Today was a special day for the Elsan twins. It was the day where they legally turn into adults. For teenagers, it meant that they can become independent and many look forward to it. They also celebrated it by partying and drinking liquor with their friends. For some, this experience will be for the first time while others had done it many times. As for the twins, the former was more accurate.
However, being eighteen years old didn't exempt anyone from school. Fortunately for them, it was a Friday. So, even if they went overboard, they didn't have to fear to miss a day of school the next day. With the future event in mind, it was no surprise that the group of teenagers were unable to concentrate in class. Their eyes were glued to the clock and impatiently watched each second pass by.
"Finally, it's lunchtime!" Enrico, Malak's friend, cheered with his arms stretched above his head.
"Is sleeping and eating all know?" the red-haired young woman, Kayla, criticized while rolling her eyes. "You were dozing all morning. I wonder how the teacher missed it."
"It is undoubtedly because of my excellent genes," he boasted his ego shamelessly.
"Or she already knows that you're beyond saving," Malak snickered as Kayla laughed behind her palm.
"Why are you siding with her? You were asleep too!" Enrico retorted with annoyance.
Malak never slept in class. But recently, he had trouble sleeping at night. He was never one to believe that we could connect dreams to reality, but he slowly accepted that it couldn't be a mere coincidence. Each time he closed his eyes, the same scenario kept happening.
At first, everything was black and Malak couldn't see much. Gradually, a shadow appeared as it was walking toward the teenager. As he got closer, he noticed that everything was blurry except for the person's eyes. They had a deep bronze colour that was almost metallic. It was a shade he never saw before. Then, they slowly gained a red hue until they were ruby red. They were so pure and bright that it looked like they were sparkling in the dark. It looked surreal. However, Malak wasn't scared. On the contrary, he found comfort in them. He felt the red eyes nostalgic and beautiful. Once the unknown silhouette got close enough, it tilted Malak's head up before embracing him. It was an overwhelming experience that couldn't compare to anything he had experienced so far. It was almost magical. When their lips parted, the spell was broken and the boy always ended up staring at the ceiling of his bedroom with a smile and a tear rolling down his cheek.
"Well, it's your words against mine. And who do you believe?" both boys turned their attention on their red-haired companion.
"I believe you," she smiled before wrapping her arm around Malak's shoulders.
"W-what? Why?"
Kayla glared at the raven-haired boy. "Look at how innocent he looks and then, look at you and you'll understand."
"You're only saying that because you prefer him to me," Enrico grumbles as both his friends ignored him and packed their school books into their backpack.
Shortly after, the group of friends arrived at the school cafeteria where hundreds of students had already gathered to enjoy their meal and the company of their companions. They easily blended into the crowd and patiently waited for their turn to order their food. They may see each other five days a week, but they never ran out of topics to chat about. At first glance, they didn't seem like people that will normally gather because of how different they look from each other. However, if you were to scratch deeper than the surface, you discover that the appearances are deceptive. You should never judge a person by its cover.
With a tray of food in their hands, they rapidly found an empty table to feast on. In the middle of their meal and conversation, Lesley finally arrived with her own set of friends. Although they were twins, they didn't share the same classes. Except for their appearance, their personalities were different. Maybe this was the reason their trust in each other was unbreakable. Even if they spend little time together in school, all of them were friendly with each other. They were not strangers.
"I'm so excited about tonight, I can't sit still!" a cherry blond-haired girl named Genesis chirped happily as she set down her tray filled with food on the table next to Kayla.
"I know right! Let's party until we collapse," Bella, the dark-skinned girl, sitting next to Genesis added enthusiastically while thrusting one of her slender arms in the air.
"Haha, you only think about alcohol. You should also keep an eye out for boys," Lesley comments cheerfully before gently kicking her twin as a subtle message that Malak immediately understood.
The boy forced out a smile before mentioning that Enrico is still single. To his relief, everyone's attention shifted to them. Malak never mentioned it before and not even his twin knew about it. He was scared about their reaction to the fact that he was gay. His family never breached the topic, so he didn't know what to expect. Therefore, he kept it a secret as long as he could. In other words, until he finds a long-lasting boyfriend.
Before, he couldn't imagine how his partner would look like. But after having the same dream every night, he now had a fresh hope that his future lover would have the metallic bronze eyes that could shift to the most beautiful ruby red colour. To his knowledge, only albinos can have red eyes naturally. But no humans could change their eye colour unless he was using coloured contacts.
"Who knows, maybe we will both find someone memorable. Isn't that right?" Lesley comments cheerfully while intently staring at her twin that could only laugh nervously.
He hoped that his friends would not try to throw every girl they see into his arms. It would be awkward and tiring to explain that he is not interested.
"Let's all go shopping after school. I need to find something new and sexy to wear," Kayla winked as all the girls rapidly agreed to the suggestion. "You guys will come too, right?"
"Let me guess. You're in a dire need of bag holders," Enrico sighs dramatically while pushing a cherry tomato around in his plate.
"Come on, it'll be fun! We will also help you choose something for tonight," Genesis rapidly adds as the other girls quickly agreed in unison to support their friend.
Both male teenagers looked at each other as if they were conversing while only using their eyes. "All right, let's go," Malak suddenly exclaimed as his friend stared at him in shock at his betrayal.
"Why did you agree?" Enrico whispered to his male friend as the girls were chatting about the stores they would visit.
"You didn't think I'll let you escape. Did you?" Malak squinted his eyes at the other boy who just laughed it off. "Of course, you did."
"Don't be like that! You know how boring it'll get. We will have to stand next to a wall while nodding and exclaiming how beautiful they are a hundred and a thousand times."
"We can slip away at some time. I heard there's a new video game that just came out. Want to go check it out?"
"Hell, yeah!"
A short hour after, the students separated to attend their respective classes. Just like the first half of the day, time moved at a snail pace for all of them. With a full belly, some yawned and fought against sleep while others didn't let anything break their impeccable concentration. You had to get good grades to enter the college of their choice.
As soon as the bell rang, no one lingered in the classrooms. They all rushed to clean their schoolbooks and notes from the table before gathering around their lockers. With most of the students gathered at one location, the uproar was overwhelming. Everyone tried to talk over the others to make plans for the weekend or to talk about the regimen of their practice schedule for the team they were playing for.
As for our group of friends, they were patiently waiting for Lesley, Bella and Genesis at the primary entrance of the school. Once they were all reunited, they slowly made their way to the mall by bus and subway. It didn't take long for them to arrive at their destination.
"Where do we start?" Lesley asked as they entered the mall by the underground entrance that was connected to the subway.
"Let's go to Élysée first," Bella proposed as all the girls agreed while the boys were merely following along.
Entering the first shop of the afternoon, they almost spent an hour inside to try the clothes and decide which one to choose. As Enrico mentioned earlier, the boys were standing near a wall while giving their most honest opinion. If they didn't say what the girls wanted to hear, they would pout angrily and go try something else. But even if they did express the right words, it didn't mean that they would stop trying new clothes. In fact, the schoolgirls would smile and observe their reflection in the mirror before going to try another outfit they chose earlier.
"We got our dresses. Now, let's go to Rara Avis Accessories!"
"No, we need to buy shoes first, so we have to go to Sensations."
"What are you saying, it is common knowledge that Glimmer Collection has the best accessories and shoes!"
Hearing all those brand names made the boys light-headed. They knew that even if the girls were arguing about the location to go next, they will end up going to all of them. If they wanted to escape, they had to do it now. There was no choice.
"Girls, Enrico and I are going to the bathroom. Go ahead first," Malak announced as he interrupted their arguments about jewelry, glitters and whatever.
"All right, but don't take too long," Kayla answered and waved at them goodbye.
"Oh, and could you buy me a-," Lesley started but got interrupted by her twin.
"Gingerroot Walk?" Malak completed as she smiled.
"Exactly!"
"Does anyone else want something from StarCups?" the dark blond teenager asked and wrote the drinks orders from his friends.
After taking the money from those wanting a drink, the group separated in two. The girls went to continue their shopping while the guys went to buy their video games and the drinks.
"You're a real lifesaver! I could kiss you right now," Enrico praised while attempting to hug his friend who avoided him.
"Thanks, but no thanks. Let's go check the new games before we have to go back."
"Can't we just let them do all their shopping by themselves? Also, I didn't mention it but I also need new clothes for tonight."
In the end, they bought everything they needed in less than an hour and a half. Fortunately for them, the girls also finished their shopping spree. With their drinks in hand, they individually made their way back home to prepare for tonight's event.