Message In A Bottle

Dec 12

A/N: It's my birthday so have a Eugenielle chapter :D pure self indulgence here aha

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It was a Monday and exams were in a full swing, so naturally the students were depressed and stressed. Sleep deprived students hurried around with stacks of textbooks and notes in their hands. Empty cans of coffee and energy drinks stuffed the trash cans to the brim. Alex, as an overachiever, was naturally prepared for her exams, but that didn't stop her from panicking.

What if she hadn't done enough, despite her highlights and extra reading and practice papers?  What if she'd somehow completely missed the point of the syllabus? What if she made careless mistakes and forgot how to spell in her panic?

"Morning, Alex!"

A relieved smile broke out on her face and she turned to see her boyfriend Arthur approach her. He bent down to kiss her— they were in the school corridors, and while Alex wasn't fond of PDA, it was a brief kiss so she was okay with it. Alex's heart fluttered but she didn't let herself get distracted. (She's been trying to discipline herself because she knew neither of them could afford to be distracted during exams.)

Alex giggled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Good luck for your exams today."

"You too, babe." Arthur smiled at her warmly. They parted ways and went to their separate classes. Ah, it would be so nice if Arthur was actually in her year... they would have more in common and they would interact more often...

Alex walked into her classroom and found Conner with his head literally buried in his books. Sigh, this was what happened if she left her twin brother alone for literally five minutes. Fred was chugging an energy drink, eyebags sagging on his face. Bree and Danielle were studying in a corner.

"Umm, guys?" Alex raised an eyebrow at her boys. "You... alright?"

Conner mumbled, "I'm having an existential crisis" at the same time Fred sarcastically said, "I've never felt more alive."

Bree and Danielle, who were sitting upright and poring over their notes with a (relatively) calmer attitude, stared at their friends. Danielle sighed. "Yeah, I know it's rough. Anyone want some cookies I stress-baked last night?"

Conner's book fell down and Fred's eyes widened. "COOKIES?" they dramatically gasped in unison.

"Yep, to cheer us all up or something..." Danielle reached into her bag and took out a tupperware of cookies. "Although I was lowkey having a breakdown making these, sooo forgive me if they're a little crumbly."

Danielle passed the tupperware around and everyone took one gratefully. Alex settled next to the girls and Bree shifted to make space for her. "Damn, these cookies are great!" Fred praised. "Just what I needed on a cold and dreary morning."

"Mmshmumshsm," Conner helpfully added with his mouth full as he shot Danielle an appreciative thumbs up.

"Conner, don't talk while eating," Alex and Bree reminded Conner in almost perfect unison. Conner rolled his eyes but still obediently shut up.

The door creaked open and Eugene entered. "Hi," he said, somewhat awkwardly because he was only really familiar with two (2) of the people present.

"Hi," Danielle said as Fred grandly gestured and declared, "Welcome to hell."

"We have cookies," Danielle added as she raised her tupperware.

"Can you save some for me in our after school study session? My parents stuffed me full and I can hardly walk."

"Sure," Danielle replied, then took another look at Eugene. "Dude, you okay? You look like you're freezing."

At Danielle's words, everybody turned to glance at Eugene. He was wearing a thick black down jacket that made him look like a puffy marshmallow. He had a woollen beanie on, not unlike Bree's classic purple one. He had a scarf snugly tucked around his neck that almost covered his lips, and he was holding a cup of hot chocolate in his hands.