them further.

Emily exhaled sharply. She looked up at the ceiling, pretending to think about it, “I’m not sure. He’s Alex’s friend.”

Alex cursed at herself for picking the wrong time to come out. Either her cousin had really good instincts or she purposely said it when Alex opened the door. Emily’s friends shifted their eyes towards her. There had been a time when she nicknamed them as: B1 and B2. If it weren’t for their hair color and their height difference, she really would have believed they were twins. They practically had the same soul.

“Alex, hey!” Elena called out, “Would you give us answers? From a friend to a friend?”

Alex smiled politely, taking her turn to wash her hands, “I don’t think he’d be interested in a long distance relationship.”

At least, not for anyone, she thought to herself.

Elena pouted, “That’s a bummer. I’m guessing the other guy is your boyfriend then?”

“He’s not—”

“I don’t care if either of you fancy him, you will not break my ship” Emily cut in with a stern tone in her voice. She had a serious look in her eyes. She switched her gaze between the two sisters. Elena made it a bit of a challenge with her height but Emily was determined to plant in their minds that Logan was off limits.

“Well, what does Alex think?” Charlotte pointed out.

The person in question froze for a second. Then, she remembered her bearings. In a calm voice, she said, “I don’t have an opinion.”

“Oh, you like him!” Elena squealed.

“If I said I didn’t, Emily would say I was lying” Alex explained, “What would be the point then?”

“Well, why isn’t he your boyfriend?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

“Sshhh,” Emily interrupted, waving her hands at them, “Don’t ask anymore. If you do, you might make her more resistant to the idea.”

Alex merely rolled her eyes, keeping it on her hands. She didn’t much care about the opinions of others, only those that were close to her. They could say all they want about her and her choices but it wouldn’t matter.

“There must be something wrong with him” Charlotte said, biting her inner cheek, “I thought he seemed pretty cool though.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Logan other than he’s an idiot, he’s stubborn and he’s annoying. He’s good both academically and athletically. He doesn’t judge people based on rumors, always gives the benefit of the doubt—which may sometimes add to his idiocy. If he cared about someone, he’d go do things to help that person even if his ideas sound stupid and ridiculous.”

Alex finished washing up and took a paper towel. While she wiped her hands dry, her eyes swept the room. It suddenly became silent.

A small smile creeped up Emily’s lips. It seemed like Logan found his way to be in her cousin’s circle. She wouldn’t have been defensive about him otherwise. She felt the temptation to tease Alex about it but she might only deny any growing feelings she already had.

“Was I too harsh?” Alex asked, chuckling, “I don’t really appreciate comments on my friends when the person doesn’t even know them yet.”

“We’d look forward to getting to know him then, Alex” Charlotte gave a tight smile. She hadn’t thought her comment through. She became used to the girls in Freccia Prep. She almost forgot Alex didn’t attend it and stayed in a different environment.

“Alex, Alex, Alex” Elena chanted. Everyone glanced over at her direction, “Damn, every time I think of your name, I think about your cute cousin too.”

“My cousin?” Alex frowned. The only cousin they knew was Emily. Heck, even she wasn’t sure who her cousins were from her mother’s side of the family.

“Oh, yeah. His name is Alex too” Charlotte added, “Yeah, where is he? We haven’t seen him.”

===

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