𝐄𝐔𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀 | strawberriextrio

Chapter Twelve | Rumours Fly

A/N:

Hey sweet berries! We're really sorry about the lack of updates- we have been quite busy, but we'll try to update as frequently as possible. Many thanks to the people who have supported us and to everyone who have read up to this far... We appreciate it >V<

Kathy's POV:

I could  hear the snarky whispers and murmurs in the crowd. 

Lots of people saw the post. Lots of them.

I don't even need to check. The moment I walk across the gates I can already see people looking at the post, in awe, or perhaps horror. 

I clutch the strap of my guitar bag tightly, trying to mellow down the unsettling disarray of emotions that went through my head. 

I walk to my music lesson, blocking out the unceasing amount of whispers that filled the school. 

I can only imagine how hard it would be for Emma. 

Emma's POV:

I turn towards Sesame Street, walking towards Kathy's house. My mind, usually filled with uncountable (and ridiculous) ideas, was now empty and blank. 

I knocked my hand on the door, my knuckles grazing over the rich wood. I waited expectedly for Kathy to open the door and greet me with her big smile. 

"Kath?" I call out, knocking again. There's a momentary silence, then footsteps nearing me from the other side of the door. 

The door swiftly swings open, and I stumble back in a trance. I looked over, my stomach dropping. Edward stood by the door, eyebrows furrowed in a look of confusion, his hair messy and dress shirt only half way buttoned up. 

"Ah," I said more to myself. "Hello," I pause for a moment. "Edward." 

"Morning," he said in an unusually casual tone. "Kathy's not home. She went to school for her guitar lesson." 

My eyes widen. I forgot. Of course I did. 

"Oh gosh, yeah. Sorry. I always forget. It's okay, I'll just be going," I say not daring to look at him in the eye. I turn to leave, cringing at my words, but a firm grip tugs at my arm. 

"Um-" he says and then pauses, as if to reconsider. He gives a small shake of head and looks back at me. "I could walk with you. To school, I mean. And only if you want to," he completes, a little heat rushing towards his face. He scratches the back of his neck, looking sheepish. 

"Oh," I said. I try to remain a cool composure but the amount of things I feel was starting to daze me. "Yeah, of course. I'll wait for you out here?" I say with a bit of a stutter. 

He nods, and looks at me embarrassed. He had that stupid lopsided grin on his face, though. 

Edward rushes around the house, and in not even a minute, he was there, right in front of me. 

Half way of our walk to school was filled with dreaded silence and the occasional eye contact (which almost always ended with both of us blushing furiously). 

Suddenly, he speaks, asking the single and sole question that I've been dreading to hear.

Edward's POV:

"So," I clear my throat. "Anything between you and August?"

Her eyes widens and she bit her lip, considering the option of continuing the walk or completely ditching the question and making a run for it. 

"It's," she takes a slow breath. "Nothing really. The post was just a dumb thing, we were in the library and-" she stops. Her face flashes a horrified look but then it's gone. Instead she looks as if she's about to cry. 

"I-" 

She shakes her head, and looked away. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't of asked," I said guiltily. 

"It's okay," she said, her voice wavering. 

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her. I feel her body stiffen but eventually it relaxes. 

It's been so long since we've hugged, maybe 4 years ago, when we were merely kids with feelings that didn't matter or have an effect. Now it was different and everything seemed to have a price to pay along with it. A consequence. An unrequested sequel. 

We stayed in that embrace for awhile, until we both hear a camera shutter behind us. 

"Crap!" I swore, immediately releasing Emma from the embrace. 

The person behind the camera runs away cowardly, and all I can hear are their footsteps fading out. 

"No," Emma says, her voice cracking. "No, no, no."