credits: https://picrew.me/search/creator?crid=9744

 We arrived at our destination after a couple of hours. We got off the bus and everyone was ecstatic. We were standing in front of an ancient hotel structure.

Some people were disappointed by its appearance, while others were happy about it. To be honest, I couldn't care less. All I wanted to do was meet up with my friends as quickly as possible so we could check in, drop our bags in the room and go exploring.

"Alright everybody, let's get in. But firstly... before we get settled I would like to add some things"- exclaimed the head teacher.

"Like what? We are already here, aren't we?"- a class clown snapped while the head teacher tried to regain his composure after being interrupted.

"Well, you all are aware- you get to choose who your roommate will be. However, it will have to be same-sex only in order to avoid some... inconveniences." "There will be rooms designated to groups of three. In order to avoid a hassle, we will let you all form the groups now so we can get in without any disturbance."

He barely finished speaking and a group of boys came towards me, hoping I would pair with them.

My eyes rolled, I heard their shrill voices yell "Pick me!" "Yo... let's get settled in a room, mate!" and even "I swear I'll be nice if you pair up with me." How desperate can they be, God? I understood why they wanted to be in my group; after all, I was one of the most popular guys. But here's the thing; I'd already planned my group. Pitt and I, of course, would gladly share a room. We decided that sharing a room with Eason was the least bothersome alternative. We needed a third person after all. Despite the fact that he was a walking disaster.

For years, Pitt and I have been best friends. Because his mother worked with my father, it was easy to build a bond with him. Eason was also a childhood friend of ours, but things did not turn out well as we grew older.

With the passage of time, he got more violent and arrogant, and he despised me for the death of our childhood crush. It was my fault, in his eyes, that she died... but the truth is- he was the one who caused everything.

Even though I despised him for it, I had to admit that he was the best option at the time. Surprisingly, when Pitt asked him the day before, he agreed to team up with us... on the condition that I kept my "pretty little mouth silent."

I disregarded the crowd of boys in front of me and headed in the direction of Pitt. He stood outside the hotel's front gates, talking to my sister and his girlfriend.  I got closer and I noticed that there was another person there, Eason.

We exchanged glances, and I nodded my head while staring deeply into his eyes. I could sense his animosity and bitterness toward me. Years had passed, and his hatred had only grown stronger.

Surprisingly, he returned the nod. His blue eyes conveyed the coldness of his feelings. He appeared cordial to everyone else who stood near us.

"Hello there, dude. Are you prepared to enter?" Pitt inquired; his face bright with delight.

"You must first inform Mr Biscuit (the head teacher), so that he may accompany us."

- Ariel indicated while she excitedly elbowed Pitt.

She appeared incredibly happy to be there, which surprised me because she had earlier expressed reservations about attending the trip. His cheeks turned scarlet, he mumbled, "yes, right." For about a year, he had been seeing Charlotte, a friend of my sister's. Could it be, though.... that he liked my sister? Probably not, perhaps I am overthinking things.

Pitt proceeded towards the throng to inform the teachers that our group had been created. It was a relief to have Eason and Charlotte accompany Pitt. Then I didn't have to be so kind to him. We waited, my sister and I stood apart from the mob. She appeared to be at ease and content. I hoped I had more in common with her.

 I couldn't help but notice that there was a third individual who wasn't there. She was supposed to establish a group of three, but her group only consisted of Charlotte and her.

I couldn't resist asking: "What happened to the third person? Aren't we meant to establish three-person groups?"

"When Ella saw you heading this way, she bolted."

She winked and murmured. My sister was aware that she liked me, and she was also aware that I was aware of this. Of course, she tried to be as unobtrusive as possible. We didn't want to shatter the girl's heart by informing her that we were aware of her situation.

"Is it really that bad?" I whispered softly, smiling towards her.

She agreed and grinned. My sister appeared to be very innocent and pure. I would never allow someone to damage her feelings. She was overly gullible and naïve. To see her heartbroken would crush my heart. We laughed and joked about a variety of topics. We also discussed how excited we were to be embarking on this trip. 

The others arrived a few minutes later, led by a teacher, so we could complete our check-in. I was the first one to walk into the room, and I couldn't help but notice how the room was  warm. The room was light and airy, with large windows overlooking the adjacent mountains.

I was overjoyed. Pitt and Eason arrived shortly after me, dancing and laughing with each other. I chuckled at their antics as well, but I was still wary of letting my guard down around Eason.

"OK... who's going to take the window bed?" Eason inquired, and the room fell silent. Pitt and I exchanged glances before turning to face him. I definitely wanted the window bed, and I could tell they also wanted it. I recommended that we play rock, paper, scissors in a democratic manner, and they surprisingly accepted.

Following a few squabbles, it was decided that Pitt would have the bed. We started packing our belongings since I retained the bed in the middle while Eason claimed the bed in the corner.

after a few hours, it was already night time. The temperature had turned colder, and the night had gracefully aligned with it. We all had to walk downstairs so that we could eat dinner at a nearby restaurant. I didn't aware what the dress code requirements were, so I dressed up. Others, on the other hand, were dressed like though attending a festival. We proceeded downstairs to meet up with the rest of the group before heading to the restaurant.

The dress code was formal, as expected.

We were seated in groups, with Eason, Ella, Charlotte, Pitt, my sister, and I at my table (obviously)

"Are you guys looking forward to being here?" Ella inquired, attempting to break the ice.

Eason cynically answered, "I'm as excited as a nun at a carnival fair."

As he said that, everyone in the room became very serious. Ella shifted in her seat, as if she wished to shield herself from his obnoxiousness. My sister gave me a strange look. She understood that I needed to take action to correct his behaviour and put him in his place.

"Then why the heck are you here?" In attempt to scare him, I snapped violently, standing up from the table.

Pitt widened his eyes wide in shock, while Charlotte screamed in amazement. Ella just sat there, speechless, while my sister simply gazed at me. stating with her eyes "Dumbass, you think you did a great job? You didn't have to go above and beyond ".

"Wow, Elsa's head has gotten really hot!" Eason snarled in his seat. He smiled at me, challenging my authority. 

"Elsa is actually an ice queen, you know"- Charlotte suddenly spoke, surprising all of us. 

"Do you think there's a problem here, boys?"

One of the waiters came in to see whether we were causing any trouble. The stranger's gaze fixed on our table, I instantly regained my calm. What an embarrassment, if there was something I hated the most was to cause a scene. But sometimes, it could not be helped.

Pitt jumped to his feet and replied hesitantly that everything was OK. Our nerves subsided, we all sat down.

"Well, that was a heck of a show," Charlotte murmured after a few minutes of silence.

Eason fumed again in order to provoke me, "thanks to Elsa down there."

Here we go again.

To calm myself down, I counted from one to ten. He had a reputation for bothering everyone at school, but today he chose to target me. I wasn't going to allow him get the upper hand.

Ella snapped, angry tears streamed down her cheeks, and said, "Dude, just shut up! okay! It's not like we want you here in the first place! Please feel free to leave!"

My eyes widened, I was taken aback.

Ella generally stood up for herself, although she appeared savage and intimidating this time.

I wasn't the only one who was taken aback by this. She glanced down Eason with a disappointed expression on her face, Ariel patted Ella's hand. They both looked at Charlotte, who at this point; pretended not to be there. Pitt on the other hand, appeared to be perplexed and scared like a small child looking for their parents at a shop.

My nerves were frayed while I tried to relax. What an annoyance this person was.

My cheeks became flushed with rage. My fists tightened as if I were about to hit someone. It was because of him that everyone looked down and I would never forgive him because of that. Well, that's partly my fault. I couldn't keep my mouth shut since he attempted to provoke my sister's friend in front of me.

"That is not the case. Ariel, do you want me to leave?" As he glanced at my sister with an impassive expression on his face, Eason challenged suddenly.

She inquired, Ariel reddened in the midst of a stammer, glancing away to avoid eye contact:

"W-Well, as long as you behave, I don't mind if you stay..."

"For the sake of you, princess, I will remain silent."

Eason winked, staring her down and she blushed once again.

In effort to appear pleasant, he leaned forward. He then fixed his gaze on me, his face lit up with a mischievous grin. He knew how much I despised it when boys flirted with my sister, specially him.

"I'm going outside," I explained. I carefully rose from my seat to avoid drawing unwanted attention to myself more than I already had.

"I'll come along with you!" Ella chuckled nervously but shyly and she laughed. She gave me the kind of stare that any man would crave. She tried to remain calm, she had her gentle and charming grin stamped on her face. There was a part of me that wanted to express my gratitude to her. I truly wanted to love someone, and she appeared to be a good fit, but I simply couldn't. Not when I still loved someone else.

"Please do not leave. I'm not hungry in the first place. I hope you all have a good night." I lied, staring at her. In fact, I was famished. This meal would've been my first meal in the day. I avoided food lately, I never really liked my body and for the past couple of weeks I noticed that I gained some weight. I worked out every single day for hours, yet my body failed to please me. She sat down, disappointed once more.

Everyone else just stared at me, respecting my decision. To be honest, I was not in the mood to be socialising anyway.

It was cold outside. The winter's breeze blew violently but gracefully. I sat down by a bench outside the restaurant. I just wanted a few moments of peace; I would probably go back in later... but not now. I would not be held responsible for my own actions if I had stayed there one more second.

***********************************************************************

After a few minutes, an elderly gentleman sat next to me with a friendly and welcoming expression on his face. As if he were on his own property, spreading himself out in order to make himself more comfortable.

I nodded and averted my gaze, hoping to avoid more talk.

"Cold night, yes?" he inquired abruptly in a cheerful tone. He took a step forward to look at me.

"Yes, absolutely," I replied quickly.

He grabbed the lamp, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Fancy one?" he asked, his hands moving towards me.

"I never really smoked," I said, admiring his desire to befriend me.

"Are you certain? You appeared to be in need of one." He shook the packet in front of me, he laughed, as if he were the devil encouraging others to sin.

"OK, if you insist, I'll have one."

I reached for one of the smokes and leaned in close to him. I'd never smoked before, but since I wasn't going to live long anyhow, there was no harm in giving it a shot.

He leaned forward with the lighter, I tentatively but hesitantly placed it on my mouth.

I'd been smoking for almost half an hour and was on my third cigar. I realised at that point that I wasn't as hungry as I had been earlier that evening. The old man and I discussed a variety of topics, including literature, history, and poetry. I discovered that he served in the marines before retiring. He still mourned his wife, who had died of cancer a few years before. Seeing him talk so passionately about his wife made me question if anyone else would miss me when I'm gone.

"There you are!!!" Charlotte yelled loudly, startling both of us.

"Ella and Eason had gotten into a fight, and things had escalated. Will you help us in locating her now that she has vanished?"

She pondered, swinging her hands in the air, attempting to make an impact. She then glanced at me, puzzled,  she realised, I had been too preoccupied with the elderly stranger while we were having a "lads" moment.

"Since when do you smoke?" she inquired.

"I'll help you in your search for her." I exclaimed as I hurriedly jumped up to avoid her query.  I moved away from my new acquaintance, I waved at him and he did the same.

After a few minutes, everyone from my previous table stood outside the restaurant ,the winds breeze calming itself down.

My sister looked at me nervously, pacing back and forth attempting to relax. Pitt frantically spoke on the phone while shaking his hands in the air, attempting to maintain his composure. Eason was the worst of the bunch. He just stood there, his hands clutching his elbow, almost as if he was questioning himself: "Why am I so stupid?"

He looked serious and regretful. He looked at me, his eyes lost.

I then realised that things had grown really dreadful.