This chapter is a flashback, so please don't mix it up with the other chapters.

Serephina absolutely hated studying. She couldn't understand why her bestfriend loved doing it so much.

Sometimes, she'd just stare at his face while he reads some books— that she had no knowledge about. He looked like he was glaring at them, but she won't question it.

Serephina hated studying, but she doesn't hate Ray. So whatever he does, she would support him to the fullest.

Serephina started following Ray around at the age of three— becoming four. She followed him around out of pure interest and curiosity. She never once bothered talking to him though. He didn't look much of a talker anyway.

At the age of four, she started talking to Ray. Just as she expected, he wasn't much of a talker. But she was grateful for the minimal efforts of him trying to spark up a conversation in which she was interested in.

At the age of five, everyone in Gracefield saw Serephina and Ray as a duo. It started becoming a habit for them to see the two together. And it became rare for one to be lonely.

At the age of six, something happened. Susan, one of the elder kids in Gracefield, was the first one to notice that Ray was sitting alone. It was an odd sight to see Ray under the tree without a certain brunette peeking at the book beside him.

She decided to question the boy.

"Ray." Susan watched the boy look up from his book with a blank expression on his face. She continued, "Is Serephina doing something? I don't recall Mama letting her do anything though.. are you—?"

"I don't care about what she does."

Susan flinched as she looked at Ray with her eyes both wide. Yes, it wasn't unusual for Ray to have such a sharp tongue, but when it comes to Serephina, it's different.

Like all those walls he built up go crushing down for that one girl, and right after she leaves, he builds it up right again with so much ease.

But right now, Ray said something that Susan could never expect him to say. This led her to conclude that both Ray and Serephina were ignoring each other.

Whatever these two are doing— they always keep it hidden. Their quarrels, activities, or anything they do together. The Gracefield children have no insights of their relationship with each other, all they know is that Ray loves Serephina and that Serephina loves Ray.

Whatever Ray told Serephina, or whatever Serephina told Ray.. Susan glanced at the boy who continued to read his book in silence. Whatever it was that they were arguing about, it was probably for each others' own good.

"I hate him."

"Who?"

"That—!" Serephina slammed her pillow onto her bed as she glared at it. "That annoying cyclops! Can't he just stop acting like he owns me?! He's so annoying!"

"What's going on again?" Emma looked at Anna, who was sitting on the bed beside Serephina silently. Anna let out a sigh. "She got into a quarrel with Ray."

"No!" Serephina huffed. "Don't say that cyclop's name— it makes me angrier."

Then should we also call him cyclops?! Both Emma and Anna mentally screamed in their minds as they looked at Serephina, who was still busy glaring at the pillow.

"Why are you mad at him, Serephina?" Emma asked. She didn't know that the two were fighting till Norman talked to her about it. The only one who probably knew what was going on without being involved in it was Anna, who stuck beside Serephina the whole day.

"He thinks I'm an idiot."

"Ray told her to study," Anna quickly corrected Serephina's sentence, making the girl release a low growl, though the blonde ignored it. "Ray made her study, and she hates studying without him. So now, they're avoiding each other."

Emma applauded the fact that Anna didn't look bothered by the situation at all, in all honesty, the younger actually looked like she was used to this. It was probably because Serephina constantly goes to Anna to vent out her problems.

"From what I see, it's your fault, isn't it, Serephina?" Emma hummed as she looked at the girl, who now stuffed her face into her pillow in annoyance and frustration.

"Yeah."

"And you're calling Ray names because?"

"Because he's annoying—"

"No, not that." Emma held back a sigh. "You're just mad that Ray was saying the truth, weren't you? You need to study to get good grades in the tests after all. He's just telling you what's best."

Serephina took the pillow away from her face and looked at Emma. Finally, the ginger could see how messy her appearance was.

Her eyes were swollen from the constant crying, her face was flushed red, her hair literally looked like it was permed, and her bangs were all over her forehead. Serephina looked like a disaster.

"I've read something from the books in the library." Emma frowned as she looked at Serephina. "Is this what they call the look of a heartbroken girl?"

"I don't know," Serephina replied as she looked down. "But should I really go and apologize though? He was forcing me into studying, and, I really, really hate that..."

"Who knows.." Anna let out a small smile. "Ray might also hate studying but continues to do it."

"Wha—" Serephina cut herself off and thought of the boy who she followed around for how many years. Now that she thought about it, she could remember the times when Ray would just glare at the book before throwing it off somewhere. "That's a possibility..."

"Anyway, Serephina." Emma held her hand. "You should apologize to Ray. I'm sure, he'll forgive you in an instant."

"How would you know?"

Anna chuckled. "You're his favorite person after all, Serephina."

Ray stared at the girl who stood beside his bed in the middle of the morning. He furrowed his brows before sitting up.

The moonlight went into the room, that was the only source of light at that time of night. Using that, he realized that the girl who stood beside him was Serephina.

She looked down, her eyes forming a glare as she bit her lower lip. She clenched both her hands into a fist to prevent her anger from escaping.

Ray released a sigh before moving. He then patted the area next to him.

"Sit down, Phi." In an instant, the girl sat next to him, still not able to look at him in the eye. "Why are you up so late? Can this talk not wait till tomorrow? Can't we—"

"This talk can't wait tomorrow..."

"And why is that?"

"I..." Ray looked at the girl, waiting for the continuation. ".. I'll forget this when tomorrow comes, so it's best to do it right now..."

Ray froze as he looked at his side. He then released a small smile, amused by the girl's reasoning. Somehow, it was like all his anger for her was suddenly washed away. But he wasn't too angry at her in the first place.

"So.. what are you doing up so late?" he asked once again, scratching the back of his head as he looked at the girl. "Mama would be furious to see us still up at this hour."

"I'm—" Serephina clenched her fists even tighter. She didn't know what she was feeling right now. Sad, angry, embarrassed? Her emotions were too mixed up.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Hm?" Ray's eyes widened as he looked at the girl. Serephina wasn't always the one who'd apologize. Usually, when they quarrel, he always ended up apologizing first.

But right now, Serephina was the one doing it.

"Phi.." He sighed. "Phi, look at me."

Serephina was hesitant, but in the end, looked at him anyway.

"I'm not mad at you. Annoyed, a little. But overall, I'm really not mad at you," Ray explained. "I know you hated studying yet forced you to do it. That's my fault. So, I apologize too."

"It's.. okay.." Serephina then sighed. "... Are we okay now?"

"Of course."

"Really? Then—"

In the end, the two decided to stay up and talk for the whole night. One day without each other was like a month without each other for both Serephina and Ray.

Unbeknownst to them, three kids decided to stay up and listen to their conversations all night.

The next morning, Serephina, Ray, Susan, Don, and Emma all slept in.