Dark Worlds, Soft Touches : My best friend's brother Gundham Tanaka

Chapter 6- Los Angeles (Part two)

My friends had differing opinions on my decision to avoid Gundham and forget about everything. Bee advised me to move on, emphasizing that I deserved better. Jasmine, on the other hand, held a more aggressive stance and suggested resorting to physical violence against him. It was quite challenging to keep her from acting upon her impulses. Stacey and Isabella shared similar thoughts, advocating for a conversation to resolve the issues with Gundham. When I sought Riley's opinion, they encouraged me to follow my heart and share all the details with everyone.

During my first week in Los Angeles, I mostly spent time with Akira, Stacey, and Bee. On the weekend, Akira and I decided to visit UCLA, the California Institute of Arts, and some acting academies. The tours were enjoyable, but I felt like my college search had just begun.

The day after the college tours, I hung out with Devonte. He took me to an arcade, and we had a pretty fun time together. However, I found myself evading his attempts to initiate a kiss or flirt with me.

The plan to simply hang out at the beach with Isabella, Riley, and Jasmine somehow transformed into a three-day getaway at Isabella's parent's beach house. Although they had offered it to her numerous times before, she always declined. However, since she would be attending MIT soon, she decided to accept the offer this time.

It felt liberating not to see Gundham around and experience the familiar pangs of pain whenever I crossed paths with him, especially in the presence of Sonia. The beach house trip served as the perfect escape. After our arrival on the first day, we settled in and spent the afternoon swimming in the ocean. Following hours of fun, we decided to make our own pizzas for dinner. We concluded the night by gathering around a bonfire.

Earlier in the day, during our trip to the store, we stocked up on marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate to make s'mores. As we indulged in this sweet treat, Riley played their guitar while Jasmine and Akira sang along.

After a while, we began sharing scary stories, competing to see who could tell the most bone-chilling tale. Akira emerged as the winner, as her story caused Jasmine to shed tears, left Isabella shaken and spooked, and had Riley and me clinging to each other. Following that frightful experience, we engaged in deep and personal conversations.

"So, Akira, do you have a boyfriend?" Jasmine asked curiously, her gaze fixed on my best friend. "I've seen people shipping you with your co-star from that Christmas movie you did." Upon hearing this, Akira dramatically gagged, causing me to burst into laughter.

"He's absolutely repulsive. I would never date that imbecilic creature," Akira replied with a hint of disgust. "I'm currently single."

Jasmine, being her usual nosy self, continued, "Do you like anyone?" Akira tried her best to conceal any sign of a blush creeping onto her face.

"I do. There's a guy at Hopes Peak," Akira admitted.

"And she's totally nervous around him. She can hardly speak to him," I chimed in, teasing Akira, who could no longer hide her blush.

"Traitor," she playfully said, giving me a gentle shove that stung a bit. Akira then proceeded to tell the girls about Korekiyo. Jasmine shared a story about a guy who wanted her to do his homework but ended up asking her to tutor him instead. Riley talked about their past romantic experiences, including ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, and their current crush on a surfer. When it was Isabella's turn, she seemed nervous.