"I could ask you the same question?" I countered

"I asked first" my accuser argued. If I had know they were still here, I would've been more careful.

Wait, still. Brain you knew they were here and you didn't alert me?! I will deal with you when we get back to the dorm.

"I was looking for a literature book, you?"

"You don't even do literature" MJ asks accusingly.

"No knowledge gained is a waste" I respond with my dad's favorite quote to get me to read even if I don't want to.

"Drop the act, dude. I saw you stalking Bryce so I followed you"

"First of all, it's not stalking, it's the act of observation"

She scoffs at this.

"And second why would I stalk Bryce of all people?"

"Don't bother denying it. I saw you observing him in the corner when Lex was tutoring him. Now, why are you stalking him?"

"Fine. I knew something was sus with him when he denied hanging out with the guys. The tutoring session was just an excuse to meet up with that guy. Didn't you just see the shady exchange that just occurred?" I ask pointing to the spot were they formerly stood.

"It's none of your business. Get it?" she snaps.

I flinch at her harsh tone.

"I'm sorry for my tone. It's just that you shouldn't have followed him here. Just drop it, okay?" MJ says, avoiding my eyes.

"Okay" I answer quietly.

There was no way I was gonna drop this but if I continued to argue it wouldn't do any of us any good.

"What's the name of the book your reading?" she asks trying to change the subject.

"It's something about a dragon"

"I didn't know you were into fantasy"

"Neither did I" she laughs at my response and I can't help but laugh too.

•♥♥♥•
"Now I'm sure he's hiding something but I'm just not sure what it is" I explain to Hannah as I pace around the room.

She's still on her bed looking through a different magazine. I wonder where she's getting them from.

"Just drop it Tam Tam. Bryce lives in a complicated world" she sighs as she flips the page.

"You're right, next time I just shouldn't get caught"

"That's not what I said"

"Do you think MJ will tell him I was observing him"

"Obviously, she's wrapped around his broad little fingers" she answers with an all knowing smirk.

Nobody knew Bryce as well as Hannah did. And she knew Bryce wasn't really the best boyfriend material at the shop but what could she do. If she told MJ she'd just accuse her of being jelly. So she decided to sit in the shadows and watch the drama unfold.

Her words, not mine.

"I'll wait a few days and just casually bring up the matter"

"You're doing that thing when you only hear what you wanna hear, aren't you?!"

"I'm gonna think of a new plan but first I'm gonna grab some lunch. You're the best"

She just sighs in response, probably frustrated by my lack of listening skills.

"You do you bae"

"Okay, thanks, love you, byeee"

I say before leaving the room. Hannah gives the best advice.

I went to the breakfast shack Hannah took me to and ordered a club sandwich and some lemonade.

"Quite a large order for a not-so-large girl" the waiter had commented. It was the same guy that had attended to me and Hannah when she brought me here the first time.

"It's not even large enough. I'm just not that hungry" I replied as I put my menu down and gave him a sweet smile.

He came back with my order in record time.

"That was quick" I say as he puts my sandwich down.

"Thanks. You expecting company?"

"Not really. It's just me today, I guess" I respond as I stir my drink with my straw and he nods in response and leaves. I tried to concoct a new plan but failed to think of anything that didn't land me in a week of detention - at least.

When I was done, I called him over to clear the table.

"Did you enjoy your sandwich?"

"Yup, it's the best sandwich I've had in a long time"

"So, I've never seen you around campus before now, you new?"

"Yeah, you go here?" I know it sounds like a stupid question but I was genuinely curious and I enjoyed his company.

"Yeah"

"Oh, so why do you work here. Don't your friends make fun of you for it?"

'Shut up! You meet a cute boy on campus and you and your big mouth are gonna screw it up!' I internally scold myself.

'He's probably doin it for the money' I concluded

"Yeah, a lot but they've gotten used to it. My dad says that I need to learn to 'be responsible' and 'value my money' so I won't waste it" he says as he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly.

Okay, so it's not for the money.

"Makes sense. My parents would have probably made me do something like that but I'm not really a people person. I'd probably scare all the customers away with my bad attitude" I admit and he laughs at my little confession.

"Well, you don't seem to have a bad attitude now"

"That's because I'm talking to you at free will. I'm not really at my best behavior when I'm forced to socialize"

There's a brief silence. My mind still a but occupied by my conversation with MJ. The waiter - who's name I still didn't know - must've noticed my absentmindedness.

"Is everything alright? You look like your head's a thousand miles away"

I take a deep breath and look him right in the eye. I guess he could tell I wanted to discuss something serious so he sat up and looked at me with wrapped attention.

He has really nice eyes. Deep blue like the ocean that you could just get lost in. His eyes has little flecks of green and they were fascinating to look at. And don't even get me started on his his eyelashes. They were so long and luscious, they could make the best fake eyelashes bow in shame. This guy could be an freaking eye model.

Focus Tammy!

"Okay, can I ask you a really abstract question"

"Sure, I don't see why not"

"Let's say you had this friend right that has a secret that he was hiding from you and the secret could be detrimental to him. Would you try to find out what it is and possibly help him or just drop it but risk him getting in trouble?" I ask as I sip my drink. It was really good too.

"Well, I can't imagine the kind of pickle you're in but I'd say drop it. It's not worth invading his privacy even if you do it in his best interest" he says.

"I guess your right" I say as I look at my empty cup. Man, I drank that fast.

"Thanks, For what it's worth, you're probably the wisest waiter I've ever met" I say and he laughs at this.

"Well I hope I helped" he says getting up.

"More than you know"

"I'm Tammy by the way" I say holding up my hand which he shakes.

"Connor but my friends call me fox"

"Why do they call you fox of all things?" I ask giving him a perplexed look. He just shrugs in response.

"I never said I had normal friends"

"Well, I hope I see you around Tammy"

"Me too, fox"

I left an extra big tip for him before I left. He was really friendly and he'd earned it.

I walked around the campus taking in my surroundings. I passed the basketball court where the guys were practicing. I waved as I walked passed and they waved back.

I noticed a few diners here and there and most of them were Mike's this or Micheal's that.

Eventually, I got tired of roaming around and went to lye down on a field a few metres away. No one was there, so I doubted anyone would bother me.

'This school isn't half bad' I thought to myself, 'I can already tell I'm really gonna enjoy my stay here'

I stared at the sky as it turned different colors. From blue to orange to purple until it was dark blue and I saw the stars come out. It was pretty beautiful.

I checked my wristwatch, 8:57pm. I still had an hour plus before curfew. It was so peaceful, I didn't want to leave. Not yet anyway.

I turned onto my stomach and opened up the book Miles had recommended. I stared at the cover. It had a purple dragon on the cover in a weird pose.

'How could a dragon get lost anyway?' I thought before I opened it.

"Chapter One" I read aloud.

"Bright sunshine wakes me in my tree. The rays are warm, comfortable, and normal for the Bermuda Triangle"

"Yawning, I sit and stretch my arms over my head" I yawn too.

"It's a brand-new day. I love waking up not knowing what is going to happen"

How could anyone possibly like that?! This girl must really be insane. Though that wouldn't be a shock since she seems to be stuck in the Bermuda Triangle.

•♥♥♥•
"Ma'am, ma'am"

Someone shook me awake.

"Five more minutes, MJ"

"Ma'am" the person persisted.

That wasn't MJ's voice. My eyes shot open trying to remember where I was. This wasn't my room. I was still on the field. I must've dozed off reading the book.

"What are you doing out off your dorm?" The figure asked. I couldn't make out anything about him except he was a male from the sound of his voice.

He was pointing a flashlight on my face and I resisted the urge to snatch it right out of his hand and point it at his face.

"But I still have an hour before curfew" I protest as I rub my eyes and get up from the grass.

"What are you talking about? Curfew past an hour ago"

"What?" My eyes shot open as I checked the time, 11:13pm. I had slept for two whole hours!

"Ma'am please get back to your dorm. I will let you off with a warning since this your first offence and it was for-" he stops to stare at my face in disgust. I touch my face and feel drool. I quickly wipe it away with my arm.

"Unforseen reasons but let this not repeat itself" he says sternly.

I pick up my book and nod in response. I scramble away from there as fast as my legs could carry me.

•♥♥♥•
It took me almost another half hour to locate my dorm in the dark but I found it at last.

I slowly opened my dorm room. It was lights out and all the lights were off.

"Where are you coming from?" A voice asks behind me. I jump back in surprise as I turn around to face my dorm master, Priscilla. She was in the 12th grade and volunteered to be a dorm master for service. I had only seen her once before. On the first day, talking to Hannah where she introduced herself but I hadn't set eyes on her after that. Well, until now.

Every dorm has their own dorm master to ensure the safety and well-being of all the students. Though, at that moment I felt neither safe nor a sense of wellbeing. Such is the irony of life.

"I slept on the field and missed curfew" I explained, not in the mood to say more.

"Do you know how much trouble I could've been in if they found out you weren't here during roll call" she says with her hand in her hip.

Seriously, she wasn't even the least but concerned with my safety. Only thinking about herself.

"Well, I'm here now and it won't happen again" I apologize, though annoyance was dripping from every word.

"It better not" she snaps before walking away.

I so wanted to tell her off but under this roof, she had more power than me - especially in this situation. So I just had to hold my tongue and take her scolding.

I went into the room, too exhausted to care if anyone was awake or not. Thankfully no one was. I climbed into my bed and collapsed in exhaustion.

I replayed the day's events in my head from spying on Bryce to falling asleep on the field until sleep finally took hold of me once more.

How do you do my loveable lillipads😊

Hope you liked this chapter. What do you guys think Bryce is hiding?🧐 Lemme know in the comments!

The dragon reference is actually from a real Wattpad book I judged a while ago. It's really good and y'all are free to check it out. The name is Dragon: Myth of the Bermuda Triangle by CroodsGirl

Don't forget to vote, comment, and share💝

Love you guys and thanks for your support 😘❤️
~Your fellow lillipad💖