"But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do,
And I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew;
That someday it would lead me back to you,
That someday it would lead me back to you."

◘ ◘ ◘

"Lex!" I heard my name being called, snapping me out of my daydream-state. I was still worrying over the my financial issues, though the delivery service was quite a success.

"Oh...yes?" I replied automatically, looking around in confusion.

"Were you even listening?" Jake asked, frowning slightly. Immediately, I felt guilty. I hardly hung out with Jake anymore, because he said he was always busy with schoolwork and I was always busy with deliveries. I bit my lip guiltily.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" I asked softly.

"I just asked if you're free this Saturday," Jake muttered, sighing in annoyance. I didn't understand why he was acting this way, he had become very easily-annoyed and easily-angered, a complete 360 from his cheery, happy-go-lucky persona when we first met. I blamed it on the stress of school.

"Yeah, I am," I answered, pursing my lips.

Jake sighed irritably, and I felt my heart sink.

"Meet me at The Bean at noon. Don't be late," he said, before abruptly standing up and walking away. I sighed sadly and fiddled my fingers. If I had to guess when he was in such a bad mood, it's probably because of last night.

Jake came over to my dorm last night to watch a movie, but we both ended up in a heated...ah, make-out session. But when Jake reached to take my shirt off, I immediately stopped him. I wasn't ready for that, I wanted it to be more special. He, of course, got angry.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked, although it didn't sound like he was concerned. He frowned a little and ran his hand through his hair which was sticking up randomly, a mess from me running my fingers through it again and again.

"Nothing, it's just...I'm not ready for that," I explained nervously.

"We've been dating for almost two months, Lexi!"

"I know! Just...give me some time, okay?" I said softly, trying to calm him down. Instead, his nostrils flared up in anger and his frown turned into a scowl.

"When the hell does that time come? God, Lexi. You're such a prude!" Jake yelled. I flinched involuntarily at his harsh words, and I felt my throat close up uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, staring at my lap. Jake rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. I'm going back. Goodnight," Jake said, shaking his head and getting up from the couch. He threw on his jacket and left, slamming the door on the way out.

As hurt as I was, I couldn't bring myself to want to sleep with him. I liked him, of course. Maybe I even loved him, but I felt like it was too fast for that. I wanted it to be special, not just some wham-bam-thank-you-man kind of thing.

I went to sleep that night wondering why I couldn't do it like the other girls in school. It was no secret that most girls in this school do it, and regularly too. I blushed as I thought about it before groaning. Was I really a prude? I hoped not. It wasn't as if I never had sex before, but with Jake...it didn't seem like it was the right time.

"Hey, sunshine. Why the long face?" a voice said, snapping me out of my reverie.

"Huh? Oh! Hey Logan, I didn't see you there," I said, sitting up straighter and giving him a small smile. It was no secret that Logan was easily my favourite out of the four boys, mainly because he was the only one that was nice. Robin and Asher were downright assholes and Yuko just never spoke.

I looked to my left, and to my surprise, Yuko was standing beside him. He offered me a small nod of acknowledgement. I blushed slightly in embarrassment when I recalled the scene I witnessed between Yuko and Siobhan a few days ago. While he was usually very reserved and private, there was certainly another side to him he kept hidden from the rest of the world. A side he's willing to show to Siobhan...

"Yeah well, here I am. Why are you here all by yourself?" Logan asked curiously, snapping me out of my thoughts. I cast a quick glance at Yuko, staring at my hands guilty. It felt so wrong to intrude in his private matters.

"Uh, my boyfriend just left. I'll be off soon too, for class," I explained. Logan nodded, and Yuko looked at me curiously.

"Are you alright, though? You look a little down," Logan asked, his eyebrows scrunched together in concern.

"Yeah, of course! Just a misunderstanding," I said dismissively, but I cursed myself silently when I heard the note of uncertainty in my voice.

"Oh, okay. Well, we're gonna go," Logan smiled his gorgeous smile, and waved. "See you around!"

"Yup, see you!" I said a little too cheerily, forcing a small smile of my own. Yuko tilted his head slightly. I busied myself by packing my bag as the boys left. After a few steps, they stopped.

"Why don't you join us for some coffee?"

My head shot up in surprise. Not because of the offer, but because of who had offered. Yuko stood there, with his long arms in his pocket, waiting for my answer.

"Yeah, why don't you?" Logan persisted.

"It's alright, I don't want to intrude," I politely declined.

"It's fine. Come on, we don't have all day," Yuko said softly, offering me a small, sympathetic smile. For the first time, I heard his slight Japanese accent. It wasn't very obvious, but if you listened closely, you could make out the slight difference in pronunciations.

I was grateful for his offer, because I really didn't want to be alone right then. If I was alone, I'd only let the doubts and negativity of Jake's strange behaviour consume me whole. A part of me wondered if Yuko knew that I was really upset. After all, he was pretty observant.

The walk to the campus café was a short one, but I enjoyed the view of the old brick buildings that had thick green leaves growing along the walls, climbing up the rough surface, trying to reunite with the sun. Instead of looking eerie or ancient, the leaves gave the buildings a rustic look, and it really was beautiful. Strangely, I felt comfortable walking in the middle of the two tall boys in silence. They were all admiring the campus surroundings.

"I've been here ever since I was in kindergarten, and the beauty of this place still manages to take my breath away," Logan murmured, his face serene as he looked at the trees and flowers and buildings.

Yuko nodded in approval.

"You should see the cherry blossom trees in spring," Logan commented.

I tried to ignore the stares of every Meilleurean that passed by. Curious glances were thrown their way, and I tried my best not to be bothered by it.

"Ignore them. Their stares," Yuko mumbled quietly beside me.

"...and words do nothing but remind you that you are alive," I finished, shooting him a small smile. "I remember."

"Unfortunately, you have to. Meilleureans have taken a fond interest towards you, too," he laughed. I couldn't help but notice the slight bitterness in his tone. I nodded with a small smile and the three of us continued to walk to the café without another word. Along the way, I observed the two boys secretly. I realized that Logan's fingers constantly drummed against his thigh as if he was creating a tune with the wind, and that Yuko wasn't really much of a talker. Well, everyone knew Yuko wasn't very sociable. Among the four boys, Logan was the friendliest, and the most outgoing. Asher was the devil himself, and enjoyed terrorising unsuspecting Meilleureans. While Yuko was quiet, intelligent and wealthy like his friends, he also possessed a sense of empathy. Even if others would tell me otherwise, if he wasn't empathetic, he wouldn't have offered his advise to cope with the stares, or invited me to coffee. Robin, on the other hand, was all of Yuko but instead of empathy, he felt nothing. He was cold and detached, always frowning and always preoccupied with his work. I sometimes wondered if Robin was a robot, because he acted much more like an emotionless machine than an actual human being.

You don't know him, he might not be all that he seems, a small voice in my head chided.

He hasn't done anything to prove me right yet, though.

We took a seat on the comfortable bamboo-woven chairs, and almost immediately, a waitress approaches us. I frowned slightly, aren't we supposed to order at the counter like everyone else?

"Mr Marshall, Mr Hideyoshi, welcome back to The Bean!" the waitress greeted with a false cheery tone and a wide smile. She looked almost nervous. Yuko nodded slightly, and Logan began to order.

"I will have an Americano, and Yuko will have his usual. Alex, what about you?" Logan asked.

"Um, I'll have an espresso," I told the waitress, and the waitress nodded and quickly scampered off.

"An espresso?" Logan asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I like strong coffee," I simply answered. To be honest, I never liked coffee. If I had to drink it, I would drink it for the energy and not for taste.

The three of us sat in comfortable silence as we waited for our orders. Soft, happy music floated through the air. I recognised it to be a cover of Sunday Morning by Maroon 5. Bobbing my head to the beat of the music, it didn't take long for the same waitress hurried back to our table with a tray filled with cups of coffee.

"An Americano for you, Mr Marshall," the waitress said, placing a cup of steaming hot coffee in front of him.

"Your usual order, Mr Hideyoshi. And your espresso, Miss," the waitress said. She placed our drinks and a plate that had a delicious looking blueberry muffin in front of us.

Before the waitress could leave, I said a quick 'thank you' and smiled at the lady. She looked shocked, but quickly recovered and smiled quickly before hurrying back to behind the counter, where a throng of impatient customers were already waiting.

I eyed the muffin on the table. It looked and smelled so good, I could feel my mouth watering.

No, Alex. We can't afford it. The espresso's already pushing it.

"Do you want some?" Yuko asked, handing my a fork. My eyebrows shot up in surprise, and I blushed slightly. God, they probably think I'm some kind of pig.

"It's okay," I politely declined, but he only raised his eyebrows.

"Come on, it's the best thing on the menu. Try it," he urged, trying to push the small fork into my hand. I accepted it without much protest. I cut a relatively large bite, smiled sheepishly at the two amused boys, and ate it. I closed my eyes as I savoured the warm muffin. It practically melted in my mouth, and the fresh blueberries were still warm and gooey.

"This is the best muffin I've ever had!" I exclaimed, mouth still full with blueberry muffin. Logan laughed and Yuko smiled slightly. Yuko took me by surprise when he pushed the plate towards me. I looked up from my drink, eyes wide.

He gestured to the muffin, "Eat."

I blushed and shook my head.

"Oh no, it's yours!"

"It's okay, I'm not that hungry anyway," Yuko said with a gentle smile. I hesitated, and took another small bite of the muffin. I was surprised at his kindness. I really didn't expect it from Logan, much less Yuko. They seemed really nice, and not at all like the bloodthirsty hooligans everyone thought them to be.

We spent the remaining break eating and drinking their coffee, and I never felt more calm and relaxed. That is until...

"Robin?" Logan greeted. He looked partly surprised, but also happy to see his friend.

"Logan. Yuko," Robin greeted, before he made eye contact with me. I felt my smile falter when his cold eyes pierced through me.

"What is she doing here?" Robin asked, frowning slightly. I gritted my teeth at his rudeness.

"Oh, she's just having a cup with us," Logan explained, shrugging casually as if we do this on a regular basis. He sent a knowing look to Yuko, and the two boys smirked at Robin, laughter concealed behind the two pairs of warm brown eyes. A muscle in Robin's jaw ticked, and the icy glare he sent me rivalled even the low temperatures of the Arctic.

"Why?"

"Why not?" Yuko countered, meeting Robin's steely gaze with his own. The tension was suffocating.

"I should go now," I quickly excused myself when the bell rang. Thank god. I quickly packed my bag and fished for notes in my skirt pocket, pulling out a ten dollar bill.

"You don't have to pay," Logan said.

"But-"

"Your company is good enough," Yuko reassured. I hesitated, but Robin's hard look made me leave without so much of a backward glance.

◘ ◘ ◘

Song of the Chapter: Sunday Morning // Maroon 5