x
The aftermath of the elemental storm left the group with a sense of relief, but also a lingering tension. As the six friends gathered in Aurelia and Selena’s shared room, the focus was on preparing for an upcoming math revision quiz. However, the traces of their recent experiences and evolving relationships add a layer of convolution to their interactions.
Aurelia, still processing the events and her growing feelings for Nickolas, found herself distracted during the study session. She caught Nickolas glancing at her several times, his gaze quickly shifting back to his textbook whenever their eyes met for a few milliseconds. The tension between them was intense, yet neither of them addressed it, choosing instead to concentrate on the problems at hand.
“Ari, everything okay?” Selena asked, not being able to handle the sight of her friend’s incompetence in anything above friendship.
“Yeah, all good.”
“You sure?” she asked, cocking her head slightly. “Because it seems to me like you and Nick are both too preoccupied with other matters.”
Aurelia retorted sharply, “Selena, I appreciate your concern, but I’m trying to keep my mind on problems which actually have solutions. And reach said solutions.”
“Fine, but you guys know you have chemistry and are both avoiding it as if it’s the Corona Virus.”
“Sure, chemistry so strong that the freaking periodic table is jealous…” she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes and returning to work, as if nothing ever happened.
“Girl, you’re more observant than I thought!” Selena nodded teasingly. “Nice job!”
“And if you were even remotely observant, you’d realize that you need glasses because there’s no reactions here!”
Thalia, who had been quietly observing the exchange, chimed in, “Aurelia, you’re spewing out too much wit, and that’s not normal. Something’s definitely up.”
Aurelia shot her a mock glare, “Thalia, if I wanted a psychoanalysis, I’d have gone to Dr. Iodide, not you.”
Nickolas, trying to lighten the mood and avoid his side of the equation added, “Well, at least we know if the whole biochemistry thing doesn’t work out, Aurelia has a promising career in stand-up comedy.”
Aurelia, unable to resist a comeback, snapped, “And Nick, if your magnetism thing fails, you can always consider a career as my manager. You’re already doing a great job managing to get on my nerves! Besides, you’d get a nice track record, blowing it with a famous comedian.”
“Well, if even that fails for you, Nick, just know that you have a promising future with her otherwise. We’ll make sure of it, right, Lead?” Gallus nudged Nickolas, a cheeky smile on his face.
“Selena. Platina.” Nickolas replied, an evil smirk spreading across his face.
“Yeah, so? What about her?” he asked, nonchalantly, grinning widely.
“But… I… you…”
Gallus, with a confident smile, continued, “Well, Nick, you seem to be forgetting something. Selena and I… we’re not just friends who freak out at the mention of each other anymore. We’ve moved beyond that.” He glanced at Selena, who was blushing but also smiling at him. “So, your teasing… it doesn’t really work anymore.” He finished, giving Nickolas a triumphant look. The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in laughter, even Aurelia couldn’t help but join in.
“Why are you laughing, girl?” Selena nudged her. “This is about you, too!”
Aurelia, still chuckling, replied to Selena, “Well, it’s not every day you see Nickolas at a loss for words!” The room erupted in laughter again, but it quickly died down as Aurelia added, “But, speaking of quiet, have you guys noticed how silent Lead has been?”
All eyes turned towards Lead, who was sitting in a corner, watching everyone, his usual vibrant energy replaced with an unusual quietness. His silence, contrasting with the earlier cheerful atmosphere, cast a sudden seriousness over the room. Everyone exchanged glances, wondering what could be on his mind.
“Oh,” Lead muttered, looking up from his quadratic equations. “Hey, guys, what’s up? Why are you all looking at me?”
“You’re too quiet today!” Thalia complained dramatically. “It’s not like you, and we’re all worried.”
Lead sighed, rolling his eyes. “Alright, alright. I’ll tell you what’s up. It’s just… Aurelia, you’re too popular! It’s like wherever we go, everyone knows you. It’s a bit annoying, you know?” He crossed his arms, looking a bit grumpy. “You know what, I give up on the whole leader thing.”
The room fell silent for a moment before starting to laugh a bit again. Aurelia, blushing slightly, shrugged. “Well, what can I say? I guess people just like me. Don’t feel bad, besides, the storm’s gone. It’s the calm after the storm.”
After the laughter died down, Selena clapped her hands together. “Alright, enough of this. Let’s play a game to lighten the mood. How about… truth or dare?” She looked around the room, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Everyone agreed, and the room filled with an excited buzz as they started the game.
“Aurelia, truth or dare?” she asked, as she contemplated various truths and dares to ask her friend.
“Dare,” Aurelia replied, a hint of trouble in her eyes. “Let’s see how this goes.”
“Alright, here’s a dare suggestion for you,” Nickolas started, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Aurelia, I dare you to solve a quadratic equation blindfolded.”
“How about singing a song in a language you don’t know?” Thalia suggested, grinning.
“I dare you to do a handstand,” Gallus chimed in. “or a cartwheel, whichever one you can.”
“Or maybe, tell us an embarrassing story from your childhood,” Lead added, trying to suppress his laughter.
“I dare you to mimic Nick’s serious face,” Thalia suggested, causing everyone to burst into laughter again.
“As much as I dislike the last dare, you’ve got five seconds, Goldilocks,” Nickolas finished, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied smile. The room filled with anticipation as they waited for Aurelia’s response. “Or I’m making Selena give you a dare you won’t soon forget.”
Aurelia groaned. “Selena, just tell me what your dare is…”
“You’re gonna like this… or not. Since you hate hearing me rant about my own moment with Gallus, I dare you to kiss Nickolas.” she said, cracking her knuckles. “So, what’s it gonna be out of the six dares?”
That plan backfired on Nickolas hard…
Aurelia rolled her eyes, a smirk playing on her lips. “I’d rather eat a wet fish than kiss Nicky,” she retorted, causing a wave of laughter to ripple through the room. “But I’ll take up the challenge of mimicking his serious face.”
She straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and put on the most solemn expression she could muster. The room fell silent as everyone watched, their laughter dying down to suppressed giggles. After a moment, she broke character and burst into laughter along with the rest of them.
“Alright, alright,” she conceded, still chuckling. “I guess I’m not as good at keeping a straight face as Nicky is.” The room filled with laughter once again, the tension from the dares dissolving into shared amusement. Even Nickolas couldn’t help but crack a small smile at Aurelia’s attempt to mimic his serious face.
As the game continued, Lead Carbon was given a rather interesting truth. “What will you do now that the storm is gone?” It was a deep, somewhat probing question, which he was curious to answer. “Do you think you’ll loosen up a bit?”
“I don’t know,” he answered, hanging his head down sadly. “I really don’t know. You guys are all fun, but… I don’t know you guys at all. Aurelia, Selena, Nick, Thalia, Gallus you guys all know each other here and there, but I really don’t know you all well enough.”
The room fell silent at Lead Carbon’s words. His honesty, raw and unfiltered, struck a chord with everyone present. The laughter died down, replaced by a sense of empathy.
Aurelia, still recovering from her laughter, looked at him with a newfound respect. “You’re right, Lead,” she said, her voice soft. “We don’t really know each other, not truly. But that’s what nights like these are for, aren’t they? To get to know each other, to understand each other better... and revising.”
Nickolas spoke up. “Aurelia’s right,” he said, his serious face softening into a smile. “We’re all here because we want to be. Because we enjoy each other’s company. And maybe, just maybe, we can become more than just a group of people who saved the world together to you. Maybe we can all become best friends.”
The room was quiet for a moment before erupting into cheers and applause. The tension from earlier had completely dissipated, replaced by a warm sense of friendship. As the night wore on, the dares and truths continued, but with a newfound sense of understanding and respect for one another. It was a night they would all remember, a night where they truly began to know each other.
ns 15.158.61.16da2
