A Guide to Love (ONC 2023)

Chapter 6

Kathleen had left for a long time, and Mila was starting to worry. After the unexpected and hurried leave, it had been an hour already. Spin the Bottle had long since stopped, and she was already getting awkward in an environment where she didn't know anyone.

On the other side of the room, Scarletta was with the pink-haired girl-Vivan. They were both doing their nails along with multiple others, with one boy looking extremely uncomfortable as a girl pleaded with him to let her do his nails.

"Hey, Mila!"

She turned around at the sudden calling of her name, finding Julius in the crowd, waving frantically.

Giving a polite and awkward smile, she headed over to him, weaving around the groups of people that were mingling, she bumped into someone

The person looked up, and her breath nearly got blown away.

He looked just like her.

Younger, maybe, around 17, with the same fiery red hair and sapphire blue eyes. He was wearing a waiter's outfit, perhaps an employee at the restaurant. Mumbling a sorry, he hurried away.

Mila looked after him.

The fiery hair hurried away into the distance, and she saw him joining two other fiery redheads.

Shaking her head, she continued onto her way to Julius, who was tilting his head in an ever adorable smile.

Was she falling for him?

*_*_*_*_*_*_

"Scar?" A hand waved in front of her face, and Vivan's face popped up. "You okay?"

She shook her head, clearing her mind. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just my dormmates, well, one of them just went outside and hasn't returned, and the other is, well..."

Vivan glanced in Scarletta's direction of eyesight,trailing all the way towards Mila.

"Oh! I saw them at the library before. Do you think they're in a relationship?"

Scarletta scoffed. "Definitely not. I asked the same thing the first time I saw her-didn't make sense why he was doing that for her, but still..."

Shrugging, Vivan looked up and saw someone. "Oh! Be right back, Scar." She darted away, her pink hair billowing behind her like trails of silk.

"Hey! Scarletta, right?"

She turned around, unsure of who was talking to her, before seeing someone that looked vaguely familiar.

"Uhm...do I know you?"

The boy did a little pout, then fainted dramatically. "Come on, girl! You set me up with my boyfriend!"

Scarletta smiled slightly, though confused. "Robert?"

Robert grinned at her. "Yeah, which college are you going to?"

"Stanford." She shrugged a little, picking up a plate of shrimps.

"Dang, girl! You got it good. I'm going to UC Santa Clara, it's really pretty there."

Biting into a shrimp cautiously, she looked around for her friends, concerned about where everyone went. She soon found Vivian talking to...was that Celia? And Mila was headed off talking to the tall, blond boy that she had mistaken as her boyfriend.

But where was Kathleen?

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_

"Aspen? Oh please, Aspen, pick up!" She sank onto the bench, phone clutched tightly in her hand.

"Press 1 to leave a voicemail-"

Kathleen knew she should go back into the party, to tell Mila and Scarletta what happened, to tell them that she was leaving. Yet, she didn't. She stayed stubbornly outside, freezing in the cold drizzle outside.

Aspen 🤮

She took in a huge breath, quickly slid the accept button, and, instead of placing it near her ear, turned speaker on instead.

"Kath? What's wrong?" His voice was thick with concern, and she heard conversations and dishes clattering behind him.

"It-it's my aunt. She's in the hospital, and I don't know why and-"

"Kath." His voice was gentle, like the first sunshine on a winter day. "Take a deep breath. It'll be alright. Where are you?"

Fumbling for her phone, she texted her location to him. 1589 Palm Drive.

It was quiet for a while on the other side of the phone, and she could hear the sound of the car starting. "Kath, stay there. I'm coming to pick you up. Do you need anything else?"

Kathleen gasped for air, relieved tears streaming down her face. "Thank you so much Aspen, I-"

She could hear him smiling on the other side of the phone. "Don't get all cheesy. I'm keeping you on call because my phone's connected to bluetooth, unlike you, not answering your mom's phone."

Any thoughts of how kind he was vanished, but a smile appeared on her face. Aspen was like a lighthouse, guiding ships to safely dock, allowing hope for her.

"Shut up!"

"There's the Kath I know!"