After the cleaning's finished, everyone helps carrying the furniture back inside the room, even the sophomore guys who protested claiming they "can't do it, it's way too heavy, we already did too much anyway,". Carlos tells them nice try and don't sign up if you're just a lazy ass and I catch them later in the hallway, contemplating whether asking Carlos for his phone number will actually work or not.
The green & gold room looks nice after we're done – I wouldn't exactly eat off the floor, but it smells good and there aren't any old banana peels lying around anymore.
"Pancakes, pancakes," Carlos cheers and throws an arm around Duncan's shoulders, "Dude, do you smell this?"
Duncan sighs dreamily and nods. "Heaven."
Some juniors and apparently Vivian set up long tables in the hallways, with plaid tablecloths, paper plates, forks, and cups for everyone. There are also huge jugs of water, coke and lemonade. Agatha and Liling carry large plates with huge pancake piles to the table and I feel my stomach lurch. I quickly drag Kaia to the far end of the table, as far away as possible from Vivian and Logan, who are all lovey-dovey again.
"This is the best thing ever," Carlos declares and takes the seat right next to me.
He's with Duncan and Matthew, the boys sitting down across from us. I feel unnecessarily awkward, so I end up filling our cups with water and staring down at the table.
"Oh great, milk chocolate", Carlos says and reaches out for the nearest pile of pancakes, "Isn't this your favorite, June, Matthew?"
He's grinning in a way I want to slap right off his face, but Matthew simply smiles. It's one of his special smiles, the one where the crinkles around his eyes come out and I magically don't feel that mad anymore.
"Give me some then," I say and nudge Carlos' side, "And stop with the nonsense."
Carlos laughs and shakes his head and I notice Matthew watching us with narrowed eyes, as if he's thinking about something. Kaia tenses up at my side and quickly gestures something with her hands.
"What are you –" I start with raised eyebrows.
Kaia laughs and covers my mouth with her hand. "What what what?"
Yeah, what? I furrow my brows and try to free myself from her hand, but Kaia now starts this extremely loud conversation with Agatha about different pancake ingredients and how many eggs should be added and what kind of flour and what not. Agatha looks pretty dumfounded but still explains it to her with angelic patience.
I stab my fork into the pancakes, which are still warm and dripping with liquid milk chocolate. It tastes so good I could cry, and the expression on my face probably gives it right away.
Carlos laughs and reaches out to ruffle my hair. "What is this? I've never seen you this happy."
I poke my tongue out at him but can't help and giggle. Matthew looks up at me and winks. I cough and quickly drop my gaze back on my plate. What is he doing? I feel overwhelmed, so I do what I can best and focus solely on the pancakes.
Which are distracting enough anyway.
Logan and Vivian make out right in front of the school entrance after we're done. Of course they do.
They're all sickly sweet again, Logan reaching out to touch Vivian's hair before pulling her in even tighter. They kiss and kiss and kiss and there doesn't seem any end to it soon. I can see all this in close detail because I walk extra slow past them like some creepy stalker, but my stomach hurts from the pancakes orgy and I can't move quickly.
Kaia snorts and shakes her head and I even hear her curse under her breath, which is surprising. Kaia only ever curses once every blue moon and she always looks like it physically hurts her. She doesn't look like it now, not at all.
"What?" Kaia says when she notices my raised eyebrow, "Don't worry June, I got this."
I wonder if she's planning to go up to Logan and Vivian and say something. Or scream at them. But Kaia does nothing, just smiles and waves at the other council members and drags me towards to my car.
It's easier by now, ignoring Logan and Vivian and their love fest, and I hope this finally means the end of this mess. Maybe, hopefully, it will be one of those things that are just normal happenings, that don't bother me in the slightest. Logan and Vivian make out right in front of me? Logan and Vivian act like the happiest couple on earth right in front of me? See if I care. They could even hook up in the middle of the club room and I wouldn't mind.
It's only when I dropKaia off by her house and she squeezes my hand, "I'll take care of this June,you'll see", that I understand that while I decided on total nonchalance, Kaia hassomething entirely else in store. And it's just about to unfold.