Beaufort Academy | EDITING

Chapter Forty-Two: Observations

The party had already started when Wolf and Alexis arrived. Hand-in-hand, they went around, looking for their friends. The first person they spotted was Elizabeth. She was, surprisingly, alone and was in a corner.

"Liz!" Alexis called. "What are you doing here alone?"

Alexis was wondering because Elizabeth had always been the life of the parties they had back home. But there she was, on her white and blue tube beach dress, standing alone in a corner.

"Uhm, just... waiting for you to arrive," Elizabeth answered.

"Where's Alvin?" Wolf asked. "And John and Cha? Are they here yet?"

"I haven't seen John and Ria yet," Elizabeth answered. "Alvin's... with his new friends. He said he'll get us some food and drinks."

Alexis and Wolf glanced at each other. They both sensed something was wrong. Wolf squeezed Alexis' hand and took his cue to leave to give the girls some privacy.

"I'll go find and help Alvin," Wolf said. "Don't accept any more wine or anything, okay, Alexis?"

Alexis smiled and nodded, "Yes, just water for me tonight."

Alexis watched Wolf leave and when he was out of her sight, she turned to face Elizabeth, "Okay, spill, what's wrong?"

"Huh? Why? Nothing's wrong," Elizabeth sighed. 

Alexis raised an eyebrow, "You're not exactly hiding that nothing's wrong, you know. It's written all over your face. Besides, if nothing is wrong then you'd be in there, dancing or at least talking to somebody, instead of sulking in a corner."

"I'm not sulking," Elizabeth said.

"Yes, you are," Chandria, who just arrived, said. She saw her friends from afar and she saw the look on Elizabeth's face. Being best friends, she knew that something was wrong. And when she got closer, she heard the last bit of Alexis and Elizabeth's conversation.

"Oh, hey, Ria," Alexis greeted. "Where's John?"

"He went with Wolf," Chandria said. "So... what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Elizabeth insisted.

"Do you believe her?" Chandria asked Alexis.

"Not a bit," Alexis replied. "She's obviously trying, again, to hide something."

"Like before, remember?" Chandria said. "The thing with Marco blackmailing her. She didn't even tell us. I think our bestfriend doesn't trust us, Lex."

"Yeah," Alexis sighed. "This is making me sad."

"You two are overreacting," Elizabeth said. "Fine, something is wrong."

Alexis and Chandria smiled at each other because their strategy to guilt-trip Elizabeth into telling them what was wrong worked.

"So, spill," Chandria said. "What's wrong this time?"

"It's... something petty," Elizabeth said. "Alvin and I went on a boat ride to the volcano this morning then decided to tour around Santorini after. We were in Fira, we decided to stay there until this party. We were strolling around shops when we ran into Ana and her friends. They're the girls who invited us here."

"And?" Alexis said.

"I was just... frustrated. You know I'm just realizing how much of a ladies' man Alvin really is. Ana asked to join us and Alvin didn't refuse! And he was being nice to her, even offering to carry her numerous shopping bags. I mean, is there anything more frustrating than a guy who treats all girls the same?" Elizabeth said.