Spring's Unexpected Love

Chapter 20 (Ximena)

It was Wednesday, which meant it was time for the gardening club to meet once again. Outside of the club, save for a couple of rare occasions in the halls, I barely interacted with the other club members. They were all younger than me, and I didn't think we were close enough to think of each other as friends.

Like usual, Hazel and Lily came in a pair, chatting enthusiastically about some tv show as they walked into the club room. Travis and I had been waiting in comfortable silence, both of us in our separate corners of the room.

After we all gathered in the center of the room, sitting on the floor, Hazel gave us a run down on how things were progressing. "So, Luka and I already took the pictures!" She said excitedly, "They came out beautifully. Also, your friend, Mercy has been a huge help. She's already written an article that really showcases the club, and she said we can have the pictures in the newspaper too- although they'll be black and white.

The colored versions of the pictures will be posted online on the school's blog. Lily has already come up with a little introductory paragraph to go along with it."

"Woah," I said, impressed by how fast things were moving, "So that means we can have our plant sale soon?"

Lily nodded, "Yup! The newspaper will publish the article about our club next week; the ad I created with the help of Travis will be there too. We can sell the plants the week after."

"You and Travis created an ad together?" I asked, "This is the first I'm hearing of this."

"Yeah, sorry!" Lily said, sheepishly, "The two of us just kinda decided to do it on our own. We only just told Hazel this morning."

I couldn't help but feel a little bit left out, but I hid my feelings with a smile as Lily continued to speak.

"Travis is so good at this creative program that can make cool fliers and banners. It came out looking so cool. We're even gonna hang some around the school so that more students know about our sale."

Travis, who hadn't spoken since the meeting started, pushed his glasses onto his nose, face slightly flushed, "C'mon, Lily, you know it was your brilliant ideas that really helped make the ad stand out."

Lily grinned, "Aww, thanks, Trav," she said, punching his elbow lightly.

I wasn't sure if I was just looking too much into things, but it seemed like Travis liked Lily. I wondered if she felt the same.

"I'm curious about the photos you took for the newspaper and blog," I said to Hazel, "Is there any way we can see them before they're published?"

Hazel nodded enthusiastically, green eyes sparkling, "Yes, actually I saved some on my phone."

She retrieved her phone from her pocket, scrolling for a minute or so before turning it around to show us what was on the screen.

She swiped every couple of seconds, giving us time to see each picture. They were really beautiful; they came out clear and captured the vibrant greens and pinks, yellows, reds, and blues of the flowers and plants. Each photo was taken from a different angle than the last, ensuring that each was a masterpiece of its own. My favorite was the one of a fern plant that had water droplets on the ends of its leaves. They sparkled in the lighting, creating a magical effect.

Hazel swiped one more time, revealing a photo that wasn't of any kind of plant. Instead it was a selfie of Luka and her, smiling at the camera. It seemed that Luka was the one holding the phone; his free hand making a peace-sign. My heart ached as I stared at his and Hazel's smiles. They looked so happy.

They really were perfect for each other.

I must've made some sort of noise because Hazel flipped the phone back towards herself with a gasp, "Sorry, I didn't mean to show you guys that one!"