Bubble Tea

merriment

Song for the chapter: Fighting by
BSS feat. Lee Young Ji

Andres' POV:

As the school day wound down, I found myself heading home, ready for the routine until Edvin's call interrupted my thoughts. "Hey Andres, let's skip tuition today and chill somewhere. Arcade, bowling alley, wherever. We'll have some fun and take your mind off things," he suggested eagerly.

"And you know, you surely don't want to show up at tuition
With your bruised face,"
Edvin quipped with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right," I chuckled, knowing he had a point. "Some fun sounds good right now."

In Edvin's Mercedes, we drove towards the mall. Walking in, we wandered through stores, sharing jokes and catching up on gossip. Edvin, always up-to-date, couldn't wait to spill the latest drama.

"Didn't see Audrey at school today," he remarked casually as we passed a row of shops.

"Oh really?" I replied, my mind elsewhere.

"And you know what? She's been hanging out with Trevor again," Edvin continued with a smirk. "Dude literally looks like Gian from Doraemon. Can you believe it?"

We both chuckled at the comparison. "Yeah, he kinda does," I agreed with a grin.

"I just don't get what Audrey sees in him," Edvin shook his head.

"They're practically joined at the hip now again. He's even posting vlogs with her. Unreal. Is she doing it just to make you jealous?"

"I don't know, if she is it's clearly working." I sighed, feeling a pang of jealousy and frustration.

"You gotta get your girlfriend back, bro," Edvin said, turning serious. "She deserves someone like you, not Trevor."

"Ex-girlfriend," I corrected him quietly.

"Yeah, whatever," Edvin waved it off. "Trevor won't stand a chance against you. You're meant for each other."

"Can we not talk about Audrey for a while?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure, sure," Edvin agreed easily.

"Let's go meet some of my friends. They're total babes, I promise," Edvin grinned mischievously.

I chuckled, teasing him as usual. "Edvin, all your friends are 'babes'. You say that about every girl you meet."

Edvin laughed. "But you know they are. Let me introduce you to them."

"Nah, I'm good, Edvin. You go ahead," I replied casually. "I'll head on further."

"Yeah, they're waiting for me. I'll just be back in a second," Edvin insisted.

"Sure, sure," I nodded. "Go on, continue."

As I wandered through the mall, checking out random stores, I suddenly spotted Jaemin standing nearby, looking all serious and disapproving. I debated for a moment whether I should make a quick escape, knowing how protective Jaemin is of Audrey. But before I could move, Jaemin locked eyes with me and marched over, his expression a mix of sternness and something resembling amusement.

"Yo man," Jaemin greeted with exaggerated seriousness, folding his arms like we were about to have a showdown.

"Oh, hey Jaemin," I replied cautiously, my nerves already on edge.

"I didn't expect this from you," Jaemin said dramatically, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

I shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, breaking hearts wasn't exactly on my agenda this month." I replied weekly, my head hanging low in acknowledgment of my mistake.