FELLY 🍂 20
   A crush isn't permanent; liking and loving are two entirely different feelings.
   From the looks of it, I think Lucas will cause some chaos someday. Somehow, I must prevent whatever it is from happening. And where do I begin? To find Anya, who's gone after what she did? She's been gone for about seven hours, according to Shaun. And about an hour ago, Anya tried to call Lucas, who didn't answer her calls. After that, nothing.
   "I'm really sorry to bother you. I'm worried about Anya, and I don't really know who to ask for help. I thought Lucas might know where she is," I look at Shaun, who's sitting on the couch, while I'm standing a few feet away from him.
   I rub my temple before taking a deep breath, "You didn't tell your parents," I point out.
   He looks up at me from his seat, "They're in Monaco for their 60th wedding anniversary since last week. I couldn't ruin that moment for my parents."
   "At least let them know, Shaun. You don't have to deal with it on your own. Look, even Lucas isn't cooperating in finding Anya, but I care. If she's not home after twenty-four hours, I'll go with you and report it as a missing person. For now, we should let her be herself. Call me when you need my help, and please tell your parents," I walk closer to him and pat his shoulder twice.
   "I'm just worried about her."
   "I know," he takes my hand that's resting on his shoulder.
   "I'm glad I have you, Felly."
🍂
   (Day 19, Monday)
   "Guten Morgen, Leute! What's new today?" I smile as I walk into the classroom.
   "Morning too, Felly."
   "Morning Hoffman."
   "Here goes the half-German girl!"
   "Nothing is new, mia cara," I roll my eyes after hearing Kai's voice.
   "I'm not asking you," I go to Maeve, our class president. "Is there anything I can gossip about, Miss President?" I raise my eyebrows at Maeve. She shakes her head with a smile on her face.
   "Nope. Although I might need your help with going to the STEM class now."
   I grimace, "Hell nah. Just let Dhame do the work that you need her to do. I'm not the vice," I turn my back on her.
   Fawn will be in the room later. I'm always early, never been late. Always on time, perks of being half-German. Probably. I'm not saying that Fawn is a latecomer; she almost arrives at school ten minutes before class starts. 
   I leave the room for a moment since it's still early. That's when Asher comes into my path on the way to the cafeteria.
   Actually, to be precise, he just popped out in front of me. "I need to have a talk with you," he says with a serious expression. "Follow me," he adds.
   What did I do? I didn't follow him. I'm not talking to Asher without Fawn.
   "Hoffman," I stop in my tracks when I hear him call my last name. I turn to face him. He looks dead serious, looking straight at my face. He walks towards me, grabs my wrist when I don't move, and pulls me to sit on an empty chair, letting go of my wrist before he sits across from me. "Where are they? I went to the house last night, but I found out through the neighborhood that Mom, Fawn, and Arlo moved out a few nights ago. Do you know where they're staying at? Why didn't Fawn tell me?"
   I raise an eyebrow, "Why are you asking me? You could have asked your twin, not me."
   "I know she won't tell me, that's why I'm asking you."
   "What makes you sure that I will tell you, Kusnetzov?" I raise an eyebrow at him, then I rest my elbows on the table.
   "Because you will. I need to know where my family is right now." I laugh dryly at what he says. He doesn't seem to like my reaction. "Do you think this is something to laugh at?" he asks.
   "You know it's odd, but I don't really trust you, even if you're the twin of my friend. Be thankful that I don't hate you because of Fawn," I stand up. "If Fawn didn't answer your questions, you should stop asking. You're wasting your time," I leave and order some snacks at the counter before returning to the classroom.
   When Fawn finally arrives, I'm not surprised when she's greeted by Zevadiah's hug. Then, some of my classmates react, saying to ban hugging, but it has no effect on Zevadiah. You know, they need to clarify that they're in a relationship, not just being intimate like we don't exist. We, the classmates who don't have anyone greeting us with a hug when we enter the room, are kind of embarrassed. A simple hug makes the day better, but since there's no Zevadiah version 2 or 3, we who don't get a hug have to do nothing.
   When I asked him yesterday via text if he was going to Fawn's place, he said yes. I was planning to visit Fawn yesterday, but Zevadiah texted me again saying he was taking Fawn out of the country. Of course, I asked him what he meant in his text. He replied that he was taking Fawn to Taiwan to travel. In the end, I didn't go to Fawn's place yesterday. I didn't want to be a third wheel, you know. I know it's Fawn's dream to travel out of the country, which Zevadiah is doing for her. If Zevadiah had a brother, I wouldn't hesitate... I would actually marry Zevadiah's brother if he had one.
   I'm sure that memory they spent together yesterday will remain unforgettable for Fawn. She comes from a divorced family. She might keep things from me, even though we grew up together, but I know she experienced pain and hardship, even if she doesn't tell me. And I respect that if she really wants to keep it from me, but I'm always here for her.
   Especially after what happened to her last Friday, when her stepfather did that to her. Even though I haven't experienced what happened to her, I know it would be traumatic if it happened to me. Fawn might look like she's okay after that incident, and I'm glad Zevadiah is always there for her, but deep down, that incident keeps haunting her, but she's trying not to let it control her life or dictate her future. She's a strong one.
   Someone nudges my arm and stands beside me, so I glare at that person. "Why don't you try and date me instead of admiring how your friend and Zevadiah act in front of you? I'm free, just tell me when," I hit the back of his head hard. "Ow!" He ducks his head because of the impact and rubs the back of his head. "That's really rude of you," he says. I don't know if he's crazy or what, but the corner of his lips twitches as he looks at me. "For once, be nice to your future boyfriend, Felizitas Russo.”
   I furrow my brows and cross my arms over my chest, "Stop being delusional, Kai. And for your information, I will never be your girlfriend, nor will I carry your last name. Keep dreaming," my day is ruined by this Italian's ramblings. I step back when he leans in, the corner of his lips turning into an annoying smirk, one I've seen on him before.
   "I know you like me, though I know you will never admit it, but don't worry, I like you too, mia cara," I almost laugh and punch this jerk again at what he said. Thankfully, our teacher enters the room. Otherwise, he wouldn't just get punched; I would strangle him without hesitation.
   I frown as I sit down at my desk. It's annoying; I didn't get to talk to Fawn because of Kai. Well, I can get her during lunch break to talk about her trip to Taiwan with Zevadiah yesterday.
   "Dhai!" I pull Fawn from her seat after class and wrap my arm around hers. "How was the trip? Tell me all about it, your adventure with Zevadiah yesterday." I'm also planning a trip to Taiwan next year with Fawn, without Zevadiah. Friendship trip is the goal. Zevadiah is stealing my friend.
   "I'm exhausted, dhai. I only got a few hours of sleep," Fawn replies, yawning. I can see she's still sleepy. I look at Zevadiah, more like glare at him, deadly.
   "What? Don't look at me like you want to kill me, Felly," Zevadiah gets up from his seat and steps back from me and Fawn.
   "That's a good idea. Maybe I can kill you for not letting Fawn sleep more than six hours," I remove my arm from around Fawn and step towards Zevadiah, who's moving further away. "Come here. Let me strangle you for a bit."
   He shakes his head and winks at Fawn behind me. This guy has no shame when it comes to Fawn. "Fawn enjoyed the trip yesterday. Right, Liebsti?"
   I stop approaching Zevadiah and turn to Fawn, who's smiling and nodding slightly. Then I turn back my eyes to Zevadiah and take a deep breath. "Good thing Fawn enjoyed the trip; that's what matters," I approach Fawn again and wrap my arm around her. "Cafeteria, dhai. Then tell me all about it."
   "Do you really want to strangle him?" Fawn asks, laughing as we leave the classroom.
   I grin at her, "Of course. I'm not joking. You need some beauty rest, dhai."
   "With my looks, I don't need beauty rest," she laughs. I subtly pinch her side.
   "Did you two kiss yesterday," I whisper.
   She immediately shakes her head. "We didn't," she replies, which I don't believe.
   I chuckle a bit, "Okay, you say so."
   "I'm telling the truth, dhai. There was no kissing yesterday," she's defensive with her words. OMG! Don't tell me they did kiss?!
   I act serious but it's hard to hide my smile at the situation. "Fine. I believe you."
   "You look like you don't believe me though," she says.
   "Just tell me if I'm going to be a godmother this year, next year, or maybe tomorrow," I say coolly.
   I wince but can't hide the smile on my lips when she punches my arm hard. "Felizitas!"
   I laugh hard as we make our way into the cafeteria, her face slowly turning red.
🍂 
   My shoulders slump when Mrs. Creus enters for her class. I'm grateful she didn't come to class on Friday because Elio and I were able to practice the Waltz, but something happened yesterday morning after our practice. We got into a fight about the costume that didn't arrive yesterday, which we were supposed to try on for our last practice. We're not on good terms, and I don't know if our performance will be affected by our situation. 
   Scheiße, wish me luck.
   "You have thirty minutes to get ready before we go outside for your performance," Mrs. Creus says. Urgh! Why do we need to perform outside the room?! I mean, why do we need to perform in the plaza? It doesn't make sense. The room is big enough to perform inside!
   I don't move from my seat while my classmates leave the room one by one to change. This shouldn't be happening to me.
   "What? Are you just going to sulk and not do anything? Get up and change," I look up to the side of my seat. It's Elio, and he looks damn serious. I've known him for so long, and he's a jolly, happy, easygoing type of guy. He's an amazing singer in our class; I've never seen him this serious and scary at the same time.
   He was furious after hearing from me yesterday that our costume wouldn't arrive because there was a problem with the designer I asked for help because I told him I'd take care of our costumes on Thursday. If I had known there would be a problem, I should have at least had a backup plan. My fault.
   "I don't have a costume," I avoid his gaze. God, I feel guilty that I'm going to ruin our performance because of my mistake.
   "Get up and change, Hoffman," he puts a bag on my desk. "That's your costume. Don't make me repeat myself."
   I open the bag's zipper and find a violet dress for the Waltz inside before I look up at him. "Where did you get this?" I ask.
   "Time is moving fast. Stop asking questions and get changed, or else I'll be the one putting that dress on you."
   I smile and slowly shake my head before standing up. "I appreciate the thought, but I can change myself." I leave the room and go to a vacant cubicle, carrying the dress.
   I'm about to take off my navy blue blazer uniform when my phone vibrates in my pocket skirt. Our women's school uniform has pockets. I pull out my phone, and the caller ID says, Lucas. Why is he calling me during class?
   "Hey, what is it?" I put the phone to my ear, against my shoulder, while slowly taking off my navy blue pleated skirt inside the cubicle.
   "Are you with Fawn?" I hear the car honking on the other end.
   "Yeah, why? Need anything?" I struggle to take off my black tights after my skirt. Scheiße.
   "I'm on my way. Keep an eye on her," He's supposed to be at the Zoo, working his ass off.
   I stop taking off my black tights and focus on my phone. "Care to explain why you're on your way to our school, Lucas. Is there something you need to tell her?" I hear nothing on the other line. "Lucas."
   "Atlas Hidalgo is out of jail.”