Love is not the end of the world. Its the apocalypse. ~Unknown

Prologue:

Somewhere away from Connecticut, in the small town of Greywall, in an apartment, a boy named Jacob Johnson and a girl named Olivia Ellis had finally shifted in together after a lot of hassles and fights. It wasn't an easy route, but they did it nevertheless because they wanted to. It had been a month since they were living together and they were content and happy.

In the warm evening of summer, where nothing could seem to go wrong, they had invited over Jake's a.k.a Jacob's elder sister Reina and her lover, Axel over for a night out. They were meeting after two months as each were busy with their own lives now and barely managed to meet each other with their hectic schedules.

"I am so glad you guys finally shifted together, it was long overdue," Reina smiled, as she took a long sip of her beer.

"You would think," Jake snorted, rolling his eyes, "You had no idea how much fight I had to put in with mom for this stupid apartment. I had to save money for my half of my rent and for the first time in my life, I could not spend it on games," He looked morose enough.

"First step to maturity, Jacob," Olivia chimed in, "You can do it. Games will tempt you, but you must not get carried away," She said, like a guru teaching his disciple, "It will be hard for your mother seeing how both her children shifted out but I am glad you both aren't in your cocoons anymore. Enough pampering, its time to slog and see the real world."

"Didn't need the extra advice but thanks, I guess," Jake yawned loudly.

"No, seriously. It's bigger than ours," Axel looked impressed, "It's got a nice view of the park outside and the place is well furnished."

"Yeah, we are better," Jake replied, looking really smug and holding out his fist for Olivia, but she didn't proceed with fist bumping him and settled for a frown.

"It's not a competition, Jacob," Olivia whispered.

"How are you both adjusting?" Reina asked, "Is Jake being able to fit in with you?"

"No! She-" Jake pointed a finger at Olivia, "-is cruel. You know, she makes me wipe the counter of a desk three times after I am done with my paperworks. She makes a racket if I leave the toilet seat on-"

"You snore, you drool, you leave your clothes all around which I have to clean sometimes. Do you see me complaining?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"I had to sleep on the couch once because I came in with muddy shoes and walked about in the room," He stated.

"You are lucky I didn't throw you out of the place," Olivia half laughed as if he was stupid enough to make such a mistake.

He was.

"I just had a match with the boys at our college. They cleaned the pitch and it was muddy," Jake argued.

"You should have opened your shoes and taken them straight to the washroom, cleaned them and then put it out to dry," Olivia replied smoothly.

"Hey! Shall I start with your list too? You spread out too much while sleeping, almost crushing me with your body everynight and while I don't mind it, sometimes I really like sleeping on half of the bed and not hanging at the edge. You go to sleep earlier and your alarm is like Devil scratching his nails on the chalkboard which ruins my sleep. Not to mention, since you clean a bit too much, I can't find half of my stuff in places where I kept them," Jake stopped.

Axel burst out laughing as Reina stifled a smile, "Oh god, this was what we were betting on exactly. Give it up, Taco," He put his hand out and Reina reluctantly slammed twenty dollars in his hand.

"Bet? What bet?" Jake frowned, stopping their arguement.

"We made a bet that you both will have a list of complaints and I won," Axel chuckled, pocketing the money and drinking again, "I was waiting for it."

"God, I hate you even more now," Jake narrowed his eyes.

"Jake!" Reina exclaimed at the same time Olivia smacked him, "What did I tell you about speaking rudely to Axel?"

"Hey guys, chill. Its alright. We both know Jake is joking," Axel said, calming the girls down.

Jake gave a very fake smile to agree and when he was sure nobody was listening, he mumbled, "You wish. Joking, my ass."

"How is your work going, Axel?" Olivia asked, shooting a glare at Jake, "How is your job going?"

"Good. Anyday now, I might get a promotion. My boss thinks I have the potential to do better and I might just secure the Assistant Manager position by next the quarter. From a paid internship to a job there itself within a year, I am happy," Axel grinned, glancing at Reina.

"And you? How much is your life sucking?" Jake asked Reina, "Mom is ready to throw you out of the company?"

"My job-" Reina glowered at Jake, "-is alright. Not too good, nor too bad. Mom doesn't supervise me directly and she is very fair and just when it comes to promotions and incentives. She treats me as a worker, not her daughter."

"So, it sucks," Jake shrugged, "What's the point of being her daughter if you cannot take advantage of the perks?"

"What about you both? Summer break is starting, right? Then finally, third year. Excited?" Axel asked, saving Jake from the wrath of the two ladies.

"You bet I am," Jake said, smiling widely, "Finally, semester is done and now I can enjoy with Liv and the rest, this is the best time," He leaned back on his palms, sighing in content.

"Can't believe its already been two years you guys are in college," Reina said, wondering.

Jake stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, "I can't wait to get out, I suggested dropping out but mom said she will disown me if I did that and Liv said she will refrain from sex-"

"Enough. You have had enough to drink," Olivia grabbed Jake's beer bottle, "No more drinking for you."

"Do you have extra chips?" Axel asked Olivia, rummaging through the now empty bowl for the remnants of chips.

"Sure," She got up, "I will bring them, wait."

Jake rubbed his face, yawning loudly, "Its so long-"

He was interrupted by his phone ringing. He looked around for his phone and spotted it beside him. He looked at the caller ID and smiled vaguely.

"Who is it?" Reina asked curiously, as Olivia came out with a bowl of chips and Axel thanked her.

"My boy, Derek," Jake said as he stood up, "I will be back," He walked out.

A silence grew in the room as the cold undercurrent of it could be felt amongst everyone.

"Derek," Reina mumbled, "Its been two years since I have spoken to him. He just messages me every year on my birthday, thats it."

"He is enjoying his university life, last time I spoke to him," Olivia told, "I think it was two weeks ago. He mostly speaks to Jake."

"Understandable," Reina nodded, "He is active on facebook. He barely posts photos but likes every picture of ours, doesn't he?"

Olivia nodded, "He is in another world now. A very different world from ours."

"You alright?" Reina asked Axel who had gone quiet. Axel had a small smile on his face as he nodded, "Are you alright, Taco?"

"I am. Its just weird when he calls Jake and not us. None of us makes an effort to keep in contact. Makes me feel selfish, sometimes," Reina said softly.

Axel scooted closer and rubbed her shoulder. Reina leaned her head on his chest, "I miss Derek sometimes."

"We all do," Olivia stated, "The drinks are making us emotional. We should stop drinking now. I don't want to have a headache tomorrow."

Axel and Reina snickered. Reina pulled her head up and stared at Axel, "We should get going too. Its already late."

"Yeah," Axel checked his watch, "Shit, I didn't see the time. We have to leave. I have office tomorrow."

"Oh my fucking hell!" Jake's voice grew louder as he came out of the room.

"What?" Olivia asked.

Jake was smiling widely, so widely that one would actually feel sorry for his face. His alcohol induced droopy red eyes were sparkling with excitement as he stared at the other three with his phone clutched tightly in his hand, "I have huge news."

"What happened, Jake?" Reina asked.

"Derek Callingham is returning to Greywall for the summer," Jake announced.

"What?!" Olivia shot up instantly, "Seriously?"

"Really?!" Reina and Axel asked at once.

"This is great, he is actually coming here after almost two years. Two years," Axel looked shocked, still not believing his ears.

"Thats wonderful. Its been long we met each other," Reina beamed, "We can all catch up. Just now we were wishing he spoke and he is actually coming. Finally!"

"Guys, this is not the best part yet," Jake shook his head, raising his hands, like he was a king about to make an even more important announcement.

"What is better than having Derek coming here after two years?!" Olivia asked calmly, but one could hear the traces of excitement underneath that cool composure.

"Derek went to Yale from here alone-"

Jake's face was really hurting now from all the smiling and grinning.

"And?" Olivia pressed.

"-but he is not coming back alone."

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

Author's note:-

Hello earthlings,

Don't worry, only the prologue was written in third person. The story will now shift to first person.

This story is taking place after two years, Derek, Jake and Olivia will soon start their third year. Axel and Reina are working now.

So, their age should be around 19-20. Reina and Axel should be around 23-24.

I checked the net to find the duration of summer holidays in America. Its on an average of 10-11 weeks for schools, colleges and universities, so the time frame might be a bit unclear. Just think of few months break.

And yes, a new character is soon getting introduced and I am sure you will love her as much as you guys loved Jake.

:-)