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S A R A H

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Just as I walked through the door I heard a ping. I looked at my phone to see a message from Evie in the group chat. 'This book is amazing.' 

Stephan had called everyone to their house to hangout early in the morning since it was Sunday. I didn't have much to do so I agreed, and seeing the crowd at the dining table, apparently no one else had either, except for Evie who, like she promised, looked like she really wasn't going to socialize for weeks. 

"Why didn't you reply to me yesterday?" I heard Liv ask Mia just as I took a seat between Stephan and Cole. Mia frowned. "Damn, I didn't?" She face palmed then gave Liv an apologetic look. "Sorry, I didn't actually ignore your text. I replied to it in my head and totally forgot to reply in reality." She said and Liv rolled her eyes, totally not buying it. 

"Why isn't Evie here?" Stephan asked us and Liv sighed. "When I asked her if she wanted to hang out this weekend she replied with generic excuse. Like, she legit said that. Said she was out of excuses." She shook her head and showed her phone screen to us. Evie was on call. Liv put it on speaker. "-not to call me. I am about to finish this story. There are only 278 pages left." Evie's voice echoed, half irritated and half sad from the other side.

Kevin came over and put the plate of fried potatoes at the table. "Why do you sound so upset though?" He asked and we heard Evie sigh. "It's nothing. I was making up scenarios in my head and took it too far and hurt my own feelings." She replied and Liv took the call off loud speaker. 

"Sorry, now you can go back to the book. We won't call you again. Yes, yes. I am sorry." Liv nodded, then cut the call.

Asher came into the room, looking like someone just woke him up from a good dream, and grumbled a "don't talk to me until I have had coffee and after that still please don't talk to me" to us before anyone could wish him 'good morning'. Then he made his way to the kitchen. Guess someone isn't a morning person.

Cole peered over my arm at the plate. "Should you be eating this today? You had three plates at the party too." He said to me pointing at the fried potatoes and I frowned. "Why is that a problem?" I asked. He shrugged. 

"I don't know. I read an article which says that a recent study found that people who eat fried potatoes two or more times a week double their risk of early death." He told me and I rolled my eyes, pulling the plate closer. "A recent study can go mind their own damn business."

Stephan took a piece from the plate. I looked at him. "Do you have to wear those at home too?" I asked him curiously, gesturing at his glasses, remembering he had those on during the party too. He gave me a look of mock indignation. "Of course! I am nothing without my glasses. Like, I can't even hear." He said with a huff and I chuckled. 

"Yo, what are you doing?" Liv asked. We turned to see Cole stretching his arms to reach across the table to get the water bottle. He sighed and pulled his hands back. Then went back to eating like no one's care. Asher came back with his coffee mug, looking fresher than before, and gave Cole a look. "That's it? You are gonna give up just like that?" 

Cole shrugged. "If I can't reach it I don't need it." He said. There were simultaneous heads shook at the table. "I wonder what his IQ is." Mia whispered loudly. Stephan snorted. "If there was a contest of idiots he would come second because he is an idiot." He said. They high fived each other. Cole merely rolled his eyes at that.

"Anyways, so like I was saying, I don't want to meet those guys! They are a complete bunch of obnoxious, irritating kids!" Cole exclaimed. Seeing my confused look, Stephan leaned over and whispered. "Their cousins are coming this weekend. He doesn't like them." I nodded in understanding. 

Cousins. Either you completely love them, or you completely despise them. There's no in-between.

I patted Cole's back. "It's okay. You know, if you meet someone you haven't seen in 7 years, every cell has been replaced already. They are someone new entirely. You don't have to say Hi." I said, and he shook his head. 

"There's no way I am going to get out of this. Dad will put one of his gun to my head if it comes down to it." He said and I hoped he was really just joking about his dad owning guns.

We talked about random things after that, like Miss Jones and Mr. Crooks, the twins' older brother and their younger sister, the latest couple of our class. When Kevin brought up Evie in the topics for the 15th time, it seemed like everyone have had enough by that point. Asher exhaled exasperatedly. 

"When are you going to confess to her?" He asked. Everyone stopped talking and looked at Kevin, waiting for a reply. He looked startled, but quickly recovered and feigned confusion. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Cut the crap, Kev." Asher said. "I have known you since childhood and you have never even looked twice at a girl before. What are you worried about? You finally found a girl that interests you, so why are you acting like this?" 

I raised a brow at that. I knew these people were a close knit of friends, but I had no idea they were childhood friends. It suddenly made me wonder just why they took an outsider, a stranger like me in so easily. 

Kevin sighed. "We are friends." Mia scoffed at that. "So? That's even better. You guys are friends, so you are already comfortable with each other." She replied. Kevin shook his head. "I don't want to lose her friendship. If she doesn't reciprocate, I won't even be left with that." 

No one had anything to say to that. I could personally relate to that. Dean and I were each other's best friend since childhood, which is why when the relationship broke we couldn't get back to the way we were before. I knew Dean was trying hard to bridge the hole that was left between us by our relationship, but I also knew that it wasn't possible anymore. 

With best friends to lovers, you either go all the way or stop before you start.

But I also knew another thing in this scenario. If he didn't confess, he would regret it his whole life wondering what could have been.

I patted his hand and smiled at him, trying to diffuse the gloomy mood. "C'mon. If internet explorer is brave enough to ask you to be your default browser, you are brave enough to ask that girl out." 

"That's the most inspirational quote I have ever heard." Cole told me, giving me a look of pure respect.

"It doesn't inspire me at all because internet explorer always gets rejected." Kevin replied and I frowned. "Way to be pessimistic." I grumbled. 

Liv sighed. "Kev, you are banking on getting rejected by her, but have you ever thought that, I don't know, maybe she likes you too?" she asked and we all nodded.

"Evie isn't the kind of girl who would keep her feelings to herself." He said and I almost hit him. He really knewnothing about girls. I looked at Asher and he looked like he wanted to hit him too. Our eyes and we both rolled our eyes at the same time. He noticed and smiled, and I felt my heart flip in my chest. 

Note to self: Don't make Asher smile. It's not good for your health. 

Cole clapped his hands. "So, the field trip." He said, trying to steer the conversation away from Kevin. "Is it true that it's a two day camp?" He asked and Liv gave him an annoyed look. "If you would just focus in the class, you wouldn't need to ask that question." He waved away her comment and looked at Asher. "You, Stephan and Mia are the only ones who don't attend Mr. Wilson's class, but do you think you can make it to the trip, atleast?" 

Asher frowned at him. "It's not a trip, Taylor. It's a field study. Why would we come when it's not a part of our course?" He asked and Stephan elbowed him. "Why not? We can give them company!" He looked at Cole. "I think that's a great idea." 

Mia smirked at Stephan's excited look. "Steph, do you want me to remind you what Mrs. Joy told you last day?" She asked him all innocently, and his smile bled away from his face. Cole shot his twin a look of vexation. "You are such a buzz kill."

I remembered Mrs. Joy telling Mia and Stephan that they can't afford to skip one more class this month if they wanted their grades. That surprised me because I assumed if any of us were going to get the red card it would be Liv first. 

Asher shrugged. "Well then I don't see a point in going either." 

I felt my phone vibrate in my hands, so I looked down to see another message from Evie. 'This book makes me wanna die.' I stifled back a laugh, briefly wondering which book she was reading.

"Didn't you say you were from Riverside High?" Kevin asked me. I raised my head up from the phone and nodded. "Yeah, why?" 

"I have an online friend who studies in that school. He said that his school is coming there for their trip too." That made me raise my brows. Dean didn't tell me about that when we talked yesterday.

"I thought you would know. Don't you have friends there? Ah, wait that came out wrong." He fumbled and I laughed. "No, I do. And I still talk to him. But he didn't tell me." 

"Your friend is a guy? Is he hot?" Liv asked and I nodded a yes to both of her questions, wondering how much I should tell them. Then I figured they would find out anyways if we met him in the hotel or during the trip so might as well. "Yeah. My ex, actually." I told her. That caught everyone's attention.

"You still talk to your ex boyfriend?" Mia asked me, her eyes wide and I remembered that her last break up went up in flames. "Not all relationships need to end at a bad note, you know. Our break up was mutual, and we are still in good contact with each other." I told her and she looked at me with wonder. 

"Well, I can't see myself having a good relationship with someone after we part ways." Liv nodded along with Mia. 

"Anyways" Cole cleared his throat awkwardly, "so you-" he pointed at me "-me, Kevin, and Evie are the only ones who would be going to this trip out of all of us, right?" When everyone nodded, he sighed, disappointed. "I thought we would all be having fun together, but-"

"I will come." Asher's voice startled me and I turned to see him looking at Cole, whose eyes seemed to widen. "But you said-" He started but then cut off and grinned. "Well, I don't really care about the reason behind your change of mind, as long as it means fun." He threw his fist in the air. "I can't wait for the trip!" Mia and Stephan groaned at his enthusiasm and Kevin and Liv chuckled. 

Asher's eyes met mine and he smiled. "Do you want to stay for lunch?" He asked, then looked from me to others. "All of you. We guys can cook something."

I raised a brow. "You can cook?" I asked and he grinned at me cheekily. "Hey, who do you think I am?" He held up his hands. "Of course I can't cook."

And that's the story of how he got several chips thrown at him. 

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A/n: Well, this was a fun chapter to write and I can't wait till we reach the field trip chapters. There are revelations and developments coming up for quite a lot of characters.