As the final bell rang, I joined Seira and Ethan as we walked out of class. Ethan glanced over at us with a grin. "Hey, do you guys want to hang out?"
Seira's eyes brightened immediately, and she nodded without hesitation. They both turned to look at me. I shrugged. "Sure, why not? Nothing waiting for me at home."
Just as we agreed, Ethan mentioned, "Hang on, I want to call someone."
I raised an eyebrow. "Who are you calling?"
He flashed a quick grin. "Aaliyah. She'll join us."
Seira smiled at that, and honestly, I was glad it was Aaliyah too. She's chill, good company. With that settled, we headed to a nearby café to wait for her.
After we found a table, Ethan and I quickly made our orders. But Seira…she was another story. Her eyes sparkled as she scrolled through the menu, completely absorbed, as if she wanted to order everything on it. The waiter stood there with a polite, strained smile, trying to be patient while she finally decided.
A few minutes later, her order was done, but when the food arrived, the table was completely packed with her plates alone. Ethan and I exchanged a look—our modest orders were hidden somewhere under the mountain of Seira's food.
I couldn't help but tease her. "Seira, don't you think you went a bit overboard? You're kinda greedy."
She didn't even blink. "It's food, Seth. No eat, no life."
We laughed at her logic, and even the waiter gave a small chuckle before walking off. But just then, I noticed someone making their way over, that unmistakable casual stroll. I looked up and saw a familiar face—Ferris Wells, with his signature grey-white hair and hazel eyes, wearing a grin that could only mean trouble.
And as always, he wore a cheeky smile. Ferris was… well, he was unique. He could be a handful, often more childish than Ethan and annoyingly flirtatious with every girl he met. None of us really invited him to things, yet he seemed to pop up everywhere.
Ferris was actually the first person who told me about the chat group our friends had made without me. I remember the sting of that moment, but he'd at least been upfront about it. Unlike Ethan, who had just left the group without a word. Despite his antics, Ferris had moments where he was thoughtful.
He waved as he got closer, calling out, "Hey! Saw you guys and thought I'd say hi." Then, he added with a smirk, "No plans for me today, so I'm free as a bird."
I couldn't help but snicker. "No one asked, but thanks for the update, Ferris. Real sad to hear it."
He shot me a playful look, then turned his attention to Seira, who was already distracted by her food. True to form, Ferris slipped into flirt mode without missing a beat. "Seira, you're adorable with all that food in front of you. I don't think I've ever seen anyone look so cute while eating."
Seira's smile faded, and she rolled her eyes. Ferris being Ferris, though, just laughed it off, completely unfazed.
"Shut up, Ferris," she said, giving him a dry look.
Instead of taking the hint, Ferris just laughed louder. "So, what's up with you three? Hanging out without me, huh?"
Ethan looked at him, unimpressed. "None of your business, Ferris."
But Ferris just shrugged it off and dropped himself into the empty chair next to Seira, looking quite pleased with himself. "It's alright. I get it. You three are getting closer, so I guess I'll just join you."
He glanced my way, almost as if he wanted confirmation that he was welcome. I shrugged, already used to his style. "Sure, why not?"
Ethan, however, looked mildly annoyed. "Actually, Aaliyah's supposed to sit next to Seira."
Ferris leaned back, his grin spreading. "Ooh, so a double date, huh?" His voice was teasing, playful, and I saw the gleam in his eye as he looked between us.
I was mid-sip, and the idea startled me so much I choked, nearly spilling water all over the table. "Absolutely not," I spluttered, my face heating up as I tried to recover.
Ferris just laughed, clearly amused. He finally pulled up a chair from another table and settled himself with us. He wasn't going anywhere, but somehow, it felt like our little gathering wouldn't be complete without him. He always found a way to make himself part of the group, whether we planned for it or not.