A/N: Note that Alex is in Scotland and she is around 5/6 hours ahead of the others in the US.
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the trio (3)
November 17. 8:13am.
Conner: yoo Alex you got any cool photos to share today
Alex: Uhhh
Alex: here's my lunch
Alex: [Image]
Alex: Im busy rn so I'll send later
Fred: ooooh that looks good :)
Conner: lol ill be awaiting your selfies
Alex: Hah you know I don't take a lot of selfies
Conner is typing...
Conner: but you know our parents keep on asking you to send photos of yourself
Alex: Mom and Dad want to see pics of me ugh
Conner: LOL
Fred: well I mean you take a lot of photos of the scenery and the food
Alex: yeah it's my instinct
Alex: anyways my data is choppy here
Alex: I'll be going now
Conner: byee
Fred: have fun! :)
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November 17. 11:34am.
Conner is now online.
Conner: sup?
Conner: breeeee??
Bree is now online.
Bree: yesssss??
Conner: I was bored in class and randomly scrolled thru alexs ig for photos
Conner: and while she hasn't posted much about Scotland except for generic pretty landscape pics, I notice shes been tagged
Bree: oooh
Bree: By who?
Conner: Arthur
Bree: the senior guy with cool dyed hair or the mediocre looking captain of the soccer team
Conner: soccer one. Arthur Pendragon.
Bree: Oh yeah I think he's on the trip too
Conner: but the weird thing is that this Arthur dude has been tagging Alex in a lot of photos
Conner: like a LOT
Conner: and even in group pictures he's just tagging HER
Bree: oooooooh
Bree: Okay that sounds a bit creepy (or I've read too many novels)
Conner: weLL i mEaN
Conner: you can choose whether to accept being tagged or not or SOMETHING IM NOT GOOD WITH TECHNOBLADE
Conner: *TECHNOLOGY oh god autocorrect wants me to suffer
Bree: I miss Technoblade :(
Conner: me too ANYWAYs
Conner: Bree am I overthinking or what
Conner: like what if theres sOMETHING GOING ON
Conner: I NEED A DEEP DIVE INTO THIS ARTHUR GUY and i might challenge him to a swordfight or something
Bree: 1) I fully support you in your hypothetical swordfight 2) let me actually see the instagram before I decide what's going on
Bree: Like maybe they're just hanging out... as friends. platonic heterosexual besties.
Conner: No Hetero
Bree: LMAO and yeah why is our entire friend group like. fruity
Bree: We didn't even know we were fruity when we first became friends
Conner: we all conglomerate somehow. We don't even have the token straight friend smh
Conner: HELPPPPP I JUST DROPEDJOE MY PHONE AND IT MADED A NOISEEEEE
Bree is typing...
Bree: rip
Conner: I was magically able to disguise it as my textbook fallign donw i CANT WITH THIS HEART ATTACCKK CANT A PERSON LIVE
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You have a new message from Bree ;P.
"anyways as I was saying, you could be overthinking and they could just be friends "
Sent: 11:39am.
Received: 11:39am
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You have a new message from Bree ;P.
"Nevermind SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY GOING ON"
Sent: 11:42am.
Received: 11:42am.
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November 17. 11:42.
Conner: RIGHT????
Bree: it's the ice cream pic for me
Bree: Two spoons stuck in the same scoop of ice cream... sus
Conner: GOOD SO IM NOT TJE ONLY CRAZY ONE
Bree: SOMETHING IS GOING ON
Bree: okay I think this explains why alex was spamming taylor swift lyrics in her close friends stories
Bree is typing...
Bree: "2am who do you love?" "cause I see sparks fly when you smile" "you are the best thing that's ever been mine"
Bree: I really thought Dani was just making Alex rediscover the Speak Now era after the numerous Speak Now TV easter eggs in the new mv
Conner: OH MY GOD IS SHE GONNA GET TGT WITH THIS... BOY
Bree: CONNER THE ELLIPSES ALMOST MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD IN CLASS
Bree: im arresting you if I get caught
Conner: LMAO sorry breeee
Bree: let's not overthink for now (we are definitely overthinking)
Conner: And I really think we should NOT be having this convo in Class with our phones under the tables...
Bree: Im a risk taker so you know it's bad when I agree with you LOL
Conner: we should also respect Alex's decision like if she wants to tell us, she will
Bree: yup yup
Bree: let's not drive ourselves insane speculating
Conner: This is also why I'm not telling Fred
Conner: he'll go INSANE
Bree: Right.
Bree: he sees Alex as a really good friend right
Conner: yeah really good friend
Conner: We all grew up tgt
Bree: Not more than a friend yeah
Conner: well he doesn't exactly see Alex as a sister sooooo
Conner: just a friend
Bree: Right.
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Name: TrueQuill
Posted on: November 17. 4:49pm.
Message: and all at once you are the one i have been waiting for // king of my heart, body and soul :heart: :heart:
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Name: BlueInk
Posted on: November 17. 5:12pm.
Message: omg everyone is a swiftie
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➔ Name: LilacBerry
Commented on: November 17. 5:18pm.
Comment: it's me, hi, i'm the problem it's me :)
and omg i can't believe i managed to get tickets for the eras tour i feel like i sacrificed my soul to the devil
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➔ Name: CloudShift
Commented on: November 17. 5:20pm.
Comment: I PROMISE THAT YOU'LL NEVER FIND ANOTHER LIKE ME-HEE-HEE
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➔ Name: BlueInk (Original Poster)
Commented on: November 17. 5:21pm.
Comment: NOOOO LMAOO NOT MEE HEE HEE
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Name: LilacBerry
Posted on: November 17. 5:30pm.
Message: okay i know ppl are upset with the taylana snow on the beach collab bc lana doesn't have a verse but their voices mesh so well? and the vibes are so pretty as well, like a mix between mirrorball and coney island. my fav is still you're on your own kid bc i had multiple breakdowns to it, it's such a nostalgic and reflective song perfect for coming of age car rides, but snow on the beach is near the top of my list too!
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➔ Name: CloudShift
Commented on: November 17. 5:35pm.
Comment: Agree about You're On Your Own, Kid, but also:
"The burgundy on my T-shirt when you splashed your wine onto me and how the blood rushes into my cheeks so scarlet it was the mark you saw on my collarbone the rust that grew between telephones the lips I used to call home so scarlet IT WAS MAROON"
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➔ Name: TrueQuill
Commented on: November 17. 5:40pm.
Comment: Ohhh yes Snow on the Beach! It sounds so lovely :D and the lyrics "I can't speak, afraid to jinx it // I don't even dare to wish it" are really speaking to me rn haha
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You have a new message from TrueQuill.
"Hi Lilac, you around?"
Sent: 5:42pm
Received: 5:45pm
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You have 2 new messages from LilacBerry.
"yup"
"ive got nothing to do this afternoon lol"
Sent: 5:45pm
Received: 5:45pm
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Alex glanced outside her window. It was nighttime in Scotland and it was naturally dark. She'd almost forgotten that it was still afternoon in the States, but she couldn't talk explicitly talk about Scotland because that would make her identity obvious. She curled up in her bed, her phone connected to the charger on her bedside table.
She and Arthur had been talking way more and there was definitely a spark between them. She knew it, he knew it, they knew each other knew it. But would they actually address it, or were they still in their honeymoon period? They were dancing a thin line between friends and something more. Did Alex dare to move forward? When she'd actually only known Arthur for such a short period of time?
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November 17. 5:46pm.
TrueQuill: Okay this might get a little personal but... I'm asking for love advice lol
LilacBerry: oooh
LilacBerry: no offense but im like, a stranger to you lol
LilacBerry: (a stranger studying in the same school and in the same year as you)
TrueQuill: Yeah but that's kinda the point? lol
TrueQuill: since you don't know me irl and can't be biased and you can like
TrueQuill: Offer a fresh perspective
LilacBerry: ahh i see
LilacBerry: different perspectives r always good
LilacBerry: sooo what do you wanna talk about? ^^
TrueQuill: This stays between us right?
LilacBerry: ofc!
TrueQuill: so like
TrueQuill: How long do you think you need to know someone before you start dating them?
LilacBerry: ooooh it depends?
LilacBerry: on like the type of person you are
LilacBerry: im shy and suspicious of people so i would say uhhh minimum 3 months
LilacBerry: slowburns are my thing
TrueQuill: Ahhh
LilacBerry: but like my friends keep telling me that im too passive and i dont take the chances that have been offered to me
LilacBerry: a bit of my problem
TrueQuill: What if you meet someone you get along really well with?
TrueQuill: like soulmates
LilacBerry: awww that's so cute quill
LilacBerry: but i guess it would be safer to know them better? lol
LilacBerry: idk im always scared ill get taken advantage of bc of my naivety so
LilacBerry: and ill get my irls to judge for me LOL
TrueQuill: True...
TrueQuill: I don't have a lot of female friends and I don't wanna ask guys for guy advice bc they'll just get annoyingly overprotective lmao
LilacBerry: oof lol some guys do be like that
TrueQuill: T_T
LilacBerry: but always trust your instincts!
LilacBerry: and don't let things slip away from you
TrueQuill: yeah...
TrueQuill: But this guy I know feels like he really understands me
TrueQuill: And he's playful and flirty and considerate too
TrueQuill: And... muscular lmao
LilacBerry: LMAO i guess us girlies are weak for that haha
TrueQuill: Its embarrassing!!
LilacBerry: bestie theres nothing embarrassing about finding a guy hot... unless hes some mega jerk
TrueQuill: like Brad Buchanan
LilacBerry: LMAOOOO hes such an infamous guy
LilacBerry: #bradslander
TrueQuill: #bradisoverparty
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Danielle, who had (surprisingly) finished her homework half an hour ago and had gone through two grueling tests that day, was now totally engrossed in her Internet friend TrueQuill's love life. Assuming Quill had feelings for a guy in their year, Danielle was already running through the possible choices in her mind. Playful, flirty, considerate, muscular... all of those characteristics pointed Danielle to one boy.
Fred Hayford.
Okay, maybe Danielle was biased because she had a crush on Fred for a mortifying long amount of time, but this mystery guy sounded just like Fred. If the guy was indeed Fred, Danielle didn't know how to break it to Quill that her crush (?) was in love with Alex Bailey aka. her best friend's boyfriend's sister.
Danielle was pretty sure that everyone could tell Fred liked Alex, but still, she didn't want to go and spill his open secret everywhere.
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TrueQuill: I know theres like "girl talk" about guys but I dont think Ive really done that lol..
LilacBerry: awwww
LilacBerry: listen quill theres really no shame in discussing the attractiveness of guys
LilacBerry: unless youre seeeing someone LMAO
TrueQuill: lol I'm single
TrueQuill: (so far...)
LilacBerry: forever single here hehe
LilacBerry: ok if you wanna talk about guys ill get the ball rolling
LilacBerry: soccer or basketball
TrueQuill: ?
LilacBerry: soccer team or basketball team which of the boys there are hotter
LilacBerry: its what the girlies talk about (i think)
TrueQuill: Ohh
TrueQuill: ... Which one do you like better?
LilacBerry: i believe in basketball team supremacy
TrueQuill: Oooh you like tall guys?
LilacBerry: heh
LilacBerry: nah i dont actually mind height short guys are cute ^_^
TrueQuill: Just asking are you one of those Hayford fangirls lol
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Danielle paused. Her fingers hovered around her keyboard.
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LilacBerry: fred? hahah
LilacBerry: no.
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Of course Danielle lied.
If she didn't, her identity would be painfully obvious. Everybody knew Danielle Rowland liked Fred Hayford in middle school.
(Not many believed she still liked him in highschool, but oh well, Danielle was bad at moving on.)
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TrueQuill: I know Fred is popular but is he like.. really that hot?
LilacBerry: i think ppl mostly like him bc he's friendly and charismatic
LilacBerry: and loyal
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Yeah, loyal to Alex, Danielle thought to herself. So loyal.
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LilacBerry: his personality is attractive yanno
LilacBerry: and hes confident
TrueQuill: Okay I can see that
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On the other side of the world, Alex rolled over in her bed. She suddenly remembered when Fred had gotten sick near the end of the summer holidays. She'd visited him and he was tangled up his bedsheets, his hair a mess.
It was a little weird to see her peers "thirst" over her childhood friend. It felt like none of them really knew Fred.
Yes, Fred was funny and flirty and confident and whatever, but Alex knew he used his smile to cover up his emotions. In a way, he was like Conner. Alex could tell when Fred was frustrated. He didn't know what he wanted to do after college, he didn't even know what he wanted to study in the future. Sometimes, there was an odd tinge of melancholy in his tone whenever they talked.
But Fred always hid that side of him from her. For some reason.
And Alex didn't really like that.
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TrueQuill: So... who else in the basketball team
LilacBerry: uhh i think jaspers cute but hes too much for me
TrueQuill: Yeah his face is decent but he's so loud it sometimes scares me LOL
TrueQuill: Wait you said you think short guys are cute... how about Eugene?
TrueQuill: I've been told he's the shortest guy on the team rip (no offense to him)
LilacBerry: uh
LilacBerry: well what do you think about him?
TrueQuill: Idk him well but he seems quiet and cool
TrueQuill: Also he has good grades
LilacBerry: eugene can be quite annoying at times
TrueQuill: lol I thought he was just quiet
LilacBerry: like he always acts like hes tough and cool but at least his fashion sense is decent and his eyes look like stars
TrueQuill: ...
LilacBerry: omg not in that way!!
TrueQuill: Uh huh :)
LilacBerry: hes just Some Guy
LilacBerry: AND btw fred is hotter than him
TrueQuill: Alright whatever you say Lilac lolol
LilacBerry: sooo do you like soccer team or bball team?
TrueQuill: :) soccer team ftw!!
LilacBerry: ooooooh let me guess your bias
LilacBerry: arthur pendragon?
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Tucked in her bed, Alex froze. Her heart was thumping loudly, a pink haze on her cheeks.
Was it really that obvious? Or was Arthur just that popular?
Jealousy itched her heart. If Arthur was so likeable, did she deserve him?
But it felt like Arthur really liked her. And she really liked him back.
They would work out, right? They had to.
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TrueQuill: Yeah ig Arthur's pretty cool
LilacBerry: you know ppl say fred is like a basketball version of arthur
TrueQuill: But Arthur's a year older than us
TrueQuill: and he's more mature than Fred
LilacBerry: lmaoo true
LilacBerry: fred slander /lh
TrueQuill: Arthur's pretty nice
TrueQuill: and easy to get along with
LilacBerry: yuppp
LilacBerry: hes that cool unattainable older guy that we all ogle at
TrueQuill: "unattainable" lol
LilacBerry: >.>
TrueQuill: And his eyes are a nice color
TrueQuill: Sharp blue... so bright
LilacBerry: yeah unlike a certain someone with dull grey eyes
TrueQuill: You seem to be rather occupied with Fred slander XD
LilacBerry: hah
LilacBerry: ig the soccer team also has damian but everyone knows he's dating his childhood friend from another school
LilacBerry: lucky her lmao
LilacBerry: (wish i also have a childhood friend)
TrueQuill: lolol
LilacBerry: i guess the appeal of arthur and fred is that they're both somehow still single
TrueQuill: Hmm yeah why is Fred still single actually
LilacBerry: don't know + not my business
TrueQuill: I thought a flirt like him would've found someone ages ago
TrueQuill: Unless he's liked someone for a long time and they don't like him back...
LilacBerry: a person like fred can be surprisingly loyal
TrueQuill: True but I've never thought about it in the romantic way lol
-
Alex stared at her phone. She couldn't stop the smile on her face. She hoped she wasn't being too obvious with her feelings for Arthur.
Lilac, meanwhile, sounded strangely aware of Fred. (And Eugene.) It was funny to see her reactions. She really was a fan of the basketball team.
Speaking of which, Alex hadn't really thought about Fred dating someone. She thought he just had bad luck, but Fred was incredibly popular. He could probably get anyone he wanted if he set his mind on it.
Alex hoped Fred had good taste at least. Bree was a perfect choice for Conner and they got along well, but if Fred ended up having an insufferable girlfriend/boyfriend/whatever, well.
Conner and Fred and Bree would like Arthur, right? Arthur wasn't like Rook. He was mature and responsible and knew how to make her happy.
The Scotland trip was ending in a couple of days. If Alex wanted to make a move, it had to be now. When they were still close by to each other and not separated by their year groups at school.
Alex groaned and buried her face into her pillow, her heart thumping under the warm blanket.
Could she do it? Or was she being a foolish girl? Arthur treated her seriously, right? Maybe they were moving too quickly, but maybe it was fate. Maybe he was someone who came along rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky, and if Alex didn't reach out and pluck him from the starry skies, she would regret it.
Could they be in a real relationship?
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A/N: Sorry for the girls talk but I need to get my ship fanservice / authorservice (?) out there haha. (I swear this entire fic is just authorservice for me.)
Sorry if Alex didn't talk a lot about Arthur in this one, she's just more cautious than Dani when it comes to making online friends. (Also, Dani overshares when she's excited.) In fact, it's quite annoying to write Alex in this because 1) she's rather reserved 2) she doesn't really use her phone in school unlike Every Other Character.
Fun fact: right before the line that Conner dropped his phone, I dropped my phone while writing this on my laptop. (The charging cable dragged it down.) Felt natural to incorporate it.
Lots of unapologetic Taylor Swift references. If it gets me writing, it gets me writing.
Thanks for reading! :)