“Hey, hey, hey, look who is here! Mr. Not-Single-Anymore!”
Logan halted his steps. Colin also stopped beside him. The second floor of the Parker Mansion had several rooms. In order for him to reach his room, he needed to pass several others. One of them included his twin’s room.
Jae’s bedroom door stood ajar. The people inside easily spotted Logan and Colin in the hallway. Max laid on his stomach on Jae’s bed. He had a controller in his hands. His best friend sat cross-legged on the floor, the second controller in his hands and his eyes on the flat screen tv.
Logan first thought to ignore Max’s voice… but his words hit home. He marched to the door and pushed it wider. He went inside. Wide accusing eyes landed on the bed, “Wait, you knew?”
Max snorted, rolling his eyes, “Come on, Logan. No one can use VIP passes to our amusement park without the management notifying my family.”
“An amusement park?” Logan scrunched his eyebrows.
The game on the screen congratulated the two players for surpassing another level. Max shifted his eyes towards Logan. He blinked several times.
“Yeah… their first date? Are you living under a rock?” He demanded, “Even Jae knows about it since Colin borrowed his VIP pass.”
Jae adjusted his blackrimmed eyeglasses and glanced at his brother. Logan had a questioning look on his face. Jae bit his lip, thinking of how to answer. In the end, he nodded with a shoulder shrug.
His younger brother turned to Colin who joined them. Logan gripped his best friend’s upper arms. A pleading gaze on his face, he whimpered, “Am I really your best friend? Or are those just empty words?”
“It’s only been the first time we hang out since you went away for a weekend” Colin explained, his hands in his pockets, “It’s not like I had a chance to tell you privately.”
“Is your phone just an accessory?” Logan pointed out, “You could have borrowed my VIP pass.”
“I tried to contact you but you didn’t answer so I called Jae if he would answer.”
“Don’t worry, Logan” Max offered for comfort, “I was here but he didn’t ask me.”
Colin turned his head towards him. Logan still had his arms imprisoned, “That’s because you also didn’t answer your phone.”
“Oh” Max blinked. He paused and thought for a moment, “So that’s what the missed call was about.”
“Max, either you play or not. I’m not waiting for you” Jae said. His attention back on his screen. His fingers relentlessly pushed the buttons of his controller. A crease appeared between his brows. The sound of the buttons grew louder.
“Alright, alright. No need to have your pants in a twist.”
===
Lilly groaned as she locked her car.
The amount of work she discovered in her firm gave her a headache. Since she rarely took a break, her other partners had instructed the staff not to disturb her with new cases. Except by the time she came back, the number of solved ones hadn’t gone up. She instantly activated her work mode.
She would have stayed overnight if no one took her papers and unplugged her computer.
Lilly walked to her front door. Her eyes threatened to close. Her work still haunted her. She might just do an all nighter. Once she got into a case, she could hardly stop.
Chatter drifted towards her ears. Her corner lip perked up. She should have guessed the girls would have another slumber party. She opened the door and stepped inside. The voices became louder. She hung her coat on the rack and checked out what the noise was about.
“We were gone one weekend and you already have a boyfriend” Emily shook her head, “A kiss at the top of the ferris wheel. It’s so cliche but I still get the feels!”
She placed a hand on her heart. A squeal hissing out of her teeth, “If only I can meet a guy like Colin.”
“No need to worry. You have Jae” Alex stared at her cards. She ate a potato chip mindlessly. She theorized several moves she could make. If luck was on her side, she might flush out all her cards in the next round.
“That big blonde oaf doesn’t count” Emily grumbled. She picked up another card from the deck, “He is not anything like Colin.”
Lauren chuckled and dropped a card, “Sure, hope not. Colin should stay unique.”
“Ah, the sound of a girl in love” Emily sighed, shaking her head, “If you don’t agree to be his girlfriend, can I have him?”
Alex snorted, “How shameless.”
“Can’t let a good guy get away” her cousin answered in nonchalance.
“I see 1 out of 3 has left the bird’s nest” Lilly spoke from the doorway. She leaned against the frame, arms crossed over her chest. She didn’t want to interrupt but the urge to tease overpowered her, “You two really need to catch up.”
“Isn’t it 1 out of 4?” Emily clicked her tongue. Her mischievous eyes landed on her aunt, “Heard from mom grandma wants you to date someone for at least 6 months.”
Lilly flinched. That incident had been one of the reasons why she already felt sleepy. After her mother left, her mind raced to come up with solutions. To comply with it still stood out as the best one. Any other could result in just more trouble.
So her mother wanted her to date, what was there to lose really? She could prove her point instead—that dating really wasn’t in her interest.
“Oh, so you want me to kick you out and send you back?” Lilly smirked.
Emily slammed her hands on the table, “Please no. I will be good. My lips are sealed.”
“Have you already thought of anyone you’d lure into your plans?” Alex asked, “Maybe a friend?”
“She could also check a dating app” Lauren joined in the conversation.
Emily frowned, “Maybe a friend would be better.”
Lilly headed for the table and frantically waved her hands in protest, “Stop, stop. No more talks about my love life. I actually have something important to say.”
She sat at the other end of the table, across from Alex. All the girls became quiet. Their game temporarily forgotten, they stared at Lilly. She laced her fingers together and rested her elbows on the table. Her eyes focused on Alex.
“I talked to Principal Parker today,” Lilly started to say. Her cheerful demeanor changed to a serious on, “He agreed to keep the folder incident from Ethan.”
“Wait, did you find out who did it?” Emily inquired. She placed her cards on the table, unaware that their contents became exposed.
“Not yet” her aunt shook her head. Then, her glance alternated between Alex and Lauren, “Do either of you remember what the date was when you found that folder?”
Alex bit her thumb. She recalled the events that day plus the days before and after it. She thought out loud, “I remember… Logan just found out about my gender. It was the week of our English presentation. It was Tuesday, the second week of school.”
“Wow” Lauren breathed out, gaping at Alex, “I probably wouldn’t have remembered it that clearly.”
“Well, it was a traumatizing time for me.”
“It was somewhat traumatizing for me too” Lauren suddenly laughed, “Finding out your crush was a girl.”
Alex snapped her head towards her, “Wait what?”
Emily joined in Lauren’s laughter. She slammed a hand on the table and pointed at Alex, “I told you your male persona is crush material! Courntey wasn’t the only one! Even sweet Lauren fell for you at some point!”
Lilly snickered along with the girls. Alex’s deadpan expression was just too funny. She cleared her throat and stirred the conversation back to the topic, “Do you have any idea who could have done this? Maybe someone like Lauren who liked you but found out you’re a girl?”
“I would say Courtney but that happened just this Friday” Emily scratched the back of her neck, “But that could really be possible. If that person is anything like Courtney, I’m sure she would have done something like it.”
Alex stayed silent. The rest came up with more theories. Her consciousness receded back into her mind. It had been peaceful since nothing else had happened.
But until when?
Gone were the days she could relax. Her life in Woodlands hung by a thread . Unless they could narrow down the possibilities—or be lucky enough to catch the culprit in action—it would take a bit of time before she could have normal life back.
Just who wanted to expose her?
