Summer Escapade

Chapter 10. The Outlanders

Chapter 10. The Outlanders

"Hi, it's great meeting you, guys," I said waving at them. They were all seated and forming a semicircle. I sat down crossing my feet under my legs beside Phil and looked at them all. "So, Justine and Justin, huh?" I asked trying to be friendly. Well, I am friendly, just not with that Mel and her kinds.

Everybody laughed like it's an inside joke among them. But Justine or Rose spoke. "Yeah, it's sort of weird when I met him for the first time. But anyway, as I've told Phil, you both can call me Rose. It's what my friends here call me," she said nicely. But if I call her Rose...wouldn't we be confused? They named me Rosy.

"Nice. Okay," I said but I guess curiosity was so displayed in my face because she added...

"Oh, hm, Rose is my middle name - Justine Rosalie, that's where it comes from," she chuckled.

"You're kidding me," I said bewildered and she looked at me curiously. "I mean Rosy," it felt weird saying that, "comes from Rosalie as well!" I blurted out excited at that fact.

They all laughed again because of this discovery. "Someone doesn't have originality," the one called Robert said.

"Oh shut up, Davis," Rose said throwing him a piece of paper.

"First me and this chic here?" Justin joined the bullying.

Rose glared at him. "It's not my fault!" she defended herself.

"You've got to change your name you know!" Justin suggested anyway. Rose scowled at him.

"Oh, stop pickin' on my girlfriend, man," the one called Nick playfully hit Justin's shoulder. Really, Nick and Rose? Well, I should've guessed it the first time. There were sparks in his eyes whenever he looked at Rose. It's like there were fireworks exploding somewhere. I wondered how that feels. She must be so lucky. They looked good together.

I want someone to look at me that way too.

"You're just scared Justine's going to fall for him," Amanda chanted. And they all laughed again, except Nick, and I bet it's one of their inside jokes too.

"We are so over that, Mands," said Nick whose lips were perked up smiling a bit.

And then Phil started asking them random questions to which the group answered graciously. I'd learned that Rose was an exchange student in Illinois and got fostered by Nick's parents. So Rose and Nick were under the same roof throughout their senior year. So I'm thinking it's not impossible that they'd fall for each other. Ugh, I was guessing their story was romantic and I wish I was there to witness it all.

Furthermore, it turned out Amanda and Nick were bestfriends. Nick was so mean to Rose back then that Amanda (who looked to me like the queen bee of the school because that's what their story sounded. And it wasn't impossible with all her features and aura. I meant, she's got the queen bee material.) had to help Rose in small ways. They ended up as friends but it was also Rose and Rob who became bestfriends somehow.

Yeah I know it's complicated.

And Rob and Amanda had different story. It all started on a dare between Amanda, Nick and some people who are part of their clique (some kind of SG in my case). The leader dared Amanda to make Rob (who was a newbie in that place then) fall for her in just two weeks. He was oblivious of the whole thing while entire school knew what's going on including Rose. But Rose somehow pitied him and decided to help him along the way thus them becoming friends. Well, to sum it all up, Rob did indeed fall for Amanda and they ended up together...until now.

I can also see that, you know. With all those glances and smiles they casted on each other. It was not hard to guess.

While they were telling their stories, they were teasing each other whenever they mention something memorable and funny. Even Nick teased Rob about that time he got jealous of Nick because of the latter's closeness w/ Amanda. Back then, they really hate each other because the girls they liked were each other's friends and they keep getting in the way.