Evelyn walked out from the examination hall and was soon greeted by Eleanor who was waiting for her outside the hall.

"How was it?" Eleanor asked cheerfully as she tugged her arm into Evelyn's arm. Evelyn glanced at her with a light chuckle as they continued to walk through the hallway.

"It was too easy," Evelyn answered cockily making Eleanor fake pout at her. The questions were average and the MCQs were too easy for her to answer.

"Wish I could say the same for me too," Eleanor sighed dramatically. "But mine was not bad either," She added cheerfully. 

"Did you talk with Adrian?" Eleanor asked, her expression slowly turning pensive. 

Evelyn glanced at her and chuckled amusedly looking at Eleanor's serious expression. "You look ugly," She jested, earning a light slap on her arm from Eleanor. 

"Don't worry about what happened that day. Nothing's changed. We just didn't get the time to talk coz of this exam." Evelyn said with a warm smile. But then her smile slowly worn off when her eyes caught on Nathan. He was some good distance ahead of them and Carla was with him. Nathan was leaned against the wall while Carla was looking straight into his eyes with a bright smile playing on her lips.

Evelyn sighed inwardly. She hadn't talk with him for the past two days- after she told him to leave her alone. Eleanor turned to look at Evelyn only to see her staring at a distance ahead of them. Her expression turned deadpanned the moment she saw Carla and rolled her eyes over. 

"C'mon, let's go grab some coffee," Eleanor said softly but her eyes were glaring at Carla as she dragged Evelyn towards the opposite direction, away from them.

*

Evelyn and Eleanor walked into the cafeteria only to see Cornelia and Genesis glaring at each other, ready to pull each other's hair any second. Evelyn sighed and shook her head before hurrying towards them. Eleanor mirrored her.

"What's going on?" Evelyn asked as she and Eleanor came beside Cornelia.

"They just wanted some attention," Victoria mocked under her smirk. She was seated on the chair, enjoying her coffee. 

"Shut up, Vic," Genesis said glancing at her. Victoria simply shrugged off before continuing to enjoy her coffee.

"And you, I'm telling you for the last time, stay away from my boyfriend," Genesis warned glaring at Cornelia. Evelyn raised both her eyebrows and shot a looked at Cornelia.

"Oh really! Then tell your boyfriend to stop flirting with me. And FYI, I am not the only girl that he keeps flirting around. You should keep a check on your so-called boyfriend, bitch," Cornelia retorted back with a mocking smirk playing on her face. Eleanor couldn't help but snort out loud. There were also some mocking laughs heard inside the cafeteria.

Genesis glared around before angrily stomping out of the cafeteria. Victoria sighed inwardly and rolled her eyes over before standing from her seat. She then turned towards Evelyn and stared at her for a moment as she thought about her words,

Why don't you be that good friend to someone then?

Victoria rolled her eyes over and shook off her thought. She cursed under her breath before chasing after Genesis.  Evelyn glanced at her back before drifting her attention to her friends.

"You could've ignored that jerk," Evelyn said looking at Cornelia.

"I couldn't help but flirt back," Cornelia said cheekily.

"You have a boyfriend," Evelyn reminded her. 

They settled down for coffee and after some minutes, Aaleyah and Emilia joined them and talked about matters of their examinations. They decided to leave soon after their coffee as they had to prepare for tomorrow's exam.

Evelyn decided to stay behind while her friends decide to leave for their dorms. She made her way to the roof to spend some time alone. She leaned against the parapet wall and fetched her phone from her skirt pocket. Logging in to her SNS, she sighed inwardly on seeing Brian's name on her screen. It's been a week since he hadn't yet talked to her. 

"What's taking you so long?" She wondered under her sigh.

"Missing me?" Evelyn turned back and saw Adrian standing some steps behind her. 

"Not you, someone else," Evelyn deadpanned before smiling at him. Adrian smiled back as he approached her and stood beside her. 

"Is everything okay?" Adrian asked concernedly. 

"Always the concern one," Evelyn said softly. "And yeah, I guess everything's alright, little brother," She added under her smile. 

"Evelyn, I'm sorr-"

"It was all in the past, Adrian. It doesn't matter now. Nothing's changed." Evelyn interrupted quietly.

"No, there's one thing that's changed," Adrian said looking up at the clear sky and let out a sigh. Evelyn creased slightly and looked up at him. "Now, I can't see you the way I used to see you," He said under his grimace but that only made Evelyn look at him amusedly.

"Not my problem, little brother," She amused.

"Mean," Adrian deadpanned and fake glared at her. "And how can you be so sure that I'm younger than you, sister dear?"

"We share the same birth year, but you are a winter child while I am a summer child which makes me some months older than you," Evelyn said cheekily. "You should respect your elder, you know," She added in a teasing manner and did a light pat on his shoulder. 

"Whatever!" Adrian rolled his eyes over. Then, they let the silence fell between them. Both of them stared up at the clear sky and pondered into their own thoughts. 

Evelyn sighed quietly and let her gaze down. "I'm tired, Adrian." She said quietly. Adrian drew his brows together and turned his gaze down to look at her. "I'm just very tired." She palmed her hand over her left chest and gently rubbed over it. Adrian understood what she was talking about and turned his gaze down.

"Maybe he really just see me as a friend, maybe I was seeing things the other way," Evelyn said under her dry laugh as the thought about that night came into her mind. She knows she told him to leave her alone but it hurts her more when he actually left her alone that night.

Adrian gently held on her arm and turned her to face him. "Forget him and move on then," He told her softly. 

"It's not that easy and I don't know why is that so," Evelyn said quietly. Then she let out a deep sigh and shook her head. "Forget what I just said. My mind is unclear and I'm just spouting nonsense. Study well for tomorrow, bye, see ya." She prompted and smiled at him as she walked away from him and made her way downstairs.

 Adrian stared at her back until she disappeared and let out a sigh as he turned and looked up at the sky. 

"I have to do something,"

*

Nathan receives a call from home and picked it up. He smiled widely on hearing Lucy's voice over the phone.

"Hey, Lu, how are you?"

"Nathan," 

Suddenly, he furrowed his brows in concern when he heard his little sister's cracking voice over the phone.

"What happened, Lu?" He asked softly.

"Nathan, Dad is going to marry that woman. I heard them talking." Lucy said under her cry. "I told Dad not to marry that woman but he didn't listen and shouted at me." She complains, crying.

"Lu, don't cry. I'll come over now and talk to dad, okay. Please don't cry, I'll be right there." He comforted his sister.

Nathan cut the call and immediately leave for home. 

As Nathan walked inside the house, he met his father in the foyer who was just about to leave. He glared at his father for a moment before letting out a deep sigh and calmed himself. 

"I was right about to come to you," Robert said in a straight tone.

"Why? So that you could tell me about your wedding?" Nathan retorted under his greeted teeth. Robert simply looked at him and calmly shoved both his hands inside his pants pocket and waited for him to continue talking.

"Don't marry that woman. None of us like her." Nathan said quietly and looked away from his father.

"I can't. I have to marry her." Robert said in a slightly depressing tone.  

"That woman doesn't love you, Dad. She's just after your money." Nathan couldn't take his anger and snap at his father. "Can't you see? Have you gone blind?" He shouted.

"I know what I am doing. I will marry her and she is going to be your stepmother." Robert shouted at him. 

"FINE!!" Nathan growled. "Do whatever you want. But know this, if you marry that woman, I'm leaving this house along with Easton and Lucy. And you cannot stop me." He declared and walked away from his father.

"Nathan!" Robert called him over but he didn't stop and ascended the stairs.

"I'm always ready to leave this house with you, Brother." Easton appeared by the stairs and told. He was there from the start and heard his father and brother's fighting. 

"I know," Nathan said softly and patted Easton's head. "Where's Lucy?"

"She's in her room. Crying." Easton answered quietly. 

"C'mon," Nathan said and they made their way towards Lucy's room. 

"Nathan," Lucy came running and hugged him tightly. Her eyes were all puffy and she was crying. Nathan lifted her up into his arms and gently wiped her tears away.

"Lu, stop crying." He said softly. 

"I miss mom. If mom was here, we would have never seen this day." Lucy said under her cry. "I don't like that woman. I don't want dad to marry her." 

"Don't worry, Lu. Dad will not marry that woman. I will not let it happen." Nathan told her.

"Really!" Lucy exclaimed and sobbed quietly.

"Yes,"

*

Aaleyah reached the Cafe Bar and saw Brian sitting alone by the table. For the past days, she has seen him coming to this shop and spent his time alone drinking coffee. She knew what he was going through and she would leave him alone. But not today, She couldn't bear to see him being like this.

Aaleyah walked towards Brian and stood in front of him. Brian didn't notice her as he was lost in his own thought.

"Can I join you for a coffee?" Aaleyah asked making him doze out from his thought. Brian regarded her for a moment and smiled at her. Aaleyah smiled back and sat down.

"How was your exam?" Brian asked giving her his brightest smile but she knew it was all pretence.

"It was fine," Aaleyah answered quietly. "You don't have to pretend in from of me, Brian. I know everything." She said. Brian turned his gaze down and sat silently. "Eve is worried about you."

"You both grew up together and you've both been the best friend for your whole life," Aaleyah said softly. "I know it hurts to know that the one you love, love someone else. You just have to accept it and move on. This is how life is, Brian."

"But it's not that easy," Brian said quietly. "I've loved her for a long time."

"I know it's not easy but if you keep holding onto it, you are just destroying everything that's precious between you both- your friendship," Aaleyah told and gave him a sad smile. "I know how you are feeling right now coz I've been in the same condition. But I better keep my friendship than being selfish and destroying everything." She added in a quiet smile. 

Brian looked at her and regarded her words for a moment. "I guess you are right. Evelyn has always been there for me. I have been so consumed in my own emotions that I didn't know that it was slowly turning me against our friendship." He said under his sigh. 

"You should talk to her. She is very worried about you." Aaleyah said softly to which he nodded at her. "I should go now. Actually, I have to stop somewhere else but then I saw you and came to say hi," She said in a chirpy tone and stood up from her seat.

"By the way, may I know who that someone is whom you fell for?" Brian asked looking up at her.

Aaleyah simply gave him a smile before answering him,

"It was you."

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HAPPY VIRUS,