Sabrina had never considered herself to be a professional planner. That was usually everyone else's job. She would usually stay back and observe how her friends unfolded their plans and brought them to light.
She never saw herself doing the same thing.
Sabrina sat crosslegged on her bed, her fingers scrolling on the touchpad. Next to her was her phone which buzzed with messages from the server. She never bothered to check.
She looked up from her laptop at her housemates who both decided to help. "How's it looking? Any updates?"
Carol, seated with her laptop at Sabrina's desk, lowered her phone from her ear. "Still finding the perfect cakes for Gilbert and Giselle. Arlen's helping me find them."
"I got some updates for booking a bowling party!" Phoebe, cross-legged on the floor, piped up. "I checked through teen parties and adult parties. The prices are up there if we're going as a large group."
"Oh..." Sabrina slumped her shoulders.
"But there's light in the dark! Group parties!" Phoebe turned her phone around to show a poster advertising group bookings. "The prices are affordable for each player! And they stated that the minimum amount is twenty people but it can work with us!"
"And how much is it for each player?"
"Eighteen dollars."
"Eighteen... eighteen, eighteen..." Sabrina pulled up an online calculator on her laptop and multiplied the number by twenty-two. "That's three hundred and ninety-six in total. What about the younger ones?"
"Fourteen. And that's for ages up to seventeen."
"Alright, and we need two of that." Sabrina calculated on her phone. "That's... twenty-eight and if we add that to the total that's..." She calculated on her laptop. "Four hundred and twenty-four. Man."
Carol looked up from her laptop. "Is it a bad time to mention that we found the perfect cakes for the Geminis? It's a piñata cake."
"What the heck is that?"
"It's a cake that spills out chocolate or candy when you cut it open. The one we found costs seventy dollars."
"Isn't that lovely?" Sabrina said sarcastically. "Are there any other cakes?"
"You know we could try making our own piñata cake!" Carol spun around in Sabrina's desk chair. "Speaks from the heart. Plus it's cheaper! We can decorate it to our liking!" She looked over with a reassuring smile. "But we still have to worry about booking the lanes."
"Yeah..." Sabrina covered her face with her hands. "Why is planning so hard? You two never told me how expensive and frustrating it is!"
"Mainly cause you never showed interest when we plan out things." Phoebe scrolled on her phone.
"Still." Sabrina closed her laptop and placed the device on her bedside table. She flopped backwards on her mattress, arms out. "I thought this was supposed to be easy! How on earth does anyone do it?"
"You could ask the others!" Carol ended her call with Arlen. "The Earth signs in particular plan a lot of stuff, you could ask them?"
"By Earth signs you mean the Virgos."
"Yeah. I'm sure they would be happy to give advice! You should ask them." Carol offered. Sabrina groaned loudly. "Or you can mope around. Whatever choice you make. Up to you."
Sabrina picked up her phone and turned it on. Her phone displayed a lock screen image of Gilbert blowing bubbles. "I'll ask the Virgos." She unlocked her phone.
Her friend smiled. "Good." Then she and the other two checked the server.
# we-love-💎-in-👁️s-(general-chat) #💬 🔍 👥
Sbrn:
hey guys party planning is hard
Sbrn:
.... what's with the nicknames
Cl:
Leo changed them all
L:
It was either this or make all the names "Gemini 1" "Gemini 2"
Skylr:
But none of us are Gemini
Snn:
My rising sign's a Gemini!
Phb:
My moon sign literally is Gemini. (A/N: meanwhile I got Gemini as my mercury, venus, mars and saturn signs :) )
Lyss:
cant believe we got some Geminis in disguise here in a no Gemini chat
but well pass that since we are only looking at sun
Cln:
I love geminis ❤️
Lx:
that came out of nowhere
Pt:
what if the real gemini on this gemini journey is the real geminis we met on the way of this gemini mission?
Vvn:
That makes no sense, Pete.
And now, Gemini doesn't look like a word anymore.
I hope you're happy doing that!
Snn:
who actuslly is happy
[M 1] [E 1]
wow only colin
yall sad af
Lly:
you didn't react either!!
[S 1] [H 1] [😡 1]
L:
either way
I never wanted to confuse anyone
So i removed the vowels
Sbrn:
But this is not the official ZS server. We're only using this server once for planning before I delete it.
Phb:
Why are you deleting it :(
Lvn:
Think its because the Geminis are not here.
Sbrn:
Yep and also bc if we keep it then this place will be a ghost town
Sbrn:
Also who is who? I am getting confused. I'm Sabrina.
Lx:
Alex.
Lyss:
Alyssa
Tylr:
Tyler
Thl:
Tahlia
Cln:
Colin
K:
I am not gonna get used to the Geminis being absent here
[S 21] [A 21] [M 21] [E 21] [😢 21]
Crl:
yeah, its strange. also i'm Carol
L:
Leo 😭
Lly:
Lily
Vncnt:
Vincent
Vvn:
Vivian.
Lvn:
Levin
Lzzy:
Lizzy
Skylr:
Skyler
Sm:
Sam
Snn:
Sienna
Cmrn:
Cameron
Cl:
Cleo
Rln:
Arlen
K:
Aika
Pt:
Pete
Phb:
Phoebe
Vncnt:
i'm guessing Leo removed the vowels in our names
Vvn:
Wow Vincent, that's new! I never thought of it that way! No way! /sarc
He stated it before omg.
Sm:
I love the fact that Alex, Alyssa, Tyler, Lizzy and Skyler have the most sane names. Everyone else was hard to tell
Cl:
meanwhile we got leo and aika. L and K.
Pt:
K and L are next to each other in the alphabet, and Leo and Aika are together.
its fate.
thats cute
Lly:
wait so if giselle and gilbert are here would their names just be gsll and glbrt
Lvn:
that sounds about right
Lly:
cool cool cool
@ Sbrn @ Crl @ Phb any updates?
Crl:
well for the cake with Arlen's help, we found a piñata cake
[❔16]
its a cake where when you cut it open chocolate and candy flow out. like a pinata!
Thl:
that sounds like a fun cake!
Rln:
yet its expensive 😭
seventy dollars
Lzzy:
thats nothing compared to all the gifts i see ypu give giselle every time you visit here
[😮 5] [☕ 2]
you give her expensive perfume, clothes, and accessories. its crazy
Lyss:
arlen's such a simp lmfao
Vvn:
Real.
[✨ 19]
📌 Cmrn pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages
Vvn:
Why did you pin my message?
Cmrn:
it speaks to everyone
Crl:
me and my housemates talked about the cake. we decided to attempt making our own piñata cake for the Geminis to cut together
mainly cause together with the bowling thing, it would be expensive
K:
and how much is the bowling thing?
Phb:
well I found out that the local bowling alley does group parties.
hold on let me pull up the thing.
it costs eighteen for adults and fourteen for children up to seventeen years, and since Sam and Cleo fall under that, we need to consider them
and Sabrina calculated the total amount
Sbrn:
424
If we're going for one game.
Cln:
isn't a game typically ten rounds?
Vvn:
Yep! With two chances each round!
Cln:
ooh okay
anyway i am surprised at how much you three have done for the geminis good job!
Sbrn:
planning is stressful :(
Skylr:
then take a break
Sbrn:
can't I need to make sure it is perfect
its on gilberts birthday too
i want this day to be special
plus gilbert said he wanted to go bowling
Skylr:
he did?
he never told me that
[🤨 20] [W 20] [H 20] [A 20] [T 20]
Lyss:
what
also can confirm he did
Sbrn:
now i have to book the venue for Sunday. do i need to pay today as well?
Vvn:
Pretty sure you pay on the actual day.
But if it's stressing you out we can each pitch in to pay!
[⬆️ 20]
Rn, you need to take a step back and take a break. Don't overwhelm yourself with planning. I speak from experience.
Snn:
the professional planner is right
and I speak this as a party planner but TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF TOO BESTIE
[Y 21] [E 21] [A 21] [H 21] [❤️ 22]
Sbrn:
thanks everyone ily /p
[❤️ 21]
alright distracting myself
does anyone have a topic to bring up
Tylr:
i do
its on the family tree
me and bee were talking about it yesterday
Cmrn:
were you guys talking about it before you and phoebe were making out or after?
[😨 18]
Sm:
... oh my god. 😃 (A/N: same)
Cln:
guys what does that mean?
Lzzy:
nobody say anything
we need to keep this one safe
this is a pure server
Lyss:
but most of us arent pure elizabeth sikes.
Lzzy:
SHUSH
Cln:
but everyone WHAT DOES IT MEAN
Lyss:
its passionate kissing
Cln:
oh okay
Lx:
so much for keeping him safe 🙄
Vncnt:
tyler what 😨
what did i just say about keeping things separate
you disobeyed me, son
Cmrn:
yeah ty-son
do you
do you get the joke? tyler's nickname is ty, and he's the son
Vncnt:
cam not now
Cmrn:
:(
Tylr:
mother don't listen to dad
he's a liar
Cmrn:
son that really hurts my feelings
how could you :(
also i literally saw you fixing your hair after you two were caught
Tylr:
shut up dad
[😭 2]
Vvn:
I am tearing up bc of this conversation.
No, I'm serious, tears are rolling down my face rn.
Lyss:
tragic
i am just laughing, its too funny
Phb:
Tyler, how could you say that to your dad 🙁
Lly:
yeah tyler >:(
Tylr:
why am i the blame here?
Lvn:
you made your dad cry
you should apologise
Tylr:
he should apologise to me
but also sorry dad for being a bad son
Cmrn:
for telling the truth?
also you havent answered my question
Tylr:
it was after
also we were just kissing
Cmrn:
ill let the jury of phoebe answer
Phb:
...
i have no comment to answer this
Tylr:
bee no 💔
why does no one believe me
Rln:
i believe you bc i feel pity
you know if Gilberta was here, he'd make this situation worse
kinda glad he's not here
L:
is it because you don't want him admitting the truth about you becoming a wolf
Rln:
im not a wolf tho
L:
they all say that. you are a wolf boy
Pt:
who is an alpha
Snn:
and obsesses over Giselle too much
Lyss:
simp.
[😭 1]
arlen this isn't a crying matter. it's the truth.
Vvn:
Can we get to the f***ing topic now?
I feel ✨uncomfortable ✨.
Tyler you were gonna talk about the family tree, right?
Tylr:
yes!
me and phoebe are thinking about redoing the entire thing from scratch
we found the old one confusing and out-of-date
Sm:
yea bc everyone kept disowning gilberta
Phb:
yes
so we wanted to revamp it to make it more organised now that almost everyone are in relationships
Sm:
remember the time when Phoebe first brought up the family tree diagram and she and Tyler got angry at me for shipping them both together on the chart.
Vncnt:
WHAT.
when was this?!
Sm:
i don't remember
Cl:
and now look at those two
they're inseparable
it's honestly cute
Snn:
wait a minute
if sam did that
is he actually Cupid?
it makes sense cause hes a sag
cause you know, archery
Sm:
huh, no????
also, you're a sag too wtf are you talking about
Vncnt:
i like the sound of a revamp but where do we begin
how do we know who is in what place
all we know is Tyler, me and Cam are in a family
Vvn:
I still want to be a mother.
Thl:
can't change that.
Phb:
i got some lore
its lengthy just a heads-up
um
So we start with Lizzy and Alex. They are together. They are in tier one. They have two kids: Cameron and Vivian who are in tier 2. Cameron is married to Vincent, and Vivian weds Tahlia.
Tyler is Vineron's son. Alyssa, Sabrina, and Leo fall under Vivlia. Tyler weds me, Leo is with Aika, and Sabrina is with Gilbert who is under a different family tree. This is family one.
Lzzy:
oh carp
[🐟 21] [🐠 21]
guys its a typo
[O 21]
Phb:
There's more
Family 2 consists of Pete and Colin in Tier 2. They have three sons: Gilbert, Levin and Arlen.
Gilbert is married to Sabrina but before that, he had a relationship with Skyler before they broke up. Skyler now has Carol. Skyler and Carol also broke up. They both adopt Sam who is dating Cleo.
Levin is wed to Lily. And Arlen is wed to Giselle. Arlen and Levin used to fight over Lily but things worked out.
Oh btw Sienna is not in both families. She's their neighbour who is also in Tier 3.
That's an idea for the family tree.
📌 L pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages.
📌 L pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages.
📌 L pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages.
Pt:
I think Leo is pinning something to this channel!
Lyss:
We should see all the pinned messages.
📌 L pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages.
📌 L pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages.
📌 L pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages.
L:
sorry its for easy access
we should show the new family tree idea to the geminis. i like it
[⬆️ 21]
probably a better idea to draw out the tree. gilbert struggles with reading large blocks of texts
Sbrn:
can confirm. he gets confused with them
someone needs to draw the tree
Tylr:
i can give it a go :)
my drawing skills may not be the best tho
Lvn:
lies
your gilberta drawing changed lives
just like lily's stories
[❤️ 1]
Lly:
Self promo but I have a special one in the works! Gonna give it to Gilberta on his birthday
Tylr:
cant you show us
Lly:
I could not :(
Tylr:
:(
Cmrn:
either way the stories and drawings made a huge impact
it even made an impact up there
Vncnt:
i have no idea what your talking about (edited)
Snn:
DID ANYONE CATCH THAT?!
Cl:
me
| Vncnt:
| babe I have no idea what your talking about
📌 Sm pinned a message to this channel. See all pinned messages.
Vvn:
HAHA
Caught red-handed ~!
Vncnt:
NO
Thl:
off topic but does anyone know what the Geminis are doing?
i miss them already
[S 21] [A 21] [M 21] [E 21]
K:
Giselle said she and Gilberta are at the tennis court.
They're playing tennis together
it came out of nowhere I know
Lvn:
i know why
its cause of Arlen
Gilbert was teasing Arlen on being a wolf and he mentioned the gym
Arlen told him that sports are fun and told him to try something
So to peeve him off, Gilbert decided to play tennis with Giselle bc he claimed that Gislen are clingy and cheesy.
Lyss:
hes not wrong tho
They are so sappy
All the couples are
There is something in the air and I don't like it
but either way alpha wolf boy and giselle are the sappiest
Vvn:
Alyssa Millicent Brookbanks, you be quiet, don't anger the wolf.
[N 20] [O 20] [W 20] [A 20] [Y 20] [😱 20] [🤬 1] [🫢 20] [🤯 20] [😳 20] [💀 20]
Way /ref
💃
[💃 21] [🕺21]
Rln:
this is even worse than gilberta calling me a wolf
Lx:
i did not see this coming on my bingo card
Vncnt:
who are you and what have you done to vivian
Vvn:
i AM vivian
I'm sorry, the old Vivian can't come to the phone rn
[🫢 22]
Cln:
why?
Lzzy:
NO WAYYYYY AAAAAAA
[ 🖤 1]
Vivian, you're my new favourite person now
Lyss:
don't take my favourite person away from me ElIzAbEtH
Vvn:
You bully me a lot, Alyssa
wdym favourite person
[☕️ 20]
Lyss:
its affectionate ❤️
it means that i care for you so much as a bestie and that you are my favourite person.
Sbrn:
Either way
I wonder what Giselle and Gilbert are doing.
Anyways i gotta go book the lanes
ttyl
[👋 21]
"Time to get back to business." Sabrina picked up her laptop. "What's the bowling alley called here, Phoebe?"
"Thetowne Bowling Alley," Phoebe answered.
"Gotcha. Thanks, Phoebs." She typed the location on the search bar and got to the page of results. There on the same page was a picture of the building with the opening times and phone number. Sabrina picked up her phone. "Hey Carol, Phoebe? I am going to do a call so I need you to..." She jerked her head in the door's direction.
"You want us to leave?" Phoebe asked, hurt. "We can lower our voices."
"Yeah, but I need time to book." Her housemates stared at her. "I'll let you know when to return. Promise."
Her housemates shared a look. Then Carol got up from Sabrina's seat. "Alright." She walked past her Pisces friend. "Come on Phoebs, let's go."
"Alright..." Then Phoebe followed Carol, dragging her feet as she moved.
Sabrina smiled and dialled the number on her phone. She took a deep breath in and pressed the calm button before she lifted the phone to her ear. "Hello, I would like to book a party for Sunday twenty-second of May, please."
-= ⭐️ =-
(Zoe is meeting up with a friend)
"Hup!" Giselle yelled out and smacked the flying tennis ball with her pink tennis racket.
The ball sailed through the air and bounced past Gilbert who was opposite the tennis net. The two Geminis were at the town's tennis courts, passing a tennis ball to each other. Gilbert had rocked up with his usual athletic wear, a blue sports jersey with grey sports shorts and blue sneakers. Giselle however decided to rock up fashionably with a pink polo shirt, a white visor, a white tennis skirt with safety shorts and white sneakers.
Gilbert frowned when he didn't receive the ball in time. "Rematch!"
"Aww another one?" Giselle posed and placed a hand on her hip. "Scared to admit defeat?"
Gilbert gritted his teeth. "I won't be defeated. Especially after your winning streak."
"Now Gilbert..." Giselle cooed. "You know how I manage my streaks. That won't be easy."
"Sure," Gilbert said with a nod. "May the best one win." He served and the ball sailed over the net. "Hup!"
Giselle ran to the end where the ball headed and swung back. "Hah!" The ball flew over the net.
Gilbert smacked the ball back. "Hup!"
"Hyah!" Giselle yelled out after hitting the ball.
The ball sailed over the net and bounced past an unprepared Gilbert.
Giselle punched both fists in the air. "And another win for Giselle!"
"How are you... so good at the game?" Gilbert made his way to the bench where both his bag and Giselle's white tote bag were. He zipped open his bag and got out a squeezable yellow and black drink bottle. Gilbert squeezed the water into his mouth.
"I did tennis when I was younger." Giselle made her way over and searched her bag. She got out a pink stainless steel water bottle with a straw. Giselle flipped the straw and placed a hand on her hip. "Surprised to see my reflexes still work." She sipped from her water bottle.
"You're...good... at this." Gilbert looked up. "By the way what is with that outfit?"
"This one?" Giselle lowered her drink bottle and gestured to her outfit.
"Yes, obviously that one. What is with it?"
"It's pretty." Giselle placed her bottle on the bench. She kicked her leg to the back. "Gotta look good playing sport."
"But it's tennis."
"Tennis or not, it's good to be fashionable." Giselle posed. "It's all about feeling good. Fashion is essential to me."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Giselle glared at her counterpart. She made her way over and sat next to him. "By the way, I have a question for you! Why did you invite me here?"
"I wanted to know my counterpart better."
Giselle raised her eyebrows.
"And also to frustrate Arlen."
"Knew it." Giselle clicked her fingers. "You and Arlen remind me so much about brothers. It feels like you two are siblings."
"Well..." Gilbert mumbled. "I guess you can put it that way." He looked down on the blue ground. "Arlen's the closest thing I have to an actual sibling. Levin too, of course, but mostly Arlen. His family were the closest I had to a family after my parents passed. They took me in and treated me as their child. Arlen was there of course and Levin was our neighbour. The bond was close."
Giselle sensed the atmosphere changed. "I see..." She wanted to understand where her counterpart was coming from. "Um... sorry if this is sensitive to ask but I want to know what your parents are like."
"Honestly, the most amazing people I've ever met." Gilbert smiled. Giselle noticed that his eyes were glossed. "Dad was a lot like me. He enjoyed being in social situations. My mother is more shy and laid back. I miss them. Why did they go on that boating trip?" He shook his head. "Why did I let them go? I should have trusted my gut. Why did I let them go?"
Oh.. "Gilbert..."
"Sorry, sorry." Gilbert dabbed away the tears rolling down his cheeks. "You didn't need to hear that. It's in the past... it's-" He fell silent. Only the sounds of the leaves brushing past are heard.
She stayed silent and wondered the best way to comfort her friend. She wanted to help him but the right words never came to mind. She had never experienced losing someone close. But she knew all she had to do was to be there. Gilbert needs her support. It's the best she could do.
"I'm so sorry about your loss," Giselle whispered. "I'm here for you if you want to talk. Is there anything I can do?"
Gilbert sniffed. "Just being here is enough. I, I should be the one apologising. This topic was years ago. It's..."
"No, no, no, it's okay! You needed a safe space, and I am here for you. I want to help you because you are my dearest friend." Giselle smiled warmly. Her friend responded with a saddened smile. "I am a bit curious about your parents. You told me that they are the most amazing people you met. Do you have any memories with them?"
"There's one memory. It's when my parents took me to see the shooting stars when I was seven." Gilbert smiled fondly. "My dad, he- he bought over a telescope. He would instruct me on how to use it and guide me to different locations. And- and my mother. She would tell stories about the times she would stargaze. She would sit on her picnic blanket and watch us using the telescope. She-" He looked down, tears rolling down his cheeks. He quickly wiped them away.
"Your parents sound amazing."
"They are..."
"Do you remember any more memories with your parents?" Giselle asked softly.
"Well," Gilbert pondered, "there is another memory. If you don't mind me sharing."
"I'm all ears. You can tell me." Giselle nodded. Then she listened to her friend as he recollected all of his memories.
It's the best she could do.
-= ⭐✴️=-
(Zoe meets up with... Briar? The two meet at a local cafe and enjoy their coffee. This is a sign to support your local cafes!)
"Is it done yet?" Vivian asked, covering her face. She was sitting in House 5's lower bathroom on a dining chair Alyssa had dragged in. Her friend had offered to dye half of Vivian's hair blonde in a split hairstyle.
Alyssa took off her disposable gloves and threw them in the bin basket. "Yeah it's done." She admired her handiwork.
"Can I uncover my eyes now? It has been a while."
Alyssa nodded. "Yep!" Her best friend uncovered her eyes and gasped. Admiring back at her through the reflection was herself with half her hair dyed blonde and the other half dark brown, left untouched. "What do you think? Am I a fantastic hairstylist or what?"
Vivian didn't respond. Instead, she turned her head around and admired her new do from different angles.
"Hello? Yoohoo!" Alyssa clicked her fingers. "Earth to Vivian. I repeat, earth to Vivian! Ground control Alyssa needs an answer."
"Huh?" Vivian snapped out of her wonder. "Oh, the hairstyle is nice."
"And how would you rate me as a hairdresser on a scale from one to ten."
"Six. I ranked lower because you were not gentle with me."
"That's not bad. I was hoping higher but hey at least you're being honest." There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Yes, who is it?"
"Lily!"
"Come in!"
The door opened. "Alyssa have you seen the eyeliner anywhe-" Lily noticed Vivian's new look. "Whoa... who did this?"
"Alyssa!" Vivian smiled.
"A-" Lily began. She blinked, "Alyssa did this?"
"Yep!"
"I- wow! Never saw that coming."
"Neither have I. Now tell me, Lillian, does this hair look majestic?"
Lily nodded. "It looks amazing. And majestic. I like how it is split into two halves, it's unique!"
"Is there a reason why you're here Lily?" Alyssa removed the apron she wore while she dyed Vivian's hair. "If it's on whereabouts the biscuits are, they're in the biscuit jar in the pantry."
"I just wanted to talk to you about something important. But seeing as you know, your best friend is here." Lily jerked her head towards Vivian.
"Best friend has a name you know!" Vivian pointed a finger up. "Her name is Vivian!" Her eyes widened and she chuckled. "Oh my god, I'm adapting Alyssa's vocabulary."
"You're welcome by the way!" Alyssa grinned like a Cheshire cat. Her best friend poked her tongue out. Alyssa turned to her housemate, crossing her arms. "Also Lily, Vivian won't tell, you know what she's like."
"Yeah." Lily nodded. She trusted Vivian. Her friend always abides by the rules and keeps every within the lines. And as guilty Lily felt about it, she trusted Vivian more than her housemates.
She also found it funny how Alyssa and Vivian are best friends. The rule breaker and the rule enforcer. Then again Lily knew that her friend group also consisted of different personalities. Tyler is more chill and laidback, Phoebe's more energetic and loud, Levin's timid and soft-spoken, while Lily herself is the one in charge. It all balances out.
"Anyways... what is the serious thing? Is it good or is it bad?"
"It's..." Lily paused and searched through the words that matched the description, "life-changing." Her housemate raised her eyebrows. "So yesterday while you were away, Sienna had a request. She told me and Levin while we were both making brownies."
"I wondered who made the brownies!" Vivian turned her head back. "They tasted so good! You two did a great job!"
Lily smiled bashfully. "Thank you!"
"What was Sienna's request, Lillian?" Alyssa asked, tilting her head to the side. "You said it's life-changing."
"Sienna wants to get two cats as household pets. She wanted them because she found it unfair that she was a self-prescribed cat lady without actual cats. She initially wanted five cats."
"Wow," Vivian said as she processed the conversation. "She and Cleo would make great friends."
"Yeah. And I just want to ask if you're fine with Sienna getting two cats. Seeing as you own a pet bird."
"Sweety." Alyssa nodded, remembering her bird. She went unusually silent. "I don't know. I mean I am all in with Sienna getting two cats. I want her to be happy but I am worried about Sweety."
"Tough predicament?" Vivian asked.
"Yeah. No idea what that word is but yeah." Alyssa nodded. Her lips formed inwards into a thin line. "Mmm..."
"Sienna's deadset on getting cats. She's waiting for your answer, Alyssa."
"I want her to be happy," Alyssa finally spoke, "I really do. But I am more worried about Sweety. Birds and cats don't mix well."
"Food chain. The predator and the prey." Vivian clicked her fingers. "Bit of a tough situation."
"Is it bad to have the feeling of wanting to make others happy but you're worried about yourself?"
"Not at all." Lily shook her head. "Trust me I was more concerned about Sweety."
"There are households that have birds and cats, you know," Vivian said matter of factly. "They just have heavy supervision. Just a question Lyss, does your bird roam around the house?"
"No." Alyssa shook her head. "Sweety only roams in my room. The birdcage is there."
"That gives some sort of protection." Vivian mused. "Still be careful about it."
"I want to make sure Sienna is happy." She nodded. "Sure. We can make this work."
Vivian widened her eyes. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll just make sure the bedroom doors are closed. We'll manage!" Alyssa smiled.
Lily raised her eyebrows, "You certain? There's no turning back."
"I'm certain."
"Alright." Lily nodded. Meanwhile, Vivian muttered the words 'I see what's going on'. "What did you say, Vivi?"
"Nothing." Vivian shook her hand. "Ignore what I said."
"Well, looks like we're getting two cats then!" Lily sighed. "Someone should let Sienna know."
"I'll let her know." Alyssa offered. "Be right back," she stated before she left.
Lily faced the open doorway and called out: "Make sure to let Sienna know about your concerns with Sweety!"
"Alright! I will!"
"Knowing her... she probably won't." Lily rolled her eyes. Vivian giggled.
"Or she will. You'll never know."
"You're right. You're right."
"I'm always- wait no- mostly right." Vivian beamed. "By the way, Lily. I need you to take note of something. It's on Alyssa."
"Oh?" Lily turned, surprised to hear that her friend had secrets to share. "What is it?"
"When you see Alyssa near Sienna, please take note of what she is doing. Take note of her words, her actions."
Take note of her words, her actions? "Why?"
Her friend gave a slight smile. "I'll let you figure it out." She got up from her spot and brushed her hands on her leggings. "Aight. I'm gonna check on Alyssa for her response. You coming?"
"In a sec," Lily answered before she waved off her friend who left the bathroom. Lily stared at her reflection in the mirror and bit her lip.
Just what did her friend mean, exactly?
-= ⭐️✴️ =-
(Zoe and Briar gossip about everything they experienced between their last meet)
"You alright?"
Leo looked towards the doorway. His housemate Sam leaned on the frame of the doorway. He guessed his housemate wanted a response. The way Sam crossed his arms says all.
He smiled contentedly. "I'm okay. Just focusing." He turned his head to the photo wall he arranged months ago. Pictures of his friends smiled back at him. Each picture holds a memory. After all, he read somewhere that a picture tells a thousand words.
Footsteps followed behind him. He guessed it was Sam. "Focusing on the photo wall?"
"I'm trying to figure out what photos to replace on here." Leo pulled off a photo of him and Skyler. The blue tack unstuck itself from the wall. "Like this one."
"Huh?" Sam looked down at the photo in Leo's hands. "What's wrong with that?"
"Skyler's hairstyle changed. Not like this anymore." Leo pointed to Skyler's haircut which consisted of a side fringe. "Then again... all the photos need to be replaced." He stuck the photo back in its place.
"Especially this one." Sam pulled off a photo with him and Leo. He traced his fingers over the polaroid. "I look bad in here."
"That was the only good photo I have of you. You always refuse to take photos together."
"Because I don't like photos!"
"Sure." Leo snatched the photo from his housemate and stuck it back in its place. "Is there anything you need? You usually come in here when you need something."
"Well..." Sam swayed in his spot. "I was wondering if you could persuade Alex to order takeout."
"Bro." Leo crossed his arms. "This is the fifth time. Can't you persuade them?"
"You have higher respect."
"And you're younger. You can pull off the 'Oh please Alex, I want this' easily. Use that. Not to me! Alex."
"Fine." Sam stopped pulling off the innocent look. He walked backwards to the door.
"Is there anything else you need?"
"Well, I guess checking in on you. You look lost. So I want to check in if you're okay."
"I appreciate the concern but I'm fine." Leo noticed his housemate raised his eyebrow. "Don't give me that look! I'm serious."
"Sure." Sam shook his head. He smiled. "Well, I'm gonna go try to persuade Alex. Wish me good luck!"
"Bad luck!" Leo hid the urge to laugh when he saw Sam had flipped him off before he left.
He scanned through the photo wall from top to bottom. Photos ranging from portraits, landscapes and group photos were arranged like a collage. Leo's eyes set towards the middle of the wall of photos where two photos stood out from the rest.
The first was a photo of Aika. She held a bouquet of tulips close to her, burying her mouth behind the flowers. She wore a pair of jeans accompanied by one of Leo's jumpers- the red one they both liked. It's her jumper now- just like every one of his sweatshirts and jumpers.
Next to her photo was a group photo with Leo, Gilbert, Alyssa, Sienna, Colin, Pete, Cameron and Sabrina. It was taken during their last vacation. Leo spotted himself in the photo. He stood next to Gilbert who was hugging a laughing Alyssa. Leo pulled the photo off and traced his fingers over the faces.
He couldn't help but notice a hundred questions floating inside his head the more he looked at the picture. His eyes lingered on Gilbert the most- his best friend. His first friend.
He remembered the first time they met. They were in kindergarten one week in. Leo would often stay near the teacher. He would do this until one day a young boy with fluffy brown hair bounced over and complimented his jacket.
"Your jacket looks cool!" were the words from the boy. Young Leo found himself looking down at his jacket- a red one with a zipper and an illustrated image of a smiling lion face as the logo.
He remembered thanking the boy with a "Thank you". His mother always told him to do that. 'Show your manners' she'd say, That's how you show respect'.
"And I- I think-" the young boy would say, pronouncing 'think' as 'fink', "it looks fabu- uh. Miss?" the boy turned to the teacher for guidance. "What is the word for fabu... fabu-"
"Fabulous." the teacher said with a smile.
"Yes!" the young boy grinned. "It looks fabulous." He ended up saying the word 'favulous' instead. Then he introduced himself. "My name is Gilbert! What is yours?"
Young Leo assumed that Gilbert meant his name. "My name is Leo."
"Leo... I like that name!"
Ever since that day, they stayed close. And if Leo had to be honest with himself, his friendship with Gilbert shaped him to be the person he is now. This friendship taught Leo to be confident. This friendship taught him to express himself. Most importantly, it taught him to be loyal.
And now they are recently graduated from teenage-hood and Leo couldn't help but notice a rift between him and his friend. His best friend is too busy with the others. And he, Leo, stood by the side and watched as his friend drifted further and further away.
It kept Leo wondering. What did he do to deserve this? Is he not a good enough friend?
Is this the price of loyalty?
"Leo-oh!" Sam's voice called out. Leo turned to find his housemate at the doorway. "Alex said no. They want to know what you want to eat." He then frowned. "Are you alright?"
Not really. "Yes."
"You sure?" Leo found himself nodding as he stuck the photo back in its place. His housemate shrugged. "If you say so. Anyway, what do you want to eat?"
"I'm fine with anything."
"Come on Leo, that's not helpful. What's your favourite dish."
Leo thought for a moment. "Pasta."
"Pasta?" Sam asked. After a nod from his housemate, Sam crossed his arms. "Alright. I'll let Alex know that you want pasta."
"I'm guessing that you want takeaway."
"Yes... but it's okay! Alex's food is good too. If it weren't for you saying 'bad luck' then things would have worked out."
"I was joking."
"And jinxed it, may I remind you!" his housemate sighed. "I'm gonna help Alex downstairs. Wanna come?"
"Sure." Leo needed a distraction anyway.
"Alright. Let's go." Then Sam left and Leo tagged along.
-= ⭐️✴️ =-
(Zoe and Briar plan an outing involving them and the boys)
Man, the mood of this chapter is going up and down. Whoops on my end. Hopefully, the next chapter will be cheerful since I was kinda down-in-the-dumps writing this. Blame overthinking, it did this to me.
Something I noticed is how pre-interval and post-interval is an accurate representation of me as a person. Of course, the pre-interval represents the innocence and happiness of the past, while the post-interval has an improved style but represents growing up. Expectations vs reality is a simpler explanation.
Anyways time to lighten things up. I am a bit curious. I want to know who each of your favourite characters are from each house.
For me it would be Leo in House 1, Cameron in House 2, Levin in House 3, Colin in House 4, Sienna in House 5, Vivian in House 6, Giselle in House 7, and Sabrina in House 8. Now I want to know yours.
Promise the next chapter is a better one since it will either focus on the Gemini birthday preparations or the birthday. Still need to figure that out haha.