"Oh, look who's decided to accompany us." Tao mocked slightly as Romeo walked their way. "No Rugby team today?"

"Tao, I eat with the three of you every day." he sat down on his other side, giving an odd look. "Why've you got two juices again?"

"Why do you think?" Charlie rose an eyebrow.

"You need to let Elle thrive." he took one of the juice. "She's only across the pavement."

"I'm trying." Tao sighed, taking the juice back as Romeo choked, having already started to drink it. "Can't have you drinking anything healthy. That's what your Rugby team wants, is it not?"

"I still think it's cool you made the team this year, Romeo." Issac gave him a smile, looking up from his book. Romeo had only known Charlie, Tao, and Elle because of Issac. When he'd moved here two years ago, Issac was rereading Romeo and Juliet for the fourth time and ran right into him. They swore it had been fate and he'd stuck around every since.

"Thank you, best friend that is genuinely supportive of me." Romeo hummed, giving Tao a dramatic glare. "Unlike someone I know."

"No, wrong." Tao held up a finger. "I'm very supportive of you, just not being on the Rugby team."

"How's it going, anyways?" Charlie gave a questionable look.

"Everyone keeps asking where I moved from and I have to keep explaining that i've been here for two years." the curly haired boy hummed with an odd look. "I'm tempted to just start saying random places from now on. Maybe Japan, Texas, Canada."

"You could say you're from the world of wizardry and I fear they'd believe you." Tao said honestly with an odd look, sighing as he looked at the juices again.

"It's okay to miss her." Charlie pointed out knowingly.

"Fine." he exhaled. "Obviously it's better that she's at an all-girls school. You know, Mr.Reed was still refusing to call her Elle."

"Ugh, Mr.Reed." Romeo rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Mr.Reed is a massive transphobe." Charlie winced as he nodded.

"Pretty sure he'd racist too. When my Dad came for the student teacher conference and he'd realized that I in fact didn't spend hours in the sun to get a tan, then proceeded to ask my Dad why we didn't stay in Mexico, it sorta answered a lot of questions." Romeo gave an odd look, opening his lunch.

"Have you ever even been to Mexico?" Charlie looked questionable.

"I have not. Nor has my Dad. Or my grandparents." Romeo listed on with a nod of his head. "They say it was something along the lines of my great-great-great- grandma had been the last to live in Mexico. According to Mr.Reed though, i've lived there my entire life."

"Makes sense." Tao said honestly. "It's still weird, though. There use to be five of us, now there's four. Like, five is a group. Four is just...sad."

"You know what else is sad?" Romeo rose an eyebrow. "The fact that you are buying juice for Elle when she's not even here, and then being so possessive about it that you yank it from my mouth."

"Didn't want to give the rugby team any advantages." he held his head a bit higher when he said it.

Romeo cracked a grin at Charlie's gazing look behind the pair, turning back. "At least one of you likes the rugby team."

Tao followed his gaze. "Isn't that Nick Nelson? The guy you sit next to in form?"

"Who?" Charlie gave an odd look.

"He said 'who?'" Romeo gave a snort.

"He looks like a golden retriever." Tao gapped slightly as they watched again.

"Aw, he kinda does." the boy next to him agreed. "You know, he's the one that got Coach Singh to do a last minute tryout for me to make the team."

"What a nightmare he is then." Tao rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you've been sat next to rugby king Nick Nelson. Do they all smell like Apple and Mango J20 or is that just Romeo?"

"What happened to trying to cut back on those because of your terrible kidneys?" Charlie scolded Romeo with a raise of his eyebrows. "If I recall, you were sobbing at my door because of it."

"I was not sobbing!" he defended himself as Issac stiffed a laugh. "And it's hard to cut back when Dad loaded them up in every room."

"How's the hotel coming along anyways?" Tao leaned on his elbow. "Haven't been round to see it in a while."

"Just a few more rooms need to be painted." Romeo shrugged his shoulders. "Someone rented it for a night."

"The entire hotel?" Charlie gave a sudden snort. "Please say your Dad said yes."

"They paid major money, of course he said yes." he gave a minor giggle. "But, i've got to attend to make sure no one robs us."

"Lame." Tao rolled his eyes.

•

kylie speaks

IMOGEN SHOWS UP
NEXT CHAPTER!!!