Message In A Bottle

Oct 22

A/N: This chapter is exclusively sponsored by the band Vansire and two songs of theirs. Please give Metamodernity and Angel Youth a listen or look up their lyrics! :D The vibes are soo nostalgic and soothing yet melancholic.

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It was a nice Saturday morning, and Bree just had brunch with Danielle at the Storybook Grill. "The staff were so nice!" Danielle gushed. "They even gave us a discount!"

"Yeah, it's because I'm a regular there," Bree replied with a smile. "Why did you think I took you there?"

Since they had lots of time to kill, they paid a visit to the mall. They idly ambled through stores while they complained about the rising prices of clothes and lack of human rights (as all teenage girls did). Bree grabbed a couple of funky sunglasses and jokingly put them on Danielle. Then Bree realized Danielle was staring into the distance.

"You good? Did you find Fred Hayford here?" Bree asked jokingly.

"No, shh. Is that Eugene?"

"You know him better than I do," Bree replied, but she looked anyway.

Eugene was with what appeared to be his family. Danielle instantly ducked behind Bree. "Meeting your friend's parents for the first time is always awkward," she mumbled.

"You're literally being more awkward by hiding," Bree pointed out rationally. "And you're definitely sticking out."

"Urghh." Danielle stood up straight again and swept her bangs behind her ears. "Like, how do I even start the conversation? Hi fancy meeting you here on a Saturday morning?"

Bree chuckled. "Just let it happen, Dani. Saying hi isn't that difficult."

Danielle huffed and argued, "It is when his parents are— oh my gosh they're coming closer—"

Eugene, who was a single child, was out with his two parents. They were busy talking (more like the adults were discussing while Eugene looked bored), and Danielle didn't want to disturb them, so she awkwardly smiled and waved.

Eugene paused, then titled his head slightly. His eyes met Danielle's, black meeting brown. His arm jerked, like he was about to wave back.

Then his parents turned. Eugene froze and to the girls' surprise, he instantly looked away. His head whipped in the other direction, the lightest shade of pink on his cheeks. His parents glanced at the girls, puzzled and curious, but they exchanged a few words and walked away. Danielle's mouth was originally open to greet him, but it had now snapped shut. Too awkward to do anything else, they let the trio walk past.

A moment passed.

"What the hell?" Bree immediately spluttered out once the others were out of earshot. "Did he just ghost you? Are you guys fighting??"

"No?!" Danielle looked equally surprised. "At least, not that I'm aware of."

"Did you accidentally piss him off?"

"I don't think so?"

"There's no way he could've not recognised you." A cold tone was starting to appear in Bree's voice. Nobody hurt Danielle and got away with it.

"Erm, Bree, let's not jump straight to murder (even though I know you'll love to test out the murder methods in your new novel), like maybe he's half asleep...?"

"Danielle," Bree said patiently, "he saw you with me. Like, there's no way he wouldn't recognise both of us. We've known him since middle school."