Name: BlueInk
Posted on: October 9. 8:42pm.
Message: everyone's neighborhood is getting SUPER heavy rain right
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➔ Name: LilacBerry
Commented on: October 9. 9:11pm.
Comment: yup i hope school's gonna be cancelled tmr
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➔ Name: DollyLlama
Commented on: October 9. 9:39pm.
Comment: prayer circle for no school tomorrow!
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➔ Name: CloudShift
Commented on: October 9. 9:45pm.
Comment: +1
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➔ Name: BlueInk (Original Poster)
Commented on: October 9. 9:56pm.
Comment: lmao look at all of us online kiddos stuck at home on a sunday night bc of the rain..
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➔ Name: UndeadFox
Commented on: October 9. 10:12pm.
Comment: At least y'all are inside... my family foolishly went out for dinner and we just got back bc of traffic jam
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➔ Name: TrueQuill
Commented on: October 9. 10:17pm.
Comment: :O oh no... glad you're back safe!
Also yeah, The weather forecast isn't looking good. School should be closed tomorrow if we're getting traffic jams.
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➔ Name: LilacBerry
Commented on: October 9. 10:28pm.
Comment: good! ^_^ [there is a leak in my room and i hate it]
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➔ Name: BlueInk (Original Poster)
Commented on: October 9. 11:54pm.
Comment: PLEASE NO SCHOOL TOMORROW
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➔ Name: BlueInk (Original Poster)
Comment posted on: October 10. 7:01am.
Comment: School's not cancelled. Life is a scam.
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➔ Name: TrueQuill
Commented on: October 10. 7:03am.
Comment: Reality is often disappointing
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➔ Name: CloudShift
Commented on: October 10. 7:07am.
Comment: naur
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➔ Name: LilacBerry
Commented on: October 10. 7:11am.
Comment: NAUR??
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Name: LilacBerry
Posted on: October 10. 7:58am.
Message: the worst thing just happened to me. my socks got wet and i can't change.
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➔ Name: BlueInk
Commented on: October 10. 8:11am
Comment: Oh NO thats horrid
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October 10. 9:30am.
Fred: AAAA
Conner: AAAAAA
Conner: wait why are we screaming
Fred: Persoanlly I think its VERY UNFAIr that basketball practice is cancelled but not school
Fred: if icant play basketball then what's the point of going to school
Conner: fr [doesn't play basketball]
Fred: >:(
Conner: btw can u ask alex if i can borrow her calculator
Fred: bro she's your sister ask her yourself?
Conner: yEAH but she doesnt use her phone in school so I cant text her
Conner: and ive got to rush to the labs right after this and math is right after science
Fred: fineeee
Fred: I'll be ur messenger owl
Conner: thanks bro :)
Fred: absolutely cannot believe im talking to ur twin sister for you
Conner: lol i know alex has always been your favorite
Fred is typing...
Conner: just kidding
Fred is typing...
Conner: ok ive got to go ttyl
Fred: ttyl
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Name: LilacBerry
Posted on: October 10. 11:18am.
Message: is anybody online at this hour? the rain is just getting worse. i think we should be allowed to go home early
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➔ Name: UndeadFox
Comment posted on: October 10. 11:23am.
Comment: Yeah thats what my entire class is discussing rn. Free period woo
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➔ Name: LilacBerry (Original Poster)
Comment posted on: October 10. 11:25am.
Comment: good to hear lol (i think half of my class is asleep)
-
Thunder rumbled outside the classroom window. The skies were so dark that it genuinely felt like evening instead of morning. The rain was so bad that the teacher couldn't come to school, therefore Bree was having a free period. While they were technically assigned work, nobody cared. The probably underpaid substitute didn't care either and was just quietly sipping her coffee.
Obviously everybody was talking about the rain. It was unusually heavy and Bree was honestly surprised that school wasn't cancelled that morning. Well, it wasn't like the authorities made sensible decisions anyway, so perhaps Bree couldn't call it surprising.
Bree's classmates were all discussing in small groups. Bree made casual chitchat about school and homework and whatever that was currently trending on Twitter (the Try Guys Ned Fulmer scandal was still hot, and as was the disaster that was Twitchcon), but she knew the group she was with were pretty close friends with each other. When they ran out of things to say, Bree turned back to her desk, the others continued to chat, and life moved on. It wasn't anything personal, it was just that everybody was close was different people. Bree had her own friends in other classes, and it was just by chance that she was assigned to a different one.
"Hey."
Alex, who sat in the front row, had quietly moved her things next to Bree. The front row was usually populated with studious kids or troublemakers that were forced to sit at the front, so Alex's decision to move was totally understandable. After last year, Alex had became popular, but she still liked sticking to her existing circle of friends (or rather: her brother's friends).
Bree glanced at Alex. "Wow, you actually did the assigned work," she marveled.
Alex shrugged. "It was just two pages in the textbook. And I bet you did some work too."
Bree idly spun her pen between her fingers (it was a trick that stunned Conner. She liked seeing his jaw drop comically). "Yes and no. No as in I didn't do what they told us to do, but yes as in I figured out what would be our homework next week through pattern recognition and did it first because I was bored."
Alex chuckled. "You're truly one of a kind."
Bree smiled, then looked down at her phone again. Alex noticed. "Is anything going on?"
"Nah, just everyone complaining about the rain and wondering if we'll be allowed to go home."
"So you like... text friends at school?"
At Alex's slightly nervous tone, Bree had to laugh. "Alex, you know I'm a rulebreaker. I spent a lot of last year just texting Conner in class. Almost got caught a few times but I guess that's the thrill of it!"
Alex looked comically horrified at the thought of being caught, and Bree chuckled. "Hey, relax, you can totally pull out your phone now. This substitute pretends she doesn't see anything. Just look at the kids eating over there."
Alex snorted. "Alright, alright. I'm not the... goody two shoes everyone thinks I am, okay? I can be a rebel too."
Aha! Alex was feeling defensive. Bree thought it was cute. "Sure thing. Who knows, maybe being friends with me is gonna corrupt you."
-
You have a new message from Alex :D.
"Hi"
Sent: 11:33am
Received: 11:35am
-
October 10. 11:35am.
Fred is now online.
Fred: hallooooo
Fred: omg miss alex bailey using her phone at school
Fred: dont tell me it's an emergency
Alex: nah Its hust free period
Fred: oh
Alex: the sub deosnt care
Fred: girl youre making a lot of uncharacteristic typos
Alex: i aM tryign
Alex: to type
Alex: under the tab le
Fred: lol
Fred: you told me the sub doesn't care and yet here you are
Alex: I like playing things safe
Fred: I can tell :)
Alex: so I have a free period, but what about you? don't you have lessons
Alex: >.>
Fred: Its one of those sessions which they give us one to one talks on how we did on our essays
Fred: i probably failed.
Alex: Oops
Fred: Heyyyy youre supposed to be sympathetic :(
Alex: hmm...
Alex: Nah :D
Fred: D:
Alex: Don't tell me it's THAT essay in which you procrastinated on and ended up asking me for help 9pm on a Sunday night
Fred: well when you put it like that... ahahha
Alex: Freddie.
Fred: ahAHAHH
Alex: You can't keep doing this!
Alex: it's for your own good
Fred: yeah yeah I knowww Alexie
Alex: Like listen I know highschool homework doesn't mean anything in like three years
Alex: But it's stressful to be a deadline chaser
Alex: it's not good for your heart!!
Fred: You know what else is bad for my heart
Alex: Freddie no
Fred: being single
Alex: Fred you're like one of the most popular people in our year
Alex: (for some reason)
Fred: delete the brackets RIGHT NOW
Alex: You could like, get anyone you wanted probably
Fred: yeah no dating doesn't work like that :)
Alex: pfffft XD
Fred: also Thanks for believing I can get anyone I want (I guess) but its also not like that lmaoo
Alex: Awww :( sad freddie
Fred: :(
Fred: Youre being sarcastic aren't you
Alex: ;)
-
A nudge from Bree. "Alex, keep your smiles down or else it'll be really obvious you're using your phone."
"Ohh, thanks for the reminder." Alex hadn't even realized she was smiling so much.
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Name: DollyLlama
Posted on: October 10. 1:27pm.
Message: it's raining kittens and mittens and we're still not allowed to leave??? I suggest we UNIONISE!
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➔ Name: CloudShift
Commented on: October 10. 1:36pm.
Comment: "raining kittens and mittens" that's the first time I heard of that lol
But yeah, we should unionise >.>
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➔ Name: UndeadFox
Commented on: October 10. 1:38pm.
Comment: Actually we can just walk out and run away, right?
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➔ Name: BlueInk
Commented on: October 10. 1:39pm.
Comment: do yall think if we mass call our paremts we can force the school to let us go through the power of PTA
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➔ Name: UndeadFox
Commented on: October 10. 1:39pm.
Comment: I suggest you think twice before mobilising the Karens
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➔ Name: BlueInk
Commented on: October 10. 1:41pm.
Comment: bold of u to assume i think
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October 10. 3:28pm.
Conner is now online.
Conner: school's FINALLU ENDINg and we CAN LEAVE!!!
Bree is now online.
Bree: good riddance!!
Bree: The rain is soo heavy tho, it's gonna be a fight to get back home...
Bree: wait
Conner: WAIt
Conner: NO FREAKING WAY??????
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Name: UndeadFox
Posted on: October 10. 3:30pm.
Message: Well this is just ludicrous. Apparently the rain is posing so much of a "danger" that we're not allowed to leave school even tho it ended??? And if it's so dangerous, why didn't they let us go earlier when the rain was lighter? They're just trapping us here. This sucks.
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➔ Name: BlueInk
Commented on: October 10. 3:33pm.
Comment: Discuss the factors contributing to the school trapping its students in during a rainstorm, and explain why it is OBVIOUSLY a bad idea. (6 marks)
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➔ Name: UndeadFox
Commented on: October 10. 3:34pm.
Comment: don't be funnier than me on my post
-
The school day had officially ended but none of the students were allowed to leave due to the rainstorm. Apparently, parents were required to pick up their children or wait for the rain to die down, which would make sense for kindergarten students, not literal high schoolers when some of them could legitimately drive home.
Naturally, the classrooms were in chaos. Somebody was screaming about organising a coup, someone was thumping their fists on the walls, and someone was blasting Les Misérables' "Do You Hear The People Sing" for no reason. (Eh, theater kids were a different breed.) Alex hugged her school bag tight to her chest and stared at the dark sky, raindrops furiously racing against each other down the glass. She should probably meet up with Conner, but the corridors were packed with frustrated teenagers and Alex wasn't sure if she should go out yet.
Perhaps Alex could call her father, since Charlotte was busy in the hospital. John could probably afford to leave the bookstore for a bit, but would the traffic put him off?
Asking wouldn't do any harm. Alex was an efficient and practical person who couldn't bear to leave things hanging. But just as she picked up her phone, she received a series of texts from Conner.
-
October 10. 3:43pm.
Conner: Hi
Conner: freds moms gonna pick the two of us up and drive us home
Conner: so tell mom and dad we're fine?
Alex: That's good news but why do I have to be the one to tell them?
Conner: DUH because they don't trust me
Alex: Fair
Conner: lol anyways
Conner: we r at the classroom at the end of the corridor
Conner: less people here
Conner: no rush fred says his mom isstuck in traffique
Alex: Ok im coming over now
-
"Alex! You're leaving now?"
With a month into the new school year, Alex had gotten somewhat used to being a semi-popular figure, which meant classmates actually talked to her casually.
Alex smiled and said, "Yup, my friend's mom is picking me up."
"Damn, wish that was me."
"My mom didn't care when she left me for two hours in a supermarket, so there's no way she's picking me up."
Alex said goodbye to her peers and hurried off to find Conner and Fred. She clutched her umbrella tightly to herself since she didn't want to accidentally stab anyone (Conner had unfortunately done that to her many times when they were growing up). Alex was so preoccupied with the rainstorm that she didn't see where she was going and accidentally smacked into someone.
"Ah, sorry-"
Then she reazlied who she'd walked into.
Rook Robins looked back at her with an unreadable expression. He reached for her arm and steadied her, but his presence tipped Alex off her balance so he hastily retreated.
Alex bit her lip anxiously, her heart drumming. Suddenly her limbs felt weak. She'd spent all summer and the first month back avoiding Rook to the point it was pathetic even to her, and now she'd bumped into him, face on, with no excuse. The face she'd once loved was neither kind or unkind, just waiting for her next move. Guilt and panic surged inside Alex.
"Rook, can we talk?"
Rook's expression shifted ever so slightly, but Alex still couldn't read him. "Okay."
They moved to a quieter corner, neither of them daring to stand too close to each other. Alex's throat felt dry.
"I'm- I'm sorry for ignoring you for so long. I overreacted."
Rook stood there stiffly. "You clearly cared a lot for the Lynn building." The "more than you cared for me" remained unsaid.
Alex gave a slight exhale. "I don't blame you for what you did. Your family is important to you."
"We all have things and people we treasure. And I understand why you were disappointed, but I thought we could at least be friends. But you didn't even give that a chance. You ditched me. You acted like everything was fine. L-like... I'm glad you're happy. I really am." Rook rubbed his forehead and glanced to the side. "But sometimes I feel like you just don't care when we shared so much together. All of our jokes, our talks, our bus rides."
"I-" Alex stammered. Rook was throwing her off balance in ways more than one. "Remember what I said when we broke up? We wouldn't be able to stay on the same path because it wasn't fair to either of us. I hurt you and you hurt me. I thought... it was for the best. For both of us to get some space."
"Avoiding me? Running away from me? Even at school? And now you've decided to come to me?"
"I just..." Why was this so difficult? Alex thought she would need space if she'd been broken up with, so she'd assumed the same for Rook. Except that wasn't quite the case. Alex's hand was sweaty around the handle of her umbrella.
"Why did you want to talk with me anyway?"
"I wanted to see if you were doing... fine."
"I wasn't," Rook admitted. He looked surprised at himself for saying that. "I was a mess back then, consumed with guilt, but I still had hope. I wanted to respect your need for space, and I wanted to be friends with you again, so I waited, and waited..."
"But it looked like you didn't want anything to do with me. I wanted to contact you first, but... like, ugh, I don't want to always be the one pining after you. Especially when you were running away all the time. After a while, I began to think I couldn't change your mind. You learned to move on, so I tried to as well. And I'm... still kind of going through it. Not to guilt trip you."
They were both silent. Thunder rumbled outside. They both stared at their shoes, awkward.
"Once, I wanted to change your mind. That I can be responsible," Rook confessed. "But then I realized the harm was done, and whatever I did, it was too late. I mean, Fred fixed the whole thing, didn't he?"
There was a jealous edge to his tone which Alex didn't like. "It wasn't just him, it was all of my friends," Alex argued. "And besides, you still helped me a lot before this whole thing went down. I won't deny that."
"I know, I saw you mention my name in those articles," Rook said quietly. "... Thanks for that, even if I let you down."
Alex didn't reply to that. She pondered for a moment before saying, "I still wish you the best. I wasn't right for you, and I... it was my first relationship. I think I didn't handle it well enough."
Rook smiled sadly. "We were both a bit stupid and idealistic back then. Still... I think you're right. We won't be able to stay on the same path. At least, not who we are right now. I thought being friends with you could fix some of it, but I've got to learn to move on without you."
"... So that's it, then."
"Yeah."
The passing months had dulled the pain for both of them. Now they could look at their failed relationship from a distance. This was a history they shared, and while they would both carry the memories, they didn't want to bring the past into the present.
It felt like a rock had been lifted from Alex's heart. Instead of the sting of disappointment and despair, all that remained was the melancholic aftertaste of a breakup and shattered pieces of naive teenage dreams. The past was in the past.
"Well, goodbye it is, Rook."
Rook's expression was soft. "Goodbye, Alex. See you tomorrow at school."
With rain pattering on the school roof, they turned and went their separate ways. Once upon a time, Alex would've burst into tears, but now she was strangely sober. This was a conversation they should've had earlier, and Alex was glad that she and Rook now appeared to be on the same page. They were frustrated with each other, but they were learning to let go.
"Alex! There you are!"
Conner's cheerful voice cut through Alex's musings. Upon seeing the look on Alex's face, his smile instantly melted away. "Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear. "I... you can talk to me if you like. Obviously, uh, not now, since there's a lot of people. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
Alex smiled faintly at Conner's rambly words. "Thanks for your concern, Conner. I really appreciate it. I... I think I'm fine. Just gonna need some time."
"Got it. But I'm always here for you. I'm your twin brother."
"My younger brother, you mean."
Conner mock-gasped in horror. "Aww come on, stop rubbing it in!"
Alex smirked, her sense of humor returning to her. "Ah yes, as your significantly older sister, I have to put you in your place."
They continued to banter until Fred found them. It served as a well enough distraction, and Fred didn't seem to have picked up her melancholy. The three of them complained about the rain and Alex was content to hear Fred and Conner chat. Those two were excellent company and their back and forth was always entertaining.
"Okay, I think my mom's pulling up," Fred announced. "Let's escape from this hellhole, my dudes!"
"YEAHHH!" Conner cheered. "See you never, school!"
The boys' enthusiasm were infectious. Alex was happy to trail after them. Fred sat next to his mother while Conner and Alex were in the backseat ("Oww! Stop poking me with your umbrella, Conner!" "WELL IT'S NOT MY FAULT THEY'RE SO POINTY-"). Eventually, they settled down and began the long way home (it wasn't supposed to be long, but there was a traffic jam).
Funny how it was raining heavily when Alex had that conversation with Rook. This is like some cliché sad scene in a coming-of-age novel, Alex thought to herself wryly. She leaned her head against the cool glass and absentmindedly watched the raindrops race down the car window. The cloudy skies cast shadows over everybody. Someone's car honked. Alex stared at the blur of red lights and traffic lights outside. Now she just needed to put Olivia Rodrigo's drivers license on blast to complete the scene, or perhaps a sad, slowed TikTok remix of Katy Perry's The One That Got Away. Alex's lips quirked up, then fell back to its solemn resting place.
Alex turned, and her eyes met with Fred's in the rearview mirror. She'd thought he was unaware, but from the way his gray eyes pierced her, he knew she was bothered about something. But she didn't talk about it, so he didn't ask. And instead, Fred cracked jokes to distract her. He was a lot like Conner in that aspect. Smile and laugh to chase the sadness away. It was one of his ways of showing he cared when she didn't want to tell him her problems.
I'll be fine, Alex vowed. The traffic lights switched from red to green. The car, slowly but surely, moved forward. I'll be fine, I promise.
-
A/N: Not sorry for the Breelex agenda. And yes people pick up the ">.>" faces from Dani/ Lilac.
I had to find the Rooklex break up scene in Book 3 because I forgot most of it. In it, Alex was adamant on going their separate ways while Rook was like "uughhh I'll change your mind Alex" (then died a few books later). Honestly, Rook deserved more characterization than "guy who's always pining after Alex" and then "guy who died for Alex". Like, I'm reminded of Riley's fake boyfriend generator from Inside Out ("I would DIE for Riley!").
Here, they both still care for each other (Rook more than Alex), but privately Rook is slightly jealous of how she can "move on" so quickly. He's too nice to say it to her, obviously, but since Alex is more popular and has more friends, he has the feeling of "she's doing much better than when she was with me, so good for her, but I feel slightly left behind". (He's also a bit jealous of Fred. Somebody stop me before I start another ship.)
Meanwhile, Alex has tried to rationalize her feelings long ago, plus she has a good support system. She's less hurt because she sees it in the past. Yes, they had a wonderful relationship while it lasted, but they have different priorities, so they don't suit each other. (Also, they have communication issues.)
Break ups are so annoying to write. (I procrastinated on this one until I put my sad breakup playlist on blast, had a cup of coffee, and wrote 1k in one go.) Thank goodness Conner and Bree are stable together. There's gonna be more drama later, such as [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]'s unfortunate [REDACTED], a [REDACTED] that never really was one (play august by Taylor Swift), and literally everyone's inability to get over middle school crushes.
Fred's mom, driving the teens: Guess I'm here to conveniently provide a car ride in the rain as a metaphor...?
Funny how I'm updating in class, under a table, after I got to school through a traffic jam.
Thanks for reading as always! Would love to hear your thoughts :)