A Guide to Love (ONC 2023)

Chapter 9

The boy looked at her, as if to wonder about her. "I-I'm sorry. Uhm, I have to go. Bye Mila."

"B...y...e Milo." The words were hard to get out of her mouth, as she stared at him in disbelief.

Was it possible that he was part of her family? Was it possible that he was her twin brother?

"Hey." Julius suddenly bounded into view. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"Hey! Uhm, yeah, I'm fine." Mila forced a smile. "It's probably nothing. Sorry."

He smiled at her. "Well, if it helps, it was pretty funny watching my roommate screeching Anti-Hero without any music."

Mila glanced at him questionably. "He was the guy that was belting that out?"

"He says, and I quote, 'Swiftie for life'."

Julius smiled that little golden retriever grin. "My friends are having a game of...well, apparently it's a secret. It's supposed to be like 'spin the bottle, but better in the sense that you don't have to kiss the person that you get'."

Mila smiled a little bit, still shaken by the encounter with Milo. "Uhm, yeah sure I'll play!"

Julius smiled again, and continued, "You can invite some of your friends, if you want."

Mila had no idea where Scarletta was, Kathleen was visiting her aunt, and besides those two, she didn't even know anyone else. Unless if you counted that pink haired bubble gum girl that was friends with Scarletta.

"Uhm, I'm not sure I know anyone here right now...Kathleen left, and Scarletta's in that boba shop."

Julius shrugged and steered her through an open doorway. "Guess it's just us then!"

*_*_*_*_*

Scarletta was not feeling okay after losing Uno for the fifth time in a row. "Why do I keep losing?!?"

Celia shrugged, happy, as she had just won. Scarletta threw her handful of cards on the table-she had just taken four cards because of Vivan-and threw a dirty glare at the cards.

"This does not suit me."

Cassandra had apparently started arguing with her boyfriend again, and was now yelling into her phone. "I TOLD YOU! YOU NEVER CALLED ME AT 9:00 WHEN YOU SAID YOU WOULD! What's that? Your electricity went out? I DON'T CARE! I bet you were playing video games and forgot..."

A boy's voice drifted over from the phone, sounding tired and exasperated.

Celia rolled her eyes. "If she hates him so much, why doesn't she break up with him?"

"YOU KNOW WHAT! WE'RE OVER! WE ARE NEVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER!"

A boy that had just entered the shop, apparently searching for someone or something, opened his mouth and started singing. "oOoooH! You called me up again tonight, but oOoooH! This time, I'm telling you I'm tellin' you!"

Cassandra, annoyed, slammed the door into the back alley but not before everyone heard her cursing her boyfriend out.

Vivan raised her eyebrows. "That guy was right. Toxic relationship right there."

Celia squinted at her. "What guy?"

"That guy over there singing."

Celia shrugged. "I don't really listen to..."

Vivan clamped her hands over her ears. "I'm not listening, until you tell me someone that you listen to that I also listen to."

"...Olivia Rodrigo?"

Slowly placing her hands into her lap, Vivan glanced at Celia. "Okay, I'll trust you with that."

Scarletta crossed her legs, watching the rain outside slowly start up again, and Vivan slipping the deck of cards into her sleeve before pulling out a mini game of Monopoly out her sleeve.

"How many games do you have hidden in there?!"

Vivan looked up and grinned sheepishly. "I never buy the big versions of the games, just the travel size..."

Celia shook her head, before getting up and picking up her drink. "You guys go ahead and set up. I'm going to go see how Cassandra's doing..."

Scarletta sighed a little and placed her chin on her hand. "D'you think all relationships are this messy?"

Vivan raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me?"

Shaking her head, Scarletta made a grab for the mini Schnauzer marker. "I CAUGHT DIBS ALREADY!"

Vivan, scowling, had no choice but to pick up the cat.

*_*_*_*

"So...what are we talking about here? I haven't seen you in so long, Auntie! I thought you moved away?"

Aspen's mom, a family friend of Kathleen's, glared dirtily at Aspen as he slid nervously into a hospital chair, and began skinning an apple.

"Kathleen honey! You're skinnier! You really need to eat more..." Auntie Eileen rambled on in Mandarin.

Smiling, Kathleen crossed her legs as she sat down on Auntie's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now, thank you. Oh, thank you Aspen dear!" Her auntie replied, switching in between dialect and Mandarin, before accepting the apple that Aspen had finished skinning.

Standing up to throw the peels away, Aspen inched away from his mom, before smiling a tense smile at Kathleen's aunt. "Do you want anything else? Maybe water or..."

Aunt Eileen scoffed slightly under her breath, and Aspen's face fell. "You trying to suffocate her? Go sit down."

Aspen sat down next to Kathleen, who smiled at him slightly, and inched her hand over to squeeze his.

"Anyway," Aunt Eileen continued, "Aspen...I'm surprised you came."

"I, uhm, yeah! I didn't hear about it until Kathleen calle-"

But Aunt Eileen was moving on already, and Aspen shrunk down again, before Kathleen smiled at her aunt.

"Auntie, Aunt Eileen, I still have classes in the morning and I just wanted to make sure you were alright...Aspen and I are going to leave."

Her aunt waved goodbye, still munching on the apple, while Aunt Eileen didn't even spare a second glance at her son.

Grimacing, Kathleen grabbed Aspen's hand and led him out. "Gee...got into another argument with your mom?"

Smiling a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Aspen slung an arm over Kathleen's shoulder again. "Yeah..."

Leaning back so that her whole weight was on his arm, Kathleen looked up at him. "What is it now?"

"A professor emailed her saying that I didn't 'participate in class', but he was just mad because I caused some trouble for him the first day."

"Was it Professor John?"

Aspen seemed surprised. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"He yelled at me too, because according to him, I 'didn't properly understand the properties of biology' or something...all because I wasn't taking notes."

Aspen shaked his head. "And then Mom gets mad at me because of that...Kath, you gotta help me through college."

"I'm surprised you even got in."

"Hey! I'm smart too!"