Lily

Cafeteria

8:38AM } May 27

After Andrew and I talked to our classmates, I think the next couple of minutes went... quite well, relatively speaking. Not much else had happened, but it was nice that John had allowed them to join us before he went off to reception. Though, now that I think about it, he was probably just trying to get us out of his hair after the mess with Angela - and honestly? I wouldn't have blamed him if he wanted some peace and quiet.

Then again, some of us aren't entirely bad. I mean, there are flaws - but, perhaps that's a good thing?

Julia also decided to join us and... I don't think I can describe how bad I felt for her, because she looked really upset - but to our contentment, she perked up rather quickly when she explained her news to us and let me tell you, it sounded very interesting! She and Brad discovered rumours online that involved a plane from World War II crashing somewhere in the South Pacific and they had organised a summer vacation in the hopes of finding it. Conrad was tagging along, as was Brad's older brother, Alex. The latter was a medical student studying at Ivy League, and it was nice that Julia was looking forward to seeing him. Not only that, but I was also glad to see Daniel and Taylor happy when they were invited on the trip...

But were Andrew and I invited? No, no, we weren't. That's... That's something I'm willing to forgive, though.

"Can this queue move any faster?" I heard Taylor growl behind me.

Usually, the college's cafeteria was packed with noisy people - but there weren't many around in the mornings, which was fair enough. The area itself had a wide space with a purple wall and a white marble floor; the right side accompanied by a green carpet and a set of metal tables and chairs. A wooden set of the former were spread out over the left side of the café, whilst the equipment needed to make hot drinks stood behind the checkout. There was also a tall makeshift oven housing cooked meals placed next to it and the next three spaces belonged to a shelf containing snacks and two fridges belonging to sandwiches and cold drinks.

"Patience, Taylor," I tried reassuring her. "It shouldn't be long, anyway,"

"Yeah," Andrew agreed politely.

Hearing this, our classmate scoffed. "Okay, I'm gonna let you two into a little secret - alright? I don't have it in me to be patient," Of course, you don't.

"Same," I remarked as the queue slowly moved forward, prompting me to open the fridge and pull out a can of tango.

"W-What, you're kidding?!" The 22 year-old glowered at me with surprise.

"No, she's not," My best friend beat me to answering, before he helped himself to a water bottle.

"How do you put up with Conrad and Daniel's pranks, then?"

"I don't know," I innocently shrugged. "I guess I've become used to them, considering that, ah," Cue a brief memory to flash to mind, accompanied by a small grin painting my face. "Tyler used to prank me 24/7,"

"Lil told me that he was a master at pulling those," Andrew explained to Taylor. "And speaking of which - that might still be the case, so maybe Conrad and Daniel will have a little competition?" Okay, that could be interesting.

"I'd like to see it," She replied with a playful smirk.

The queue continued progressing and soon enough, the three of us were able to buy our drinks - much to our classmate's delight. See? Told you it wouldn't be long. Once I paid, I took my can to one side in order to wait for my friends and it didn't take them very long to pay up as well. After they did, we decided to perch at one of the nearby tables where the two aforementioned pranksters were sat at.

"Hey, you boys ready to go?" The young woman asked them, as I briefly placed my backpack on the table, unzipped it and stored away my can and purse - before zipping it back up.

"No, not yet," Daniel answered in a clearly unimpressed manner. Uh oh.

"Why?"

"Ask him," The 20 year-old gestured to Conrad, who was staring ahead at... something? with a bit of a smile. Hm, wonder what's made him so happy?

Whilst our mutual friend tried to get his attention, Andy and I decided to glance where he was looking and spotted John in the queue. Now normally, we'd occasionally see him chatting with Angela during break or lunch hours (that's if they weren't on each others' bad sides), but... surprisingly, it was someone else. Huh? The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, and her light brown hair seemed to match her gold pendant perfectly. She was clad in a khaki long-sleeved blouse, grey jeans and a pair of dark ballet sandals, with a tawny brown bag slung over her right shoulder.

Within seconds, my eyes bulged in shock. No. Don't tell me Conrad has a crush on—! Am I going insane or is that...?! It didn't take long for the realisation to sink in. Yep. That is a hundred percent, Isobel.

"Okay, how do I process this?" I murmured to myself, as I slowly turned away to see the 21 year-old rise from his seat with confidence. And what do you think you're doing?

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Taylor unknowingly echoed my thoughts, thankfully stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm gonna introduce myself to the professor's beautiful friend over there," Please don't.

"You can't just walk up to her, man," Andrew protested, quickly flashing me a concerned glance. You've put two and two together, haven't you? "At least, wait until John introduces her to us,"

Exactly! Good point there!

"Yeah," Daniel agreed, rising from his seat and slinging his backpack on. "Besides, I don't think you're gonna get a good first impression if you go through with whatever you're planning,"

Hearing this, Conrad scoffed. "Please! She'll fall for my charm and good looks in ten minutes!"

"I don't think she will," The 18 year-old shot back, whilst I raised an eyebrow. You really think Isobel will fall for you in ten minutes? Seriously?

Despite our attempts to stop our classmate from flirting with yet another woman, he was having none of it. Oh no! "Watch and learn, buddy,"

My best friend instantly glowered at him. "W-Watch and learn? What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Let him go," Taylor sighed, watching Conrad casually stroll off. "It's gonna be funny to watch his stubborn *ss get rejected again, anyway," Will it? She then gave an amused chuckle. "Looks like the professor's already onto him,"

This prompted Andrew, Daniel and I to follow her gaze and sure enough, a suspicious John was talking to the 21 year-old beside the checkout - whilst Isobel was simply unfazed by his attempts to strike up a conversation. Hoooh, she does not look impressed with him!

"What are you trying to accomplish, Conrad?" The professor asked him.

"I was wondering if the lovely Isobel here is a new student," Our classmate explained confidently. "And if she is, I'd be happy to show her around,"

Hearing this, my cousin held back a sigh. "I'm not a new student,"

"You're not?"

"No, I'm a chaperone - so I'm gonna be tagging along with you and your friends today," The woman answered with an unimpressed smirk. "Might I suggest you find someone your own age to flirt with?"

OOOOH!

Poor Conrad looked taken aback for a split second. "I didn't realise that, my apologies,"

"Don't worry about it," Isobel reassured him, offering her hand for him to shake. "Nice to meet you,"

"Y-Yeah, you too ma'am," My classmate said politely, accepting her gesture. "I'll let you get back to whatever it is you're doing,"

"Thank you, Conrad," John smiled, as he watched him greet a surprised Daniel and an amused Taylor. Okay. You guys can do your teasing thing if you want - I have no idea what's it called or why it's even a thing, anyway. But, maybe Conrad genuinely thought Isobel was a new student? Then... argh! Don't even think about it. Focus on something positive.

"Andrew, Lily," The professor's pleased voice influenced Andrew and I to turn away from the trio of troublemakers and face him. "I'm glad to see you two here - do you have a moment?"

"Sure, what's up?" My best friend asked politely. Meanwhile, it wasn't long before I realised that I had subconsciously allowed my own anxiety to flare up yet again - when I found myself making eye contact with Isobel. R-Right. I...! I remember you, but I think it's safe to say that you probably don't remember or recognise me. But, that's okay. Perfectly fine...!

"Well, I know Taylor's made you aware that we have some chaperones joining us - and I'd like to introduce you to one of them," John explained, gesturing to my cousin. "This is Isobel Clarke, she used to study Creative Writing as you both are now," He then addressed her. "Isobel, these are two of my students; Andrew King and Lily Anderson,"

Now, I'll admit - since Isobel and I were occasionally making eye contact, I was expecting her to greet me as a stranger and... that's something I would have tried to accept, because I must have looked like a completely different person. But surprisingly, her eyes lit up with sheer delight. Wait a minute?

"Hello, stranger?" I cautiously raised an eyebrow, seconds before a relieved smile spread across Andrew's face.

"No," The woman grinned. "Just, Issy," W-WHAT?! How the?!

"You two know each other?" John asked in a surprised manner, just as she excitedly tugged me into a hug and responded: "Yes, she's my cousin,"

"I... I didn't realise that," The professor commented, whilst she addressed me with a joyful "It's so good to see you again, Lily!"

"Likewise," I giggled, pulling away to make eye contact. "How have you been?"

"I've been great," Isobel answered happily. "It is weird to be back here after so long, but I'm happy to accompany you and your classmates," A curious frown. "I believe I might have met one of them already, too,"

"Conrad," I said, playfully rolling my eyes and earning a chuckle. "He may be a bit outgoing, but he means well - a hundred percent," I then gestured towards Andy. "Also, this is my best friend, Andrew,"

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," He greeted her, offering his hand for her to shake.

"It's nice to meet you too, Andrew," My cousin replied as she accepted his gesture. "How are you finding the course?"

"I'd say that it's going well so far and," The 18 year-old began, quickly flashing me a shy grin. "I'm also glad that Lily and I get to work together whenever we can," Dude, same.

"I'm glad to hear it," She commented kindly, whilst I smiled back at him. "Who else is in your class?"

"Well, there's Julia and Brad - those two are probably in the library as we speak," John explained. "We also have Daniel and Taylor over there," Isobel, Andrew and I followed his gaze and spotted the aforementioned students chatting to a group of four people by the cafeteria's entrance. Hold on... "And I believe they're with some of the other chaperones, whom I'd like to introduce you both to,"

"Alright," My best friend spoke, before he followed the professor towards said entrance. Meanwhile, I decided to grab my bag and I couldn't help but notice that my cousin had stayed put. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," The woman smiled happily. "It's just amazing to see how much you've grown, that's all," Sadness briefly flashed in her eyes. "How have you been, since the last time we saw each other?"

"Um," I found myself pondering, as I slung my backpack on. "I think I've been okay. I mean, high school's been tough and sometimes, college can be too - because, ah, my class is a dysfunctional environment, essentially,"

"They fight a lot?"

"Yes, they do," I answered sadly. "I don't understand why it's happening, either,"

Hearing this, Isobel grimaced. "I'm sorry,"

"No, it's okay," I reassured her. "I'm just glad that some of us can get along, at least," I then noticed Daniel looking in my direction. Huh? "You alright over there?"

"Yeah, I'm good," He chuckled, influencing me to flash two thumbs up in response. Okay, cool.

"That's Daniel, right?" Isobel asked, once I turned back to address her. "One of the students John mentioned?"

"Yep,"

"Okay," She began to smirk cheekily. "Do I smell a liking for the guy?"

"No!" I glowered at her in shock. Where'd you get that idea from, Issy?! Daniel and I are just friends!

The woman burst out laughing. "Relax, Lily! I'm just teasing you,"

I shook my head with an amused sigh. "Fair enough,"

"Anyway," Isobel decided to change the subject. "Shall we go meet the other chaperones? Because, I believe you might recognise them,"

"Sure,"

Hopefully, Tyler's one of them. I wonder how he's doing, too?