The café was lively with the hum of conversation as we waited, filling the table with easy banter and an impressive pile of food—mostly thanks to Seira. Then the bell above the door chimed, and Aaliyah walked in, her ginger hair tied back in a ponytail that bounced as she made her way over. Her green eyes immediately narrowed when she spotted Ferris sitting with us.
"I didn't realize this guy was invited," she said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"No one invited him," Ethan muttered under his breath, shooting Ferris an annoyed look.
Aaliyah smirked and took the empty seat beside Seira. Ferris, unbothered as ever, turned to her with a grin. "Aaliyah, your hair color is as warm as your heart. Radiant, really." He leaned in, laying it on thick as usual.
Aaliyah rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "Ferris, if my hair color matched my feelings for you, it'd be jet black." She smirked as his smile faltered just a bit. Then, turning her attention to Ethan, she asked, "So, what exactly is the plan here?"
Ethan shrugged, looking slightly more relaxed with Aaliyah's sass deflecting Ferris. "I thought we could enjoy a bit of holiday time together, you know, just a nice break from the usual. Spend some quality time, all of us."
Aaliyah scoffed. "Holiday time? You, Seth, and Seira all have detention. There's no way we'll have any free days left to do much of anything. Besides, why are you dragging us along when you could just hang out with your other friends?"
She looked pointedly at me, and I knew exactly what she meant. "Isn't this your perfect little friend group?" she asked, her gaze lingering on me. I shifted uncomfortably, feeling like she'd pinned me to the wall. I knew what she was hinting at: the friend group I used to be so wrapped up in, the group that was more about popularity than friendship.
But I wasn't that Seth anymore. I stayed silent, letting the question hang, though it nagged at me.
Ethan broke the tension, his tone surprisingly firm. "Look, those friends—especially Jack—they're toxic. They don't care about anything but putting people down, and honestly, Jack's just been getting worse." He glanced around the table, his expression serious. "That's why I left that group. They're not worth it. Spending time with you, Seira… and of course you Seth," he added, looking at me, "is way better."
Ferris nodded in agreement. "Jack's been bullying even more people lately. Honestly, it's messed up."
"Exactly," Ethan said. "So that's why we're here, with people who actually matter."
Seira nodded. "I'm on board with that."
Aaliyah looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed, reluctantly nodding her agreement. "Fine, I'm in. But since you three stuck with detention, we should plan something afterward, like a day out—shopping, maybe a museum visit or something."
The idea lifted everyone's spirits, and we all agreed, figuring it would be a good way to enjoy the break together, even if it was delayed.
Ferris chimed in, raising his hand like he was some enthusiastic student. "I'm definitely joining, too."
Aaliyah and Ethan immediately protested, but I shrugged and said, "Why not?" Both of them shot me a glare that could've frozen fire, but Ferris beamed, giving me a thumbs-up.
As the conversation started to shift, Ferris leaned forward with that familiar mischievous grin. "Alright, then. I'll need Seira's and Aaliyah's numbers to keep in the loop."
Both girls shook their heads instantly. "No," they replied in unison, giving him identical deadpan stares.
Ferris pouted, leaning in, undeterred. "Come on, I promise I'm not going to spam you with flirting. Just need to save your numbers for… coordination."
They exchanged glances, clearly not buying it.
Then Seira suddenly raised a question, looking at Ethan with a teasing smirk. "Wait, I remember something, how come Ethan has Aaliyah's number, then?"
Everyone went silent, the air suddenly charged with curiosity. Ethan's face turned a shade redder, and Aaliyah shot him a look that seemed to say, Don't you dare mess this up.
Aaliyah cleared her throat and shrugged. "It's because he's part of the student council, and I needed his help on a project. That's all." She said it matter-of-factly, but the edge in her tone dared anyone to question her further.
Ferris, sensing an opportunity, leaned in with a smirk. "So, can I also get the numbers for, um, coordination?"
After a moment of hesitation and probably to just stop him from asking again, Seira and Aaliyah relented, rattling off their numbers. Ferris quickly typed them into his phone, looking overly pleased with himself.
As we wrapped up our plans, I glanced around the table, feeling something that had been missing for a while—a sense of belonging.