"June?"

I woke up to my name being called and looked up when I saw the light enter my eyes, remembering that I was not at home. I blinked my eyes and shook my head, clearing the sleep from my eyes and realizing that I had been hugging Jasper and leaning on his back this entire time, sleeping peacefully. I smiled underneath; well, turns out that part had turned out exactly how I wanted it to.

I nodded, hiding the grin, "I'm awake. Are we there yet?"

"Yes, we are. It seems like you had a sleep better than the night before," Jasper chuckled. I giggled and stepped off the bike smoothly unlike before, when I'd been stepping on it for the first time ever.

"Actually, where are we?" I asked, looking around in curiosity. I do know where dad's main office is situated at and I've went there once, but this place was nothing like that. Strangely, it had very few office buildings and more street shops instead. Thus, there was a lot more crowding here. Dad's main office and most other branches are situated at very popular city centres where crowds were less. Anyone could easily identify that it was a very busy city's centre filled with various business groups. "I thought you knew?" Asked Jasper. I started to reply with what was in my mind, but stopped when I realized that I would have to explain everything that I just thought about and that would be very tiring. And who cares, actually? Jasper has indeed come for his official work and I'm following him to wherever that's situated. I'm far from my older self which would've immediately thought of the possibility of him bringing me to some creepy basement or something.

"I know. I just asked," I said simply, and he nodded, "Well, if you were referring to this place's name, it's Main street. Just a half an hour drive from our town."

Half an hour? It felt like two hours. Maybe it's because I slept.

"Oh, I've heard that before," I said, honestly clueless of where the heck this place was but saying that just to appear as if I had some idea about it. We started moving to the office and I hesitated a bit when I saw the busy crowds in front of us, remembering the incident nearby hotel Emerald. Jasper paused and turned to me. When he realized what may have went through my mind, he extended his hand out to me and I caught it eagerly.  The chill that went through my hand as it touched his made my heart warm and assure myself that when he's nearby, nothing and no one would hurt me. We passed through the crowd without any trouble and delay. We still didn't leave each other's hands though.

I noticed that the difference while we walked was really evident now - when we first met, he used to walk behind me like every other bodyguard did, like an ideal gesture of 'protection'. As we got closer and became friends, we started walking with each other instead but even then I liked to keep a good amount of distance so that incidents like that old lady calling us a couple wouldn't happen again. Oh well, look at how everything has so changed quickly now. We're not only walking side by side, close to each other, but we're even holding hands, even though that held a purpose in this situation and I felt glad for that. In fact, I felt glad about everything - about accompanying him here, about getting to ride on a bike behind him, about holding hands with him through a crowd. The earlier me wouldn't have felt the same. The earlier me was dumb and egoistic. But Jasper brought about this positive change in me and that's why I feel so much better than ever before. I used to be so pessimistic earlier, always thinking about negative stuff. Not anymore.

Honestly, even if a random old lady called us a couple now, I wouldn't mind.

Let's not go that far, June, I reminded myself with a light chuckle.

"Why are you laughing?" Jasper asked me, eyeing me dubiously. Crap, he probably thinks that I'm going nuts now - which I'm starting to believe I am, maybe.

"I - I was just - um -," I stuttered, then saw something that attracted my attention and I immediately pointed over there to change the topic, "Look, an amusement park! It might be fun to go there. Wait, can we actually go, Jasper? I've never visited one before. Please?"

That was something I was pointing out to change the awkward topic, but after I said it and observed it, it seems like I really do want to go, though that's impossible. First up, we came here for official work and not for entertainment. Secondly, we might be late by the time we return from the office and we'll be too tired to go to a park anymore. And mainly, Jasper probably wouldn't even be interested. Considering his nature, maybe he might get interested, but even then, he's an adult and probably feels awkward about visiting a park that might possibly be for people under eighteen - with a 15-year-old kid. But if the park is for both adults and teens and there are many other grown-ups too, he might be more willing. Judging by the looks of it, it did seem like a theme park meant for teenagers and adults rather than younger kids.

Of course, I knew what I expected as a response. Either it's a straight no, a very hesitant 'after my work?' or the excuse of going on some other day. I was ready to accept any of those, considering what we'd come here for.

But his reaction was unexpected.

He looked at me with a smile that was genuine. Though I initially felt my heart warm at that, his following words confused me.

"Sure," he answered, "We'll go."

Absolutely no hesitation, no thoughts, no pause. Did he hear me properly? Did he even think about it?

I was obviously taken aback. He said yes? But what about his official work? Maybe he's referring to going there afterwards, but even then, how did he agree without any hesitation at all? Was it because I said that I've never visited one before? Well, of course I was happy that he agreed and felt excited about finally having some fun on my birthday, but I had to know how or why he agreed to my request without his usual excuses and arguments. Maybe he changed too, just like me.

"But what about your office work?" I asked, then blurted "And what made you agree to this so quickly? You normally don't do so."

He raised an eyebrow at me, "What? Do you want me to say no?"

"No!" I blurted, "I was just asking why, because I'm genuinely curious."

"I can always postpone my work for sometime, and this is your first request to me after so many days of rest," he shrugged, "I can at least be generous as to agree to this one thing, right?"

"Right," I smiled, wondering for a split second if he agreed to me because I saved his life back at the hotel incident and was nicer to him afterwards, unlike before. Maybe he felt that this wasn't the right time to make stupid arguments like we always do and that this is a request that seems simple enough for him. Maybe this is one way by which he wants to pay me back for saving his life once, even though he's saved my life multiple times and I'd still been rude to him then.

We entered the park after Jasper paid for the both of us at the counter outside. I stood there for a moment before rushing forward, my heart bursting with excitement at the new atmosphere I was suddenly in. The crowds were less here but it was enough to make some noise and fill up a few rides like the roller coaster and ferris wheel, which were located some distance away. Fortunately, there was as much as adults and teens as much as the kids. I suddenly felt like a kid who was seeing something for the first time ever. 

My eyes fixed on the roller coaster, something that I always wanted to try out since seeing it in many movies but never getting to because of dad's work. I pointed towards it with a kid's excitement and said, "Jasper, can we go over there?"

When he didn't reply to that, I turned to him and saw that he was looking at me with a smile, "Absolutely. But before that, don't you want to know why we really came here?"

Though slightly drawn back by that, I nodded instantly, eager to know the reason before the entertainment starts. "Brace yourself, June," Jasper said as he caught my shoulders and turned me so that I was now facing the other direction. Expecting something like a stupid jumpscare, I rolled my eyes and started to groan - but instead, I gasped, shocked by what I saw in front of me.

'Happy 16th, June'

These words floated about the clear sky on a stack of glittery balloons, added to it was an extra bit of simple but beautiful decorations like glowing lights and even a band that started to play light music the moment I turned around. A person dressed up in a giant bear costume at the side of the big birthday sign popped the confetti with a loud noise which woke me up from my frozen state. Jumping at the loud 'boom', I staggered back into Jasper's arms, looked up at him and then broke into a wide smile, unable to believe anything that I was seeing.

There was a sudden wave of realization in me. This is exactly why Jasper brought me to this place in the name of 'official work' but agreed to my request without a bit of hesitation. This is why he seems so well dressed and was hesitant to let me stay home when I asked him if my friends can come over while he's gone; all because he had this planned for me the entire time, because he knew my birthday. I thought that my 16th birthday was going to be such a flop, that no one remembering it would make me disappointed. But Jasper knows, and that's enough for me now. 

Blinking the tears from my eyes, I stood up straight and turned to Jasper, grateful for this unexpected gift. Before I could tell him how this was so unexpected but nice of him, he pulled out something from behind his hands. "Happy birthday, June," he said, handing me a bouquet of flowers whose delicious scent reached me right at that second. For a second, my mind went back to that scenario at Karly's and Klaus' house when Dorian handed Karly a bouquet of roses as her birthday gift and thought that was the perfect gift for her because she really liked him. I had wished then that someone would gift me the same on my birthday too, that that 'someone' would be a person I really like, that I love.

Seems like your wish turned out perfectly fine, June, I thought, overjoyed.

"Thank you, Jasper," I murmured and took the flowers from his hand, wondering if everything that just happened was a dream or real. But I never have good dreams, do I? I'm always dreaming of terrifying things like my dad being murdered or myself being assaulted. There's no way that I could be dreaming of Jasper giving me such a wonderful gift. Maybe I'm just being at the peak of my good luck right now. Maybe, I'm finally having some memorable days in my life that I can remember forever, even after Jasper leaves. Maybe my life is finally getting some color, some happiness.

"I really didn't expect this," I said, somehow getting rid of my initial shock.

"I know you didn't," he winked at me, "That's exactly why we planned this for you."

Wait, we?

"We?" I asked, wondering who else was involved in this planning. Maybe it's dad? Or Mrs.Smith? Yeah, those are the only possible options since both Jasper and I know them well. No wonder dad didn't call me in the morning - he obviously can't ruin the surprise planned for me by calling me in the morning. Perhaps Jasper told him to not call me so that it goes as planned and I feel disappointed until its revealed. Even then, a bit of the disappointment would still be left behind because of my friends forgetting it completely. But I think that I can handle that now, since I know now that Jasper and everyone else remembers it.

Jasper gestured towards the side of the birthday sign and I saw the person in the bear costume raise its head off to reveal Lucas' face. 

Whoa.

This is honestly the most suspenseful day of my life. I'm getting surprises and major twists at every single minute!

"What? He's here too?" I asked in disbelief, "You're unbelievable, Jasper!"

In response to that, he nodded dramatically in an 'I know I am' gesture while Lucas approached me and shook my hand, "Happy birthday, kiddo, it's been six years since I met you now. And please bear with me - I couldn't bring you any gifts today, I was in a total rush. Had to rent out this costume when Jasper informed me to come over."

How does he have Lucas' number? Maybe he got it from dad. Dad knows Lucas too.

I chuckled and thanked him, "That's fine, Lucas. Thank you for coming. That's more than enough of a gift for me."

Lucas gestured to Jasper with a smile, "That's all thanks to this guy. He reminded me of your birthday today and told me about this surprise, and I just joined in."

I turned to Jasper and smiled, genuinely touched by his surprise. This went far above what I had expected - I'd expected just a dinner at my house or somewhere outside, at my own expense, and he gives me this instead. What more can I ask for? 

He's the ideal boyfriend material, isn't it, June?

More like husband material. Unfortunately, not mine, because it's almost a cent percent sure thing that he won't ever get to know about my feelings.

Hey, cheer up. You have more than enough time to decide that.

"Oh, being humble, I see," Jasper said sarcastically, "But she wouldn't have been satisfied without your presence too, Lucas."

Lucas smiled, ruffling my hair, "Aw, I'm so glad to be here, June."

I giggled like a kid, wondering how Jasper knew that I wouldn't have been happy without Lucas' presence but hadn't contacted my friends or dad, knowing very well of how equally important they are to me. Maybe he did contact them but they turned it down, since Karly and Klaus did say that they had some work today? But what about dad? He hasn't come here or even called me yet. I was expecting - or hoping for - a call from Eli as well, but it was totally okay if she doesn't because she probably doesn't even remember after so many years.

A snap woke me up from my thoughts and I looked up to see Jasper nod, "Yep, daydreaming again."

"No, I-"

"Let me guess what you'd been thinking?" He asked, and that caught me off guard. I nodded slowly, waiting for whatever he thought I'd been thinking. "So, you were probably wondering why I didn't call your dad or friends. Am I right?"

I nodded again, surprised. Did he just read my mind? I mean, what I thought hadn't been very relevant to our conversation, but Jasper said it in the exact way I had been thinking. "Yeah, pretty much," I said, "Maybe you couldn't get to my friends, but what about dad?"

"Who said I couldn't?"

I paused, processing his words for a short minute. Then I blurted, "Wait, what?"

Jasper and Lucas looked at each other with sly grins. I was about to groan and ask them what the heck their looks meant, but before that, Lucas spoke. "It's better I'm off to the cafe now, June," Lucas said, shrugging, "I'll see you later."

After he left, I turned to Jasper and  sighed, "Okay, that's it, I want to know how exactly -"

"Surprise, shawty!"

The next thing I knew, I was being crushed by two people hugging me tightly, messing up my hair and making me laugh and yell at the same time. From the gap between us, I got glances of the passing people stare at us and Jasper stand there with the most satisfied look on his face. He was obviously satisfied that I seemed so happy unlike my usual self.
"Happy birthday, happy birthday!" both of them yelled as they still kept embracing me excitedly. "Oh my god - stop, you guys!" I sighed, "You're crushing me!"

They pulled back, still laughing, as I stood there with the widest smile on my face. Without a single glance, I knew right at the moment they hugged me that it was Karly and Klaus, because no one else crushes my bones when they're hugging me and mainly, no one else hugs me except dad and Jasper - y'know, like when both of us were injured from the hotel incident. But the moment I finally gained my composure and looked at them, I realized that I'd been wrong this time. Karly is here, yes, but not Klaus.

Instead, it was Dorian.

I couldn't believe my eyes then. Dorian hugged me? The introverted and shy little Doritos finally got over his discomfort about hugging me? Amazing!

Dubious of whether Klaus had indeed come but decided to run and hide after that hug, I looked around the park but saw him nowhere. "Oh, he hasn't come here, June," Karly said, noticing me stare around, "He had some assignments left to do. But hey - we're here instead!"

Obviously, I was more than happy that Jasper called them, and though I was disappointed at Klaus' absence, what surprised me more was that Dorian actually hugged me. Whenever we had group hugs, he was the only one to stand out and we never forced him to hug us if he's not comfortable with that. When I returned to school from the injury, he had wanted to express his happiness but hesitated at that. But look at him now; he hugged me alongside Karly! Considering a very introverted, silent and shy guy like Dorian, this is indeed a big achievement for him. And maybe half the credit goes to Karly - though all of us are close, Dorian always has slightly more 'closeness' to Karly than he does to me or Klaus. She talks to him, rants to him and gets physically closer to him the most, taking into account that he's comfortable with that, of course. The first person in our group that ever hugged him was Karly too. Maybe that changed him a lot.

"That's fine," I said, then smirked, "So this was your business trip, huh?"

They both turned to Jasper who quickly looked away, pretending to not have heard anything we said. Karly shrugged with a smile, "That, was his idea."

I groaned; of course this was his idea! I bet he has called dad and Eli too. Maybe they'll be hugging me from behind soon enough. "So, he called us up right when we were planning to surprise you, told us the details and then the plan. And obviously, we immediately agreed," Dorian explained, "Isn't that right, Jasper?"

Jasper turned to us with an innocent face, "What?"

"Oh, absolutely nothing," I said, rolling my eyes, "They just revealed about a certain 'plan' to me. Y'know, like how some random guy called them up and told them to arrive at this park today for my birthday and to pretend to not remember my birthday so that I'd be disappointed for sometime?"

Jasper laughed, "Okay, I did that. It's a pity that Klaus hasn't arrived, but of course, he remembers. Yesterday's call -"

"Had been part of the plan," I completed for him, "I get it."

"Anyways," Karly said, taking something from Dorian and handing it to me, "This is on behalf of me and Dorian, June. Klaus said that he'd give you something else when we're back."

I looked down at the gift box in her hands, wrapped in a dual colored wrapper and a card stuck on it. "Thanks, guys," I smiled, "And I'd deal with that idiot when we see at school, don't worry."

Dorian laughed, "Much deserved."

I was joking about that, but I did wonder why he hadn't turned up. Klaus is the one who's always interested in parties, amusements and such stuff more than his twin is, and he'd obviously be the first one to join in such a plan. In fact, if Jasper hadn't done it already, Klaus might've planned something for me by himself. If Klaus had been busy enough to not join in or even call me until now, then that's definitely some major problem or big assignment - but we study in the same class. There are no big assignments as far as I know, Klaus never missed anything in class and he is the type of guy to abandon small homeworks or problems for his friends and fun. It's true that I missed my best friend here, but I had to pretend to look completely satisfied even though a part of my mind felt blank at Klaus' absence. I had to look happy at least for my friends who arrived, for Lucas and mainly, for Jasper. He did so much for me today. How much money did he waste on me, again? I just hope that it isn't more than what he gets paid. Dad sure does pay his employees very generously but Jasper isn't just his employee, he's his friend and trusted assistant too. Jasper is the type of person to deny a lot of money from someone like dad who's so close to him.

Just thinking about Jasper made me feel much better. I turned to him and shrugged, "Well, so what's next?"

"What'd you think?"

My eyes gleaming in excitement, I pointed to the rides inside the park and Jasper nodded. Karly squealed and hugged me while Dorian laughed and followed us inside. I noticed how even he had laughed a bit half-heartedly, probably missing Klaus too. Unlike the twins, I and Dorian were people who could be identified easily and be asked at every moment about why we looked sad. Being such a person myself, I could easily tell that Dorian looked less happier than usual. But just like me, he was pretending to not be so that we wouldn't be concerned. Sighing internally, I turned away; usually, I would've asked him to cheer up. But right now, at this moment, I couldn't do that and make everyone else's moods be ruined by being concerned about any of us. I cared about Dorian, but I had to be careful about the situation too. Jasper did so much for me and called the people I really loved; it's not his fault that some of them didn't turn up or that others are sad about it. 

We went to the rides area, where I kept my gift box inside the counter with a tag fixed on it. Karly and Dorian, after taking the things they needed from their duffel bags, did the same.

**************

At first, we walked together in a horizontal line with Karly and Jasper walking by my two sides. Soon, it turned into two pairs as I and Karly sat near the counter area, chattering away, while the two guys paid for our first ride, the roller coaster. In between, I caught a glance of Jasper and Dorian sharing a laugh as they talked about something and I smiled. It felt weirdly pleasant to see Jasper get along really well with all of my friends. If Klaus were here, instead of joining either me and Karly or the other two, he would've jumped on the ride by himself even before we had finished the payment.

"So, how's it between you and Doritos?" I asked to Karly out of the blue, wondering whether things had turned out like Klaus and I expected - and hoped for - it to. A pinkish blush crept onto her face as she replied, "Well, it's going much better than expected, you know."

"Wait, really?" I asked, kind of surprised that our ship worked out. Well, good for them then!

"We've decided to go to prom together!" Karly squealed loudly, while I shushed her and shook my head, "Really? Dorian asked you out?"

"Not really. We were just discussing about it. I told him that Klaus and you go together everytime and then I indirectly asked him about it. He agreed. He didn't ask me out," Karly shrugged, a bit of disappointment evident on her red cheeks about the fact that he didn't take the initiative himself. But that's fine - sometimes, we ladies should take the initiative to go out with the one we loved. I nodded slowly, "That's okay, maybe he had just been scared and was waiting for you to mention it instead - y'know how shy he is. How else would he agree to you instantly?"

Her face immediately brightened up, "You think so?"

"No, I know so," I said, flipping my hair dramatically. She laughed, then paused and leaned next to my ear, "And you know something? I think I may actually have a crush on him. A major crush!"

No shit Sherlock.

She was dumbstruck by my blank - or rather, 'rolling-eyes' face. "What? Aren't you surprised?" she asked, weirded out by my reaction.

"Not really. Dude, you were too obvious for me and Klaus to not notice this way before you mentioned it. And it's not a 'may', you definitely have a crush on him."

She blushed again, "It feels so weird sometimes, having a crush on my guy best friend. And even weirder is when I talk to him, have a heartfelt conversation and I keep on blushing then. Fortunately, he never notices."

"Relatable stuff, man."

"Yeah, and...," Karly started but paused instantly, squinting her eyes at me suspiciously, "Wait, what?"

Oh shit.

I fucked up, again.

"Wh-what?"

No, not that damn stutter again.

"Oh my -," Karly began to shout, but I shushed her yet again, so she continued with a gasp, "Is this really true? Does our little June finally have a guy in her heart?"

"What the hell do you mean?"

"How's it relatable for a crush-less person like you? So you do have a crush now? Who is it and why didn't you tell us? Who -"

"Geez, stop the freaking chain of questions, Karly!" I yelled this time, attracting the attention of some passerbys and the two guys. I sighed, silenced myself and continued, "I have got no damn crush on anyone, alright?"

"Yeah, and I'm deadpool. What on earth did you mean by it being relatable then?"

"I meant that it's a generally relatable thing for everyone, not me specifically!" I sighed, trying hard to not expose myself again and finally succeeding at that, "And the fact that I blush so much though I've got no crush on anyone, and that makes some people doubt me sometimes. Y'know me, right?"

That's it, good one, June.

Still squinting at me doubtfully, she nodded slowly, "Okay, acceptable. But don't you dare have a crush without telling me, alright?"

I laughed, hiding the smile underneath, "Hell, no. I won't even have a crush, for your information."

I'm sorry I lied to you, bestie. I've no other choice. There could've been so many others to choose from but I chose the one guy that I know I can never date. So, no use telling you either.

"Well, I know it's impossible, but let's see. Sometimes, the most unexpected things happen."

Karly smiled, and I smiled back, realizing how true that was but not letting her know through even a slight expression. I did feel very guilty for not telling her. I'm perfectly comfortable with telling her anything and I trust her more than the world, but something told me that this isn't the right time. Klaus knows, but that's because I needed to tell someone and couldn't hold it in for long. Maybe I'd get a gut feeling when it's time to open upto Karly and Dorian too, a gut feeling that this 'crush' really isn't leaving anytime soon. Besides, I needed Karly to focus more on her relationship with Dorian than on my problem. This is my first time realizing what having a crush is like, and something tells me that this isn't just a teenage fantasy like others claim.

The guys, after completing the payments and handing us each our tickets, held out a large paper map that specified where each ride was located. "Roller coaster, please!" I said, peeping at the map from over Jasper's shoulder - which was a pretty hard task, considering his and my height difference. Karly, on the other hand, could easily peep from over Dorian's shoulder since they had better compatible heights. But of course, instead of doing that like any sane person would do, she was struggling to get in between Dorian's hands and see the map from in front of him. Both I and Jasper turned to them and stared weirdly at the struggling Karly and groaning Doritos.

"Are they always like that?" Jasper asked me for the second time since he met them, eyeing them suspiciously. I was met with deja vu as I remembered him having asked me the same thing back at their birthday party too, witnessing Karly and Klaus shout and yell at each other crazily.

"Yes, they are," I chuckled.

"We are not!" Karly protested in between her weird positions, "I mean, I'm not."

"Yeah, and they can clearly see that," Dorian laughed. Karly groaned, "Whatever. Guys, the roller-coaster is to the left. A straight path till a cafe, then we turn left again. Come on!"

The four of us walked over to the roller coaster, again regrouping into a horizontal line like before. Soon enough, the crowds grew and we had to become pairs to let people go past without blocking the paths. This time, I and Jasper walked at the front, keeping the map folded inside while Karly and Dorian followed, chattering along rapidly. I was partly glad that Klaus wasn't here today - because even if he was, he'd have to bring some other girl or a guy to accompany him so that he wouldn't be left as a third - or fifth - wheel like he mentioned he was. If he'd come alone, I would have to be torn between choosing to walk with him or Jasper, since any of them would have to walk alone and I didn't want that. Since Karly and Dorian were almost a couple by now, it wasn't practical to join them and ruin their moments. Even if me, Jasper and Klaus walked together, any of them would feel at least a bit left out since I and Klaus are best friends while Jasper...is also my friend but not exactly Klaus'. Finally a bright side to Klaus not turning up here, I guess, I thought fretfully. But I still miss him.

Time flew past and a minute's walk felt like a second's. Yet again, as the responsible adult, Jasper checked in for us while we looked excitedly at the high-speed roller coaster, waiting desperately to get in there and take off. After he returned, we got in the carts and strapped the safety belt around ourselves. When I heard the ride start with a little whirr, I immediately caught onto the railing in front of me, remembering how people who forget to do that in movies end up puking at the end due to moving to and fro crazily.

In an instant, the ride was moving at a nearly-impossible speed downwards. I and Dorian immediately burst into screams and shouts, being more delighted than actually terrified at the speed. In between, I tried to bring my head to a straight position and see how Karly and Dorian were doing, but the force kept pushing it backwards into space. I could hear Karly laughing sometimes, being her usual weird self. Glancing at Jasper was a harder task than that thanks to the gravity, but I did hear him cheer alongside others when the ride had started.

A sudden increase in speed made me lose my grip on the railing and I cried out as I began tilting to the open side of the cart dangerously. Though the belt protected me from falling, the sudden view of the height from above scared me. Fortunately, the roller coaster turned to the left and I was thrust close to Jasper. Not losing a second, I latched onto his arm, and he held it back, having lost his balance as well. Looks like the roller coaster was just giving me an opportunity, I thought, grinning a little.

The wind rushed past my body in a flash, almost making me feel like I'm flying on air. The only thing making me feel safer was holding onto Jasper, which wrapped me in that comfortable feeling, as always. It wasn't until the near end of the ride that it slowed down gradually, allowing me to relax and look around with a heavy sigh. Fortunately, holding onto Jasper prevented me from moving to and fro and then puking at the end of the ride. That ride had been fun, but not if I had ended up fainting at the end.

"How was that, June?" Jasper asked me, making me realize that I'm still holding his arm tightly. I quickly retracted my hand and grinned sheepishly, "I loved it!"

"M-me toooo...," Dorian cooed from infront of us, in a strange drunken voice - before he bent forward and threw up with a burp into the plastic bag that Karly held up for him. She scrunched her nose disgustingly and turned her head, "I knew this would happen. He forgot to hold my hand."

Dorian laughed at that, then puked again.

Seeing Dorian puke gave me a bit of a nauseous feeling as well, though I hid it by gulping in some water from the shoulder bag Jasper was carrying and thinking of cute puppies and delicious icecream. Jasper smirked at my reaction, "Think you might need a plastic bag too?"

"Don't remind me, idiot!" I bumped his shoulder, remembering Dorian throwing up his guts out into the green plastic bag, "It wasn't much scary, anyways. Some people just get nauseous afterwards."

Dorian and Karly had gotten out of the cart by now, and Jasper too got out. He then extended a hand out to me, seeing how my legs were literally shaking like rubber. I blinked my eyes and slowly caught it, helping myself stand up and get off the ride. However, with my legs feeling stiff, I lost my balance and staggered, but he caught me and stood me straight. I smiled a little, trying to balance myself, and after some moments of struggle, I could finally feel my legs. Glancing at the other pair from the corner of my eyes, I saw them chatter rapidly and sighed internally, feeling glad that they didn't see me hold onto Jasper in the roller coaster and then get his help for getting out. If they did, that's more than enough for Dorian to suspect me even more about my so-called secret crush while Karly might start to get a clue about something, being the intelligent person she is. If I had any plans to let my whole friends group know, I would've done it already.

A minute later, they came back to us with cute smiles, holding hands. I felt a wave of satisfaction at them holding hands. At last! Our desired ship is sailing.

"Klaus would love to see this," I whispered into Karly's ear, motioning to her and Dorian's intertwined hands. Karly giggled, "He will. I'm just sad that he isn't here today. He would've enjoyed everything so much."

The pain of my missing best friend started to return again, but Dorian interrupted into those thoughts, "Hey, anyone needs a lemonade?" He asked us, pointing to a juice bar nearby. This time, I and Karly paid for the four of us, since that's obviously the fair thing to do - just because I'm the birthday girl doesn't mean I should entirely depend on the others' money. After we finished the payment and were returning from the cash counter, a sight stopped both me and Karly in our place. The guys were distracted.

We don't know for how long we stood there like that, shocked out of our minds and open-mouthed.

"KLAUS?" Karly half-whispered and half-yelled at last, gasping, "He's-he's here but-"

She couldn't continue, and she became speechless again. I still hadn't recovered from my shock as I watched Klaus, who was unaware of our presence, walk around - with Sally and Ava, nearby the roller coaster we had been in before. The two girls were laughing while Klaus just shrugged and smiled at them.

What's that noise? Was that my heart breaking into a billion shards?

"That....isn't him," I answered with a hitch in my throat, suddenly feeling all the pleasant feeling in my mind wash away and a weight being placed in my heart though I tried my best to trust my best friend, "Can't be him. Can't be. Right?"

"No, June...," Karly answered with a look of anger slowly creeping up onto her face, "It is Klaus. He's with them, those bitches."

No....This should be a dream, please. Klaus hated Ava and Sally more than any of us. How could he think of lying to us about an assignment on my birthday and then spending the time with them at the same park? This is unreal. Unbelievable. He would never do this.

"I will kill that jerk right now-," Karly started off furiously, but I stopped her with an expressionless face, eliciting a groan from her, "What, June?"

I shook my head mildly, "Don't. It's better we wait and watch if he has a reason for being with them after lying to us. And I..."

Don't want to ruin this day. Don't want to dump those good memories and Jasper's hardwork into trash. Don't want to disappoint my friends. Mainly, don't want to worry Jasper.

I knew that Karly was about to freak out not only because she was distressed that he ditched us to be with them, but because she was worried that I had lost my birthday excitement by now. She wanted me to spend my day without any troubles, especially problems as bad as the one we just witnessed. She wanted me to enjoy my day to the fullest.

"I'm fine with it," I smiled forcibly, "I can't ruin my birthday, at least this time, Karly. You guys did a lot for me, so did Jasper and Lucas."

Karly hesitated for sometime, but after a bit of my pleading glances, she finally gave up and went back to the guys with a smug look on her face. While she was enraged, I was still shocked to the core than actually angry. I couldn't digest what I saw or if both of us saw a dream at the same time, though the former sounds way more realistic - unfortunately.

"What's the matter with you guys?" Dorian asked us, keeping his empty cup on the counter, "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

"Worse than that," Karly murmured, but I nudged her and prevented her from telling anything more. I shrugged, "It's nothing, Dorian, just a spider. It scared her off."

Karly's the bravest member of our group, not even snakes or ghosts scare her. Obviously, a spider is a piece of cake to her, but Dorian didn't know her enough to know this little detail. Dorian chuckled at Karly, "You? Scared of a spider? That's a first."

I grinned a little; he didn't know every little details, but he knew enough and more for a new friend that we'd made just sometime ago, especially details about Karly.

Jasper came close to me and whispered, "I bet it's you who actually ran off, right?"

I looked at him and frowned, "Shh, don't expose me, Jasper."

He chuckled and I smiled back, feeling much brighter now upon seeing how happy Dorian and Jasper were. Maybe I really should forget that sight and move on, and think about it later. Klaus has gotten some real explaining to do later.

Or, I'll join Karly in killing him. Kidding, of course. It's entirely possible that those two forced him or something.

But then, why would he be so happy with them?