WARNING: UPSETTING & EMOTIONAL CONTENT.

It was the weekend, and the group were in desperate need of a change of scenery. University homework had started to pile up again, and it had gotten to the point where all of the roommates were now worried about falling behind.
Cassie told Tabitha about a delicious milkshake and ice cream van that was usually stationed near the park round about this time of the term.
After getting halfway there, the group realised they had forgotten the picnic basket, so Jace and Anvi offered to go and get it. 

"So, are you feeling better today?", asked Anvi. 

Jace nodded.
"Yeah.
I mean, I'm a little nervous, but you guys will be there too so it's not like I have to talk to Tabitha."

"Well, I hope things get sorted out between Tabitha and Sutton today.
I don't know how much longer we can take it", said Anvi.
"Luka literally threw salt in his eye to give himself an excuse to leave the dinner table yesterday."

"Oh, he had salt in his eye?
I was wondering why he kept winking at KJ when we were eating."

Anvi giggled, gently shaking her head as she reached for the water bottles on the counter and placed them in the picnic basket.
Jace smiled as he watched her, but his smile faded when something he had been wondering for a while popped into his head. 

"Hey, Anvi... can I say something?"

Anvi raised an eyebrow at Jace.
"Ok..."

"When we first met, in person, were you acting cold towards me because I reminded you of Anu?"

"No, I... I was just being a bit of a d*ck.
I just feel like I've met so many boys in school who flirted with anything that moved.
They never seemed genuine.
I've just never really gravitated to people who constantly comment on other people's appearances.
It just never seems real.
But... I was wrong to judge you.
You're actually a pretty decent guy, Jace."

It actually surprised Jace how much he cared about Anvi's opinion.
She was just quite different to most of the other girls he met.
He was a self-confessed charmer, but his charm didn't seem to work on Anvi.
Granted, he stopped trying to flirt when he found out about her 'boyfriend', and then his feelings for Tabitha grew and he
only really cared about her.
Anvi saw past his facade, and was interesting in who he was, not what he looked like.

Anvi lightly punched Jace's arm.
"Come on, we should get going.
Luka put an ice cube tray in here and it's probably starting to melt."

"Ok, hey, why don't we race?", he suggested. 

"I only run when I'm late for class or being chased."

"Well then...", he started, his eyes landing on the handle Anvi was holding, and the one next to it.
A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "... you'll have to run now!"

Jace grabbed the handle and started running, tugging on it as he moved.
Anvi's eyes widened and she let out a little scream as she was being pulled.
She let go of the handle so she can lock the door behind her.
By the time she had locked it, Jace was already half-way down the street. 

"Jace, you are a dead man!"

Anvi readjusted her shoes and did a quick stretch, anticipating pain.
She ran as fast as she could, already plotting ways to get Jace back.

¤¤¤

Luka had found the perfect spot for the group.
It was a short walking distance from where the milkshake van was, but not too close that they'd be bothered by large groups of people rushing to it.
Luka was propped up against one tree, with Jace and KJ forming a misshapen triangle. Only a few steps away, Tabitha was leaning against a different tree, with Anvi sitting in between her and Sutton, acting as a wall. 

"This assessment is kicking my a**", said Sutton.
"I need to do a presentation on how theatre helps shape our identity."

"Hmm, you know, in many ways... theatre and creative writing are similar. both are creative outlets". said Anvi.

"Anvi..."

"You should ask Tabitha!", exclaimed Anvi. 

Tabitha looked up, and her eyes met with Sutton's.
She sent an unimpressed look Anvi's way, earning an innocent smile from her. 

Sutton shook her head.
"No, I'm fine."

Jace looked at Anvi and mouthed
'you tried', before shrugging.
Anvi just smiled.
This was far from over.
Unbeknownst to Jace, Luka had devised a backup plan.
He looked at KJ, who simply nodded and got up.
Anvi joined him and the pair started walking towards the van. 

"I think we all need some ice cream", said Luka. 

When the pair returned, there were only two ice creams in their hands.
A confused Jace watched as Luka, KJ and Anvi walked closer and closer to Tabitha and Sutton. 

"Uh, are those ice creams for us?", asked Tabitha.

Luka jumped forward, pointing a finger at Tabitha and Jace.
"No, it's a trap!"

"What?", questioned Sutton.

"Did you poison one or something?", asked Tabitha. 

"No", replied Luka.
"You two are going to talk out your problems with each other.
If you don't you're both getting an ice cream to the face!"

Sutton scoffed.
"Oh come on, Luka.
We both know you're not gonna–"

KJ lunged forward, pointing the ice cream out like it was a sword.
He smashed it against Sutton's nose, making her recoil. 

"Hey!"

"Now do you believe us?", asked Luka. 

"Guys, this is silly", said Tabitha. 

"No, what's silly is this feud between you two", said KJ. 

"You're both more alike than you think, and it's infuriating because you can't see how
stubborn you're being!", exclaimed Anvi. 

"So, we're going to take Jace and we're going to go for a walk.
By the time we get back, we expect you to at least be civil with each other", said Luka. 

¤¤¤

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air.
At one point, it looked like Tabitha was going to speak, but she just needed to cough.
Sutton's phone vibrated, and she looked at it.
She exhaled sharply, and Tabitha looked up to see Sutton smiling.

"Um, uh... th-that was Zephyr.
Apparently the protest for Zulfi led to the school issuing an official apology and the boys who bullied him have been expelled."

"Oh my gosh, that's great news!", exclaimed Tabitha.

Sutton nodded.
"Yeah.
Zulfi's still in critical condition, but it's like Isaiah says, we need to learn to appreciate every victory we get.
Oh, I should tell Jace and the others."

"Yeah, Jace will be so happy."

Sutton's face softened, and she gave Tabitha the faintest smile.
"Why don't you go and tell him?"

"Uh... no", she said, reaching for the buttons on her jacket and fiddling with them.
"It's best if I don't really go near him for a while.
I'm... I'm surprised you offered actually. Thought you hated me."

"Yeah, my anger for you increased tenfold when Jace told me about the breakup.
Then he explained that it was his idea, not yours.
I shouldn't have felt anything.
I should've been glad after all the damage you caused.
But... it didn't feel good at all.
I had to break up with my last boyfriend because we couldn't do long distance.
It was a pretty bad time in my life, and I don't know if I would've gotten through it without Jace."

"I suppose it makes sense why you are so controlling when it comes to him and his relationships.
You obviously care a lot about him a lot."

Sutton furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Controlling?
No... listen, I know Jace has a good head on his shoulders.
Whatever he goes through, he'll come out the other side just fine.
I don't care about him dating other people."

"Yeah right!
Come on, Sutton, we both know you don't think I'm enough for–"

"No, I'm not enough!", she yelled, her voice breaking unexpectedly.

Tabitha furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and shock.
She couldn't quite believe Sutton thought of herself in that way.

She chuckled in disbelief.
"Sutton, what are you going on about?"

Sutton sighed, shaking her head slightly and looking down.
She sighed again, before looking up at Tabitha again.

"Everyone loves Jace.
He isn't the type to get people who fancy him to run around doing things for him, but they would if he asked.
I've tried to get close to some girls before, you know, to befriend them, and they acted like they were my friends.
But they only wanted to use me to get closer to Jace."

"What?
What did Jace do when you told him?"

"I didn't.
I never have.
When I told you and Anvi not to date him, it wasn't because I wanted to control his life, or that I didn't think either of you were good enough for him.
It was because... I really, really like you both.
We just clicked—instantly.
I didn't want to lose that."

After hearing Sutton's side, Tabitha started to feel even more guilty.
And annoyed.
How could those girls not see how lucky they were to have a friend like Sutton?
Sure, things between them hadn't been great, but aside from the lie, Tabitha had no reason to think Sutton was a bad friend.

Tabitha reached her arms out and grabbed Sutton's hands.
Sutton didn't flinch, or move away. Instead, she gave Tabitha a smile.
This was the closest the pair had gotten since the fight, and it seemed like maybe, finally, they were starting to understand each other.

"I'm sorry.
I'm really sorry.
Friendship and loyalty mean a lot to me, but I shouldn't have expected you to get that.
We haven't known each other that long, but I guess when you lied about me to Jace, I saw it as a betrayal of everything I believe friendship is supposed to stand for."

"No, I'm sorry.
I never meant to make you feel like that!
I was just so desperate to hold on to you, because I really value you as a person, and your friendship.
I should've just been honest with you from the start."

"Well, it can't be easy opening up about something so painful from your past.
I don't blame you for not telling us the whole story."

"Still, I shouldn't have lied.
I mean, it's not really a surprise that you didn't tell me about you and Jace, what with me making you feel like you did something wrong to push Jace away.
I messed up and I'm really sorry, Tabitha."

"I messed up too.
If I just kept my temper in check for five minutes, none of this would've escalated to the level that it did."

"It's not like I made much of an effort to listen to your side either.
We both acted badly."

"So... do you think we could maybe be friends again?", asked Tabitha.
"Because your friendship... it's special, Sutton.
All those people who used you?
Well, I feel sorry for them because they missed out on having a f*cking awesome friend."

Sutton smiled brightly.
Without hesitation, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Tabitha.
Tabitha giggled, quickly hugging her back.

"I'd really love that."

"Oh. My. Gosh."

The girls pulled apart and turned to the side, just in time to see a gobsmacked Luka fall to his knees, a cone of melting ice cream in his hand.
Anvi was eating her ice cream, but froze in place when she saw Tabitha and Sutton.
KJ looked like he had just seen the most mind-boggling thing in the world.
Jace just stood there, his mouth agape.

"Is it... is it over?", asked Luka.
"Is it really over?"

"I think so", whispered Anvi.

"Oh wait, look!
I think I see a flying pig!", exclaimed KJ, pointing at the sky.

Tabitha and Sutton rolled their eyes.

"Dorks", said Sutton, shaking her head.
She looked at Tabitha.
"They're total dorks right?"

"Oh, total f*cking dorks."

¤¤¤

With order seemingly restored, the group to sit together this time, and tuck into their food.
Anvi took a bite of her apple, flicking through her textbook at the same time.

"Uh, hey, can I practise the recovery position on someone please?", asked Anvi.
"I know the steps but always manage to do it in the wrong order."

"That's like me with different things we have to do in my course.
There are specific things you need to do when moving and transferring a patient. They make it look so easy on the medical shows, but I almost sent the dummy we use flying when we tried moving it last week", said Luka.

"Honestly, the practical stuff is tough", said Anvi.
She looked over at KJ, before flashing him the most adorable smile ever.
"Can I practise on you?
Please?"

KJ grimaced.
"Mm, I dunno.
There are loads of people around."

"We'll go behind this tree!
Go on, please KJ?"

Anvi did her best puppy dog eyes, tilting her head to the side and pouting to really ramp up the emotional factor.

"Aww, how can you say no to that face?", questioned Tabitha, laughing at the end.

KJ groaned, throwing his head back and closing his eyes.
After a few seconds, he threw his arms up. "Alright, fine!"

"Yes!", cheered Anvi.
"Thanks, KJ I owe you one!"

"Just make sure you save his life!", joked Sutton.

Anvi and KJ went behind the tree.
The others couldn't make out exactly what they were doing, but Anvi had instructed KJ to lay down.
She placed his right arm out and put his left hand on the right side of his face,  to support himself.
She then lifted the leg furthest away from her, so that the foot was flat on the ground. She held on to the leg and pulled it towards her, rolling KJ over onto his side.
She gently lifted his chin up and opened his mouth, so that he could breath properly.

"Ok, I think that's–oh!"

A mischievous smirk on his face, KJ rolled back over.
Anvi pulled his leg again, but he rolled over again as soon as she let go.

"Oi, KJ!"

KJ squirmed as Anvi awkwardly tried to pin him down with her leg, whilst also turning him at the same time—truly forgetting that she was pinning him down.
KJ let out small groans and screams as he tried to resist Anvi.
After a couple minutes of play fighting, they somehow ended with Anvi's legs over him and KJ pressing her clasped hands together.

A middle-aged couple walked by, smiles on their faces.
The woman gasped when she saw KJ and Anvi, but the man just chuckled.

"Oh Sheila, this is how all the youngsters are doing it nowadays!"

The pair stopped in their tracks when they heard that.
Anvi quickly rolled off him, and KJ sat up. They could hear Luka chuckling, and KJ looked over, his face turning more red when he noticed them all trying to hold in their laughter.

"Oh!
No, no, we're not... no, Sir.
No way.
We're just, practising–", rambled Anvi.

"We were just doing the, the medical thing", continued KJ, trying to help the situation.

The older couple looked at each other, their smiles growing.
The woman turned back and winked, before tapping her index finger against her nose.

"Don't worry, we get it, love."

Mortified, Anvi buried her face in her hands, and KJ stared at the ground, as if he was willing it to open up and swallow him. As soon as the couple were out of earshot, the others dissolved into laughter.

"Hey!
It's not funny!", argued Anvi.

"It is a bit", laughed Tabitha.

"Aww, bless, KJ you've gone all red!", said Sutton.

"I hate you all", he said.

_ _ _

Hi.

I wanted to include more funny group moments where they're just bonding, but I couldn't really find the right balance between humour and the emotional content of Tabitha and Sutton's talk. I do plan on showing more group moments as we continue with the books though!

Jace and Anvi's talk was important, because it kind of ends the arc of Anvi thinking Jace is just a player. They've gotten closer, and their friendship is really starting to grow on a deeper level. Well atleast, I hope that is coming across!

Luka, KJ and Anvi scenes are really nice for me to write. They're all quite goofy and silly, and Luka and Anvi help bring out that side of KJ. I mean, just look at how he was messing with Anvi at the park. He's becoming a lot more confident, and I think a big reason for that is because he feels safe with these people. He knows they aren't going to judge him. That is so important to have in a friend group.

Sutton and Tabitha have made up! They both acknowledged they were in the wrong, and having that new sense of understanding for one another means that they can feel more comfortable confiding in one another moving forward.

Also, I've been reading the forms again and realised that the relationship parts aren't things I considered. I know I asked you to include how your character would act with a crush/relationship but I very rarely use them because I found that it makes more sense for it to be different depending on who the other character is and what their bond was like before.

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

NOTE: I'm feeling a little burnt-out, and I have an important deadline I need to meet tomorrow, so I don't know when the next update will be. It might end up being a day or two, or even longer. I'm really sorry about this, but I hope you'll still be interesting in reading what happens next, whenever I get round to it.

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

1-800-PETEMITCHELL-

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