Rachael touched her hair slightly, a habit she does when she does not know how to respond to a particular situation. She never thought Joy would ask.
"Hello, reasonable ladies," They both turned to face the direction where the voice was coming from as their mouths opened in awe.
" Andrew, "Joy almost screamed as she went to hold one of his hands.
"We miss you," Rachael added as Andrew smiled
"Why do you have to call us reasonable ladies and not beautiful ladies," Joy complained, slapping Andrew's face playfully as they all went to the cafeteria.
Rachael could only thank Andrew for coming to her rescue. If she had to mention that Zack brought him to school, then Joy might not be happy about it. Not only that, she might ask personal questions.
For some reason, she does not want Joy to know about her attraction toward Zack. Joy already knows she has a thing for the bad boy saga. If she knows that she came with Zack, the number one player in GGHS, then she might begin to have a million thoughts. She would easily conclude she has feelings for Zack
They saw Kevin already seated at the center of the cafeteria, as they walked towards him. Andrew and Kevin shook hands as they settled down. Andrew and Rachael facing Joy and Kevin.
" I was beginning to think you will not come today," Joy stated, picking some snacks from the small nylon in her purse as she munched on them.
"So sorry I resumed school late this semester, I have been sick for some time now. I came today but Kevin was the only one that saw me," Andrew explained as they looked in awe.
" Hope you are feeling better. Please, don't get sick again," Rachael probed, giving out a sober face as they all shared a laugh.
"I will be strong. Enough about me. How are you all faring?" Andrew asked, raising his head up
" Nothing much, good as always. No traveling during the holiday," Rachael said as everyone nodded.
"I was grounded by my mum for going out and coming late around 8 pm," Joy fumed as she explained her part. They burst into laughter.
" I am always cool bro," Kevin said as Joy snickered.
Rachael gave her a look as she rolled her eyes. To her, it seems Joy wanted to add more to what Kevin said.
"I miss you guys like crazy. Yesterday makes it a year since my mum died and it was just like yesterday. I remembered how you comforted me that day and it brings calmness to myself," Andrew spoke slowly as they looked at him, feeling sorry for him.
Andrew's mum died while they were in 11th grade. To the four of them, she was the best. Caring, and lovely at the same time. At some time, Andrew's mum got married again earning Andrew a stepdad who he was not fully in support of.
The rest of the story was history as everyone thought aligned with the fact that Andrew's mum died a natural death. Now Andrew is stuck with his stepdad.
" We are always here for you," Joy remarked, as she held his hands, creasing it slowly.
"We have your back bro. Our deepest sympathies," Kevin acknowledged, draping his hand around Andrew's neck.
" I just want to use this opportunity to say your mum was one of the best. We all hope to see her in the new world to come. Remember that the dead will rise again," Rachael commented as Andrew nodded thanking them for their words of encouragement.
Andrew and Joy stood up as they went to order food for the four of them. The overlapping noise from the cafeteria was much, making Rachael groan a bit.
"I like your hair. It must have been disturbing packing them into a bun," Kevin complimented as Rachael raised her head.
She smiled looking warmly at Kevin.
" Thank you," she blushed
"Here, take these hair clips. I got it from my Aunt during the holiday," Kevin opened Rachael's palm, placing it gently.
Rachael looked at the two hair clips on her palm, as she loved them at first sight. The first one is colored brown and black, as it looks radiant with its fasteners, and the second one is the colored sky blue with pink imprints on it.
" It looks beautiful. Thank you," Rachael said truthfully, as she attached the brown one at one side of her hair.
"It looks good on you. Thanks for accepting it," Kevin kept staring at her.
For some split seconds, Rachael felt guilty. Heaven will bear witness if she has never wished to at least have a tiny crush on Kevin, but it seemed rather Impossible. Not only does she have an attraction for Zack, the typical bad boy, she also tends to develop feelings for the bad boy saga.
She moved to where Kevin was seated, as she fiddled with her fingers, nervousness breeding
" Thank you for understanding. I hope that one day, I will be able to reciprocate the feelings you have for me," Rachael said, not wanting to look at Kevin.
Kevin draped his hand on her shoulder pulling him closer.
"I will keep waiting, I promise. I will wait to see both of us grow up and when you realize your feelings for me, we will get married and become one,"
Kevin's words made Rachael's heart linger, and she hoped she would not disappoint him. She hopes she will fulfill her promise.
" Ahem. Are you guys a couple now"
They raised their heads as Andrew and Joy sat down serving them their food. Their faces turned crimson with Joy's words.
"Do not be ridiculous. You know the rules," Rachael retorted as she started eating the sandwich.
" Ok, I love you. Hope you can continue to stick to the rules, "Joy mocked as Rachael glared at her.
The table once went into silence for a while. Rachael had her lesson of rushing food this morning and was pretty determined to take it slow.
Kevin's eyes kept peeking at Rachael, as he seemed rather interested in how she ate her food, not caring to eat ladylike. This simple act of looking only sends Kevin's heart skyrocketing.
"I called Grace's mum yesterday. She is improving greatly as I even saw Grace through video call," Rachael announced.
" Great. Joy told me about what happened to Grace. I am glad she is feeling better," Andrew confessed, giving out a faint smile.
"Me too," Kevin said, raising his right hand
"Me three, " Joy commented, raising her index finger as they all shared a laugh.
Joy leaped closer as she grabbed the hair clip beside Rachael's food.
" It looks beautiful. Kevin gave you right? Including those," Joy rambled as Rachael tried to collect it.
"Thank you, just give it back," Rachael groaned trying to keep her calm with Joy who was making fun of her indirectly.
Andrew looked at them as he requested to visit the restroom For some reason, he does not feel alright.
Andrew took permission to go to the restroom as others concurred. He walked out of the cafeteria and headed to the restroom. One could easily think he wanted to use the restroom for nature calls but that is not all, as he has a lot on his head. Andrew looked through the cubicle where toilet seats are but no one was there. He went over to the sink as he looked at the mirror. Andrew Carter was handsome with his feminine facial and physical features. His eyebrows are thick and curvier than most females. His pink lips are soft like jelly, and most importantly he likes to dress professionally. Shirt, trousers, a tie with a set of shoes and socks however fitted him perfectly as most girls feel comfortable around him because he respects them. He was nicknamed Girls Specialty, Professor, The Best Mentor because of the ways he respects girls and their thoughts as well as the way he dresses
Rachael's face turned grim as she looked at the two girls fighting. The other students were not helping as they kept chanting 'Fight, Fight, Fight'. "I cannot believe they are fighting because of Zack, quite incredible," a girl near Rachael said as the others giggled. " They are quite stupid competing for Zack love," another person commented as they looked at the fight scene Rachael whipped her head only to see Zack sitting, a smirk on his lips looking at the two sisters' fight. To him, it was fun playing both of them, and it was so easy. Like a speed of lightning, Rachael rolled her hands into fists. She walked closer to the two sisters who were holding each other's arms trying to wrestle each other. She stood in between them holding both their hairs, pulling more strands of hair. They both groaned in pain, as R
Everyone knows the consequences of being around someone you are attracted to, especially as a teenager. The feelings keep knocking, wanting to burst out. You feel strong willpower wanting to make you fall at the person's body. 'Just confess to him. Just confess to her', those voices keep coming in. You feel goosebumps, your voice on a red button when near that person. That feeling feels like a trap when you are around that person. That was exactly the situation Rachael was in as she was near Zack, whose hand gripped hers. He was not ready to let her go sooner. Rachael fell into a daze, her heart thumping as she stared at that intimidating brown eyes of his, with his pink lips looking more pinkish. It was crazy how her mind ran wild even though she had said a few bad words to him in front of the whole class. "Will you let go of my hand Zack?" Rachael questioned, turning her head to face Zack.
Joy walked out angrily, trying to get free from Rachael. Rachael keeps telling her that she should not have slapped Maya, as that resulted in her getting into detention. "Hey wait up," Rachael called out as Joy walked toward her locker. Rachael hastened her footsteps as she caught up with Joy. "Okay, I am sorry. I was just guilty because you got into detention for trying to defend me," Rachael begged. Joy heaves a sigh. To her, Rachael was one of the most important people in her life. She looked at her pitiful self, as she began to calm down. She cannot stay mad at her forever. "Do not look at me with those eyes of yours. Next time, avoid taking the blame on yourself," Joy pouted her lips as Rachael smiled. "You almost gave me a heart attack when you slapped Maya. You should have scared her with words, not slap," Rachael stated as she opened her locker
The cafeteria is more like a silent and loud place. While some students stick to table manners and eat their food quietly, others find it difficult to do so. It was break time, after all, a time free of work, and the boring lessons, as well as the interesting ones. Rachael watched as her friends talked about their weekends, a feeling of deja vu based solely on her imaginations. Even though Zack has never made any move since their previous confrontation, Rachael has the gut feeling that Zack is planning up something. Ever since Zack mentioned that he was interested in Joy, she has always been around her friend, especially while they are at school. The thought of Zack finally getting to date Joy has crossed her mind, but she was quick to brush it off. Maybe she was being paranoid, but she could never allow Zack to do something that might disrupt her
Rachael no doubt feels more confident with finding out about who Emma is. Apart from being observant, which was one of her beautiful qualities, she somehow felt the urge to know who she was. She noticed how gracious she was since the beginning of their 12th grade, but her facial expressions show the opposite of what she was. She never wanted to tell anyone about her observations, since there was not enough evidence to back up her thoughts. She was the type that always acts on her gut feelings. Most of the time, these feelings are true. One could think Rachael was the type that was nosy or headstrong, but that was just her personality. She noticed something about Emma and feel she should be investigated. If found guilty, she is not to be mocked, but to be corrected and helped. For some reason, Rachael felt she needed help. - AFTER SCHOOL HOUR
Taking two hats as they placed them on their heads, they decided to act in disguise. Rachael and Joy got down from the car, each one at the different sides of the road. The rich residential road was quite silent with big houses around. They both walked steadily taking small steps as they followed Emma who was taking a quick walk. It looks like she was rushing somewhere. Seeing her walking and not in a big car or great dressing style further increased Rachael's conviction of her gut feelings. Joy's walking pace was weird as she was pressing her phone while walking, with her head slightly bowed. Emma never thought anyone would follow her. It was not more than 8 minutes of trekking before Emma diverted into an alley at the right side of the road. Joy and Rachael took notice as they quickened their pace since they were a few meters away from Emma. 
Words alone cannot describe the look on Emma's face on seeing two of her classmates. Her mouth slowly drops open, her posture stiff, as sudden dread of coldness took over her. She was bewildered, as she felt her heart had stopped beating, as she stared at them without blinking. It was as if a cold wind went right through her. Yes, Emma. She works in the restaurant, as a part-time waitress. "Look who we have here. If it is not the popular Emma that dresses like a Princess," Joy mocked, as she dropped her snack on the plate gently. Her stare was boring right into Emma, who looks like a petrified rabbit. She could not help but wish the ground swallowed her instantly. Her tongue felt like it was tied, as she turned speechless. On the other hand, Rachael looked rather calm, even though she was surprised to see Emma as a waitr