Someone up there must really have it for Isabelle because as luck would have it, she bumps into Benjamin the next morning. From the stairwell, she looks to her right and makes accidental eye contact with him. Neither one of them is sure whether to greet the other or not, so they hold their stare for a full second before breaking it. In the end, they enter the classroom without so much as a sideways glance.

Isabelle puts her backpack on her table and slumps on her seat. In just a few hours, she is going to be fixing flower beds with Benjamin Morrell-the very same Benjamin Morrell sleeping on his backpack before even unpacking for class.

"You okay, Isabelle?"

Isabelle opens her eyes and nods at Estelle Delos Reyes, her seatmate/friend in class. They didn't have a lot in common, but they've been groupmates in a lot of projects and assignments. And for Isabelle, any good groupmate is a friend of hers.

Isabelle smiles. "Just a little stressed out. That's all." She sets her planner and pen on the table. "By the way, you were classmates with Benjamin Morrell in middle school, right?" She needed to know exactly the severity of the situation she is currently in.

"Yeah, why?"

Isabelle leans in and lowers her voice. "The thing is, my dog ran away from me this morning, and I found him in my neighbor's front yard, digging up the soil and crumpling the flowers. And..."

"Let me guess, the front yard belonged to the Morrells, huh?"

Isabelle sits back, amazed. "How did you know?" Estelle has always been so quick-witted, which is why Isabelle always picked her for paired works or group work.

"Logical reasoning." Estelle shrugs. "Kidding, I just heard it from the rumor mill. Also, there's a neighborhood text chain, you know?"

"Right," Isabelle says. She didn't know there was a text chain like that. "Anyway, now, I have to fix the garden with him every Friday and Saturday of the week. Starting today. And I'm worried that I'll be doing the job of two people."

"You know, he wasn't like that before," Estelle says, moving closer and speaking in hushed tones. "In middle school, he was no math or science whiz, but he was okay. I mean, he was on the honor roll every now and then. He listened during lectures, raised his hand in class, and contributed to groupworks."

"That doesn't sound like the Benjamin I know," Isabelle replies. The Benjamin she knows was always either tardy or absent. When he actually shows up to class, he sleeps through the entire lecture and only leaves the classroom during recess or lunch.

"I know," Estelle says sympathetically, throwing a quick glance at Benjamin. "He's really changed a lot over the years."

Isabelle slumps further into her seat. "I can't believe I have to work with him. Why couldn't it have been anyone else?"

"You mean, why couldn't it have been Derek Forrest?" Estelle teases, pushing her gently.

Isabelle immediately straightens up to check if Derek heard them. "Oh, my god, Estelle! He's literally two seats away from us."

"I swear to God, Isabelle, you have had the longest crush on him. And by the way, I really don't see what you see in him."

"His brain is cute, okay?" Isabelle replies defensively.

"Not even going to comment about that." Estelle laughs. "Anyway, I know you're a bit stressed because of what happened, but are you down for a calorie fest this weekend? We're going out to try this new nautical-themed diner this weekend. You can bring your cousin, too!"

"How did you-

"Neighborhood text chain," Isabelle and Estelle say at the same time.

"Gossip sure travels fast," Isabelle notes. "This weekend, right?"

"Yeah, Saturday night."

"Can't, sorry," Isabelle lies. "Have dinner with the family on Saturday. Plus, we have to prep everything for my cousin. She'll be living with us temporarily." In truth, they never have dinner at their house, and everything is already set up for her cousin's arrival. But Estelle doesn't need to know any of that.

Saturday is already a packed schedule for her. Saturday morning, she'll be helping Benjamin with the garden; afternoon, she'll be volunteering at the elderly home; and at night, she'll be fixing her CV to apply for some internships. In between, she'll be worrying about what to say and how to react when her cousin Alexa Johnson arrives.

"You sure you can't get out of dinner with your parents?" Estelle asks. "You can say that we're working on a project?"

Isabelle laughs. "You know how involved my Dad is in my education. He'll probably find out I'm lying one way or another." She wishes this was an exaggeration, but it's almost true. Her Dad always keeps tabs on her academics and extracurriculars; it would be hard to keep anything like this under the radar.

Estelle winces. "Damn, forgot your dad's the principal for a second there."

"Okay, what if," Isabelle bargains, "I block off next Friday night for ice cream with everyone? My treat. But, of course, everyone can only get plain ice cream in the smallest-sized cup."

"You don't have to -" Estelle pauses. "But if you insist..."

Isabelle playfully rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll pay for everyone... except yours."

"As long as you're coming, that's okay with me." Estelle grins. "Thanks for this, Isabelle."

Isabelle gives her a smile, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. She would have to move some things around in her calendar later on, but she still says, "Sure, no problem at all."

Once the bell has rung, signaling the end of her last period, Isabelle heads straight for the door and makes her way to the Morrells. She takes an alternative route, which is much longer and more complicated, to avoid bumping into Benjamin. When she finally arrives, the very first sight that greets her is a sleeping Benjamin. He is sitting on the ground with his back against the white picket fence and a baseball cap pulled over his head.

Isabelle's eyebrows furrow. She mentally calculates the time it would have taken Benjamin to walk from school to home, and the numbers don't seem to add up. Assuming that they left school at the same time, and given that he took the shorter and less complicated route, he would have arrived only five minutes ahead of her unless...

Typical of Benjamin Morrell. Isabelle remembers that she didn't see him in the last period, so he most probably skipped it.

Isabelle steps over his extended legs and walks toward the front door. She knocks three times, bracing herself for a long day ahead.

"Isabelle! Come in, come in," April exclaims, ushering her inside the house. "Are you hungry? Because really good timing, I just finished making some sandwiches. Do you want some?"

Isabelle smiles, stepping inside. "Oh, I would love that. Thanks so much, April."

"Make yourself at home while I get you a plate," April said before leaving for the kitchen.

Making her way through the living room, Isabelle marvels at the quaint interior of the house. The walls are lined with blue and white floral wallpaper and then filled with large frames of cross stitch designs. She sits down on the white plush sofa and looks around awkwardly.

April reappears after a few minutes and sets down some snacks on the table. "Now, I'm not sure what you'd like. I tried asking Benjie, but he also didn't know. So, I made three sandwiches. One with chicken, one with pulled pork, and one with tuna. Take your pick."

Isabelle gives a chuckle. "Wow, April, this looks so good. I can't wait to dig in!"

April smiles. She takes the seat across Isabelle and says, "So, I might have some good news for you. I was already planning to dig out the flowers long before your dog did, because I wanted to plant tulip bulbs for the spring season. In a way, you and your dog just sped things up." She laughs in between. "I guess, the good news is, the only thing you need to do with Ben is dig out the existing flower beds and break the soil. Once you're done, we'll take it from there."

There and then, Isabelle should have just nodded and eaten her sandwiches. After all, less garden work means more time being productive (and less time with Benjamin Morrell). But she'd always had a penchant for gaining others' approval and therefore had a tendency of overcompensating. So, she says, "April, I'd also be willing to plant tulip bulbs for you. I still feel really bad about my dog ruining your garden."

April pauses. "Are you sure it's okay with you?"

What did she just get herself into? "Of course."

April reaches out for her hand and squeezes it. "Thank you, Isabelle. I really appreciate it."

In reply, Isabelle presses her lips into a smile. Okay, that's enough people-pleasing for the day.

A/N: Hello! Double-update today because I really love the next chapter <3 Happy Friday, everyone! Really hope you're enjoying the story so far : )

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