Elizabeth Corbyn was never the most willing person in the room. Her head was always titled to a side, words ready to slaughter anyone with satire. And when Sebastian Cohen had asked her how—because he had made that plan with his very own discerning brain and was highly offended, she made sure that he didn't get away from saying that.

"How can it not? We haven't planned where we are going to stay. We don't know how much money is required and shit. I can't risk being in an unknown city without enough resources. Think about it—going to a city to have fun, and never returning because you're in debt to all the restaurants you've visited. Not fun."

He was the tallest amongst us, one of Coach's favorite on the basketball team. I couldn't forget the time when he used to drag me to practices, or the time when he first called me to a game of his and I had jokingly mentioned wanting to join the girls' team.

Apparently, he never knew how to take a joke, and had enrolled me despite my differing views.

"Stop being so paranoid," he had said with a small smile, "Loosen up a bit, Lizzy. I can't imagine being you."

"You never take me seriously," she had hit his head and smiled evilly at him, "And you Sebby boy, need to actually think of consequences. Remember what happened last week with your ex-girlfriend?"

Sebastian had been going out with this girl for over two months and kept forgetting her name. His typical save, as he liked to call it, was calling her terms of endearment so he never ran into trouble. But that could only last so long—because he took her to a fancy restaurant one day, met an old friend, and guessed her name wrong while trying to introduce her, receiving the slap there and then.

"That's not something I like to think about. Plus, it's out of context. Also, never call me that again."

Her and I had looked at each other first, and then given him an insane look. "We told you to ask her name first!"

Before he could give his priced opinions, Elizabeth shook her head, showing him that she had the upper hand in this conversation. "So? I reckon you check some hotels; I'll check some reasonable cafes where we can eat and hang out. It's going to be safe, and fun."

He was clearly not happy, but managed to contain the excitement in his dark eyes. "At least you are coming, right?"

She had only grinned. "What makes you think I have an option?"

▂

Sean had booked Toyota Sienna, a minivan required for eight people, we had looked up all the best places we were going to stop by throughout the journey, and Leo and Ray had already gone grocery shopping days before. It took a while for it to dawn on me—how real and exciting the ordeal was—since it had only been a couple months knowing these guys.

I had been jittery since the morning, legs bouncy and hands fidgety. It was concomitant to travelling with friends, forever had been and continued to be. Deep inside, I couldn't ignore how every part of me, every ounce of thought about this trip made me think of my older school, my friends back then, and a terrible memory I couldn't come to face.

Although Liam wasn't easy to convince, he wanted me to get out of the shell I had created after what had happened. The whole morning was a collection of rushed events, featuring me pacing around my room like a maniac. We figured we would have to leave Friday morning in order to make the most out of the trip, and so that we even got to relax when we reached the destination—which meant that we were all missing a day of school.

No one cared about it.

I carried the items I felt necessary, shoving them into my weekender bag. Evan seemed to be the designated driver for the first one hour or so, telling me that I was going to be the first to pick-up because I lived closest. Donned in a cropped hoodie and a pair of ankle length jeans, I flicked the braids off my shoulders one last time as I checked my reflection.

Liam was on his laptop in the living room, the sound of furious keyboard typing making me laugh. He looked up and smiled wide, waving a suave hand. "Enjoy, and don't miss me too much."

"Please, this is a blessing," I rolled my eyes. "Don't die without me."

Before he could say anything else, I heard a honk and immediately turned on my heels. Li's voice was interrogative at its peak, something I wasn't quite looking forward to. "Is there somebody I could meet?"

I blinked a couple times. "Uh, not really."

He gave me a look. "Let me at least say a hello to them."

I stood on the spot, confused, but he had already walked right past me to the door. I highly doubt we have time for this, I thought, but kept my mouth shut. Liam didn't flip out because I had always had guy friends—but there was always a steep sense of tenseness lingering amidst us because he could never trust them. I didn't blame him.

He didn't let me have a look, blocking my vision straight away. I huffed in annoyance and put my hands on my waist, rolling my eyes to the back of my head.

"Hey," he extended a hand, but his eyes were sharp and callous, making me stifle a laugh. "Who are you, kid?"

Kid. I rolled my eyes, slightly pushing his shoulder. "Liam—"

"I'm Evan," the celebrity amidst us had already spoken, voice velvety and flattering. "It's nice to meet you, Liam."

His electrifying gaze met mine for a split second but he couldn't do as much as smile, since Liam had cleared his throat abrasively. "Yeah, I'd decide that later."

Evan looked away.

I chuckled. "Stop with your caveman instincts, Liam, we're getting late."

His eyes switched to mine, harsh and pointed. "I won't hold you back, either. Have a safe journey."

I punched his shoulder one last time before shoving him through the door back inside the house. "Goodbye, brother," I sang awkwardly and turned to face Evan, a little smile on his lips. "Sorry about that."

When I let my eyes wander, I realized how he was still in a sweatshirt—black and etched with Nirvana—a pair of black jeans and countless rings on his fingers, the only accessory he wore. It was unfair how he could hold my attention for minutes to go by with an attire as simple as that.

"He's the brother you talk about," he mused, pulling me out of my trance. "I get why you were so scared the other day when—"

"I think you forgot your phone again, Laura," Liam had barged into us again, and my heart almost collapsed. I grabbed the device in a hurry, shooting him a quick smile. "Thank you!"

Hopefully, he hadn't heard anything. He sensed the absurdity in the air but made no comment, nodding at Evan, who proceeded to just look right ahead.

This was comedy gold and dicey at the same time.

"I got caught that day," I muttered with heated cheeks, eyes darting occasionally to the door. "Get in the car first. For all I know, he might still be spying on us."

"Goodness gracious," he laughed. "Is your brother okay?"

I scowled. "Get in the car, dummy."

"Woah, okay there, ma'am," he smiled, eyes twinkling with wit. "No need to be so authoritative, you could just—"

I put a finger on his lips, simultaneously pushing him inside the car. When I had claimed shotgun, embarrassment crawled on my cheeks. "I had to lie about being alone, all thanks to you, asshole."

He looked a little shaken, but smiled the same. "The pleasure's all mine," he paused, and then spoke with a wink. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"I know."

He hummed, attention averting back to the steering. "So, does that mean that we won't have the late-night walks anymore?"

I shook my head. "For the best, we won't."

"Damn," he said as he maneuvered out of my lane, lips still formed into a teasing smile. "And this was just the start of our illicit affair, don't you think?"

"You wish," I laughed, glancing in his direction to meet his eyes, "and even if enjoyed the walks solely because of the peace at night, I don't think I would be able to take them anymore."

He gave me a once-over, eyes mocking and lips twisted in a smirk. "You don't have to stop taking them, Edwards, you have to stop getting caught."

▂

The view of breathtaking—sky broken down into fragments of sapphire and gold. It still blended like it were the pieces of the same jigsaw puzzle, just scattered and painted to give different identities and fool the mind. Evan and I had managed to pick up each one of us in due time, and the excitement was just starting to get real—like the giddiness slowly dropping to the bottom of our stomachs.

Stella smiled just as bright as the sun dipped into the sky, hands landing carefully on my shoulders. "This is. . .gorgeous."

When I turned around, everybody was looking at the sky in the same awe as us. And when I sneaked a glance at Evan, his lips were turned in a heart-warming smile, stardust shining in his eyes.

I sat up straight, jutting my head slightly out of the window and letting the winds trace my face. There were almost no cars on the road we drove on, air seemed better than ever and breezes sweet as honey—all adding up in ways to make a perfect movie scene.

Everybody was still talking in the backseat, and I could even hear Raymond aggressively fighting over the snack only he could eat—but as soon as the radio started playing tunes almost all of us knew, nobody could hold onto their singing.

It was ironic, how Raymond started first, because his voice was way off-key. Chloe stuck a tongue out at him and he just rolled his eyes, all while Evan grinned. I had turned the volume up in the meantime, giving the latter a little smile. "Come on, superstar, show off your skills."

I started singing before he could, head leaning on the windowpane.

"Summer has come and passed

The innocent can never last

Wake me up when September ends. . ."

I was nudged before I could continue. Stella gasped loud enough for everyone to hear, and Evan had raised both of his eyebrows. "You can sing."

"I wouldn't really say that. . ."

"Oh, shut up," he rolled his eyes. I narrowed down mine in a glare, but I was still laughing at Chloe hyping me up. "Your voice is beautiful."

His comment warmed my heart, but I retorted back with a sly smile. "I thought it gave someone a headache, though."

"I am never appreciating you, ever again."

I laughed, but he didn't give me time to reply. He had already started singing, and any words I had been threading up in my head evaporated into thin air—mouth agape.

"As my memory rests

But never forgets what I lost

Wake me up when September ends. . ."

His voice, simply put, was spellbinding. Silvery and polished—combined with the slight undertone of rasp—yet light as a feather. Like a combination of something brittle, inflexible, and all obdurate things being dipped into something as sweet as honey.

When he finally realized I was staring, he blinked. "What?"

"Nothing, really," I couldn't hide the smile. "I had never heard you sing before, so it took me off-guard."

He rose an eyebrow, shaking his head to a side. "And what do you think, Edwards?"

"I'm not risking giving you an ego-boost," I said hotly, but met his eyes halfway. "But. . .you're good, Evan."

You're downright talented and gorgeous and it's unfair to the rest of us, I didn't add. I didn't need to, because the coyness had already taken over his features, cheekbones high with pride. "Damn right," he said, and then grinned.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm kidding, Laura," he nudged me again. "Thank you. Really."

I waved my hand in the air despite all of us laughing, and the car came to a halt after a while. My legs seemed stuck due to sitting for such a prolonged time, so we all ran out in the open—running towards the open grassy patch a few meters away. We even had to ask about a grocery store nearby, because Ray and Leo had already managed to finish all the snacks.

I still had no idea about the city we were freely roaming in, but Evan seemed to know more. He enquired about the grocery store too, and as punishment, sent Leo and Raymond off.

While Sean clicked pictures of Stella near the grassland while the sun was still peeking around the sky, my attention got diverted to an old building with a brilliant architect.

"Hey, what's that place?"

Stella and Chloe were already behind me, hands flying to their mouths.

"Can we go there? That looks so pretty," Stella added, giving Evan a look. I couldn't disagree, because from want we could see, the tall pillars were covered in the most beautiful wisteria flowers.

He shrugged, "I don't know. Is it even allowed?"

Chloe ignored him completely and continued to walk towards the entrance, making Stella and I follow. The place where my heart longed to go was prettier on the inside, humongous pillars and pristine designs on them. On our right, a little pond lay—artificial yet beautiful—and on our left a huge board with a lot of information to take in.

Stella started reading the huge block of etched stone, voice monotone, "Made up of Blanco Ibiza white marbles, this old-architectural building has always been in high demand because of its earthquake resistance and unique construction. It is also known for being the only attraction found in the city of Brenai, and a place where celebrities and famous identities were seen, before the government took upon it and visiting this place became restricted."

Everybody turned to look at her. "What?"

She turned around to face the board. "What?"

Sean, who had traveled farther away, came running back to us. "Police is around the corner," he said in a hurry, pointing at a board which clearly read: RESTRICTED AREA.

Fuck.

Stella just facepalmed herself, face sullen. "Is it finally time for me to get arrested, because—"

"No, dummy," Chloe smacked her head, voice panicky. "We're too young for that!"

The sirens could be heard as clear as day, and my heart was jumping out of its cage. "We don't have time to run," Evan spoke, glancing around. " I suggest we politely tell them that we didn't know it was a restricted area. We're going to look like culprits if we do think of escaping."

Nobody looked like they wanted to have a chat with the police. "We can't face the police with such a lame excuse. Look at that huge notice!"

"They're still far away," I breathed. "We can still make a run for it."

"What the—"

I cut Evan off, rushing towards him and grabbing the keys out of his hoodie pocket. Everybody followed once I had made it to the minivan, but Evan clearly wasn't done.

"Oh, no, you aren't driving, Edwards—"

I pointed the key as though it was a knife—and for a second, I wished it really was. "Get in the car."

When everybody got into the car, Sean snapped, "Leo and Ray are still in the grocery store!"

"You gotta be kidding me," I groaned. The police could be in our lane any second. Before I could do anything, Xavier's head was out of his window—shouting at the grocery store. Somehow, Raymond saw us, but couldn't understand what we were trying to say. Leo, on the other hand, was showing us two boxes of fruit loops and asking for suggestions.

My brain represented a keyboard smash.

Hitting my foot on the accelerator, I looked at them for the last time.

And then, we were speeding out of the lane.

• • •

this chapter is proof that i'm having way too much fun writing a bunch of dumbasses

i hope you're doing well and staying safe! let me know what you thought of this chapter. follow me on twitter (@/abrialxx) if you want to keep up with my editing process and see me complain about it. you're golden