There were too many thoughts inside my head.
Like bees in a jar.
Flying around, hitting the sides, buzzing loud, and never stopping.
Julius’s letter was still on my nightstand. I didn’t dare read it again. I already knew every line, every smudge, every word he crossed out and rewrote. I memorized them like I didn’t mean to. Like my heart just wanted to hold onto something—even if it hurt.
And Noah’s words kept ringing too.
> “There’s going to be a meeting.”
A meeting. A real one. Where the truth will finally, finally be told.
I didn’t know if I was scared or just ready.
Maybe both.
---
The “invitation” came the next day.
It wasn’t an envelope like I imagined. Or a text. Nope.
It was a freaking pizza box.
Delivered by a dude in a bike helmet who just smiled, said, “This is for Aika,” and zoomed off like a ninja.
I stared at it on the table. June and Mia gathered behind me.
“You gonna open it?” June asked, her eyes wide like we were about to trigger a bomb.
“Not if it explodes,” I mumbled.
Mia leaned closer. “Maybe it’s a pizza with toppings of betrayal and melted secrets.”
I groaned. “You two are the worst.”
Still, I opened it.
Inside was a folded napkin. On it was a sketch of a cat holding a sword and a sticky note that said:
> “Thursday. 6PM. Old greenhouse behind the science building. Come alone. Tell no one—except your two loud roommates, I guess. Wear sneakers.”
I blinked. “What is this, a side quest in a dystopian movie?”
June took the napkin and stared at the drawing. “This is definitely Noah’s art. Look at the smug cat face.”
Mia nodded like a wise professor. “The blade of betrayal. The paws of justice.”
I rolled my eyes so hard I might’ve traveled to another dimension.
But deep down... I was smiling.
This felt so them. Julius. Noah. Liam. Even Ethan. Always finding weird ways to make things feel less heavy—even when the world was falling apart.
---
By 5:45PM, I was in sneakers, a hoodie, and the puffiest jacket I could find. Not for the cold. For comfort. I needed to feel like I was wrapped in something. Something safe.
The old greenhouse wasn’t far. Hidden behind the science building. Overgrown vines clung to the dirty glass walls. The door creaked when I pushed it open—because of course it did.
Inside were five people.
Liam. Noah. Ethan.
And—wait.
“Mia? June?” I stared.
June held up her hands. “Don’t blame us. They made us come.”
Mia nodded. “Apparently being nosy makes us honorary truth-holders.”
Noah stepped forward. “You came.”
“Yeah,” I said, glancing at them all. “Because I’m done running from the truth.”
Silence.
Liam stepped forward. He looked serious. Too serious. His usual lazy grin was gone. In his hands, he held a notebook.
“Julius wrote this,” he said. “Before he left.”
My heart dropped.
“He wanted you to read it,” Ethan added. “All of it.”
I took it. My fingers brushed the cover. My chest ached.
I opened the first page.
The handwriting was messy, rushed.
>“If you’re reading this, you already know too much.”
>“Good. That means it’s time you know everything.”
I didn’t realize my hands were trembling until Noah gently took the notebook and closed it.
“You don’t have to read it now,” he said softly. “We just… we needed to give it to you first.”
I nodded.
But I couldn’t speak.
The air inside the greenhouse felt thicker now. Like secrets were sitting on every surface, waiting to be noticed.
Then Liam exhaled. Loudly.
“I’m just gonna say it.”
I looked up.
“We all messed up, Aika,” he said. “We kept things from you. Big things. About Julius. About the council. About—” He hesitated. “About how we feel.”
I froze. “What?”
Ethan stepped forward too. “We’re not just your friends. I mean… we are, but… we’re also idiots. Because somewhere in between protecting you and hiding stuff, we caught feelings.”
Liam rubbed the back of his neck. “I liked you. A lot. I still do. I didn’t want to ruin anything.”
Noah scoffed, almost defensively. “What? Me too? I'm not an idiot like these two. I didn’t fall for you like that, Aika. I’m not like them. I’m not getting tangled up in this mess.”
“You what—” Mia suddenly blurted out. “Wait. All of you?”
“Seriously?” June blinked. “So it wasn’t just… the brooding stares? You guys actually like her?”
“I’m standing right here,” I whispered.
“I know,” June muttered. “I just… I need a minute.”
Noah looked at me, voice quieter now. “We thought we were helping. By not involving you. By trying to fix things ourselves. But that was wrong.”
“We shouldn’t have kept you in the dark,” Ethan said. “Especially not about Julius. He left things behind. Warnings. Regrets. Things we were too scared to show you.”
Liam looked at me, guilt all over his face. “We were afraid you’d leave us too. That if you knew everything, you’d walk away.”
My mouth was dry. My heart? Not so much. It was pounding.
“I don’t even know what to say,” I whispered.
“Say we didn’t ruin everything?” Noah said.
I looked at the notebook again. At the people standing in front of me. At the shattered mess of truth, guilt, and feelings that now sat between us.
And somehow, I still didn’t walk out.