Changing Hearts (GeminiFourth Fanfiction)

IV

Chapter Four

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The air in Gemini's room hung heavy with a mixture of guilt and uncertainty. Winny, who had been absent from the party the night before, sat amongst the group, his face a mask of disbelief. He wasn't a fan of parties, preferring the comfort of his own bed to the chaos of social gatherings. He had heard the whispers, the hushed accounts of what had happened, and a wave of horror washed over him. What if Fourth hadn't been saved in time? What would have become

of them?

"What?!" Winny's voice echoed in the room, breaking the tense silence. "You didn't know he couldn't swim?!"

Prom, his face flushed with a mixture of guilt and annoyance, tried to defend himself. "Well, we didn't know, okay? It wasn't my idea. It was Gemini's."

"It's not right to blame each other," Winny said, his voice firm, his words carrying a weight that surprised even Gemini. "You were all in on that act."

"I don't know, come to think of it, Prom is the only one who actually did it," Perth chimed in, his words laced with a hint of malice.

Prom, his irritation growing, snapped back, "Why do I feel like you're all blaming me?""Enough," Gemini said, his voice laced with a newfound authority. "Winny's right. We can't blame each other."

"What's your plan now?" Winny asked, his gaze fixed on Gemini, his words carrying a weight of expectation.

Gemini's next words surprised everyone in the room. "Let's stop playing pranks on him."

"What? Why?" Prom asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

"What do you mean, why, Prom?" Gemini retorted, his voice filled with a sudden intensity. "We almost killed him. You almost killed him. That's enough reason to stop."

From that day forward, Gemini spread the word. No one was to touch Fourth again. His reign of terror, at least when it came to Fourth, was over.

Fourth returned to university, surprised by the shift in atmosphere. The usual tension, the unspoken threat that hung in the air, seemed to have dissipated. He would be lying if he said he didn't welcome the change.

At the cafeteria, Fourth found himself seated at a table with Ford, Satang, Winny, and, to his surprise, Gemini. The professor had assigned them a group project - urban planning and design.

The air at the table was thick with awkward silence and unspoken tension. Fourth knew that everyone there was harboring their own anxieties. Gemini, his bully, Winny, his friend though Winny hadn't actively participated in the bullying, his presence was still uncomfortable for

Fourth, and Satang, Gemini's rival. It wasn't going to be easy.

Fourth knew that Satang was only there for the project, and he confirmed this when he broke the silence, his voice sharp and direct. "If we're going to stare at each other, I'm going to ask the professor to let me do this myself."

Ford, sensing the tension, stepped in. "Okay, I think I should lead this group. For God's sake, if you disagree, tell me now." He waited, his gaze sweeping over the group, but no one spoke. "I guess there's no opposition then. Let's start discussing. But first of all, let's stop meddling with our personal problems with each other. Let's do this for our grades."

Ford suggested they divide the tasks into pairs, but Satang, ever the independent soul, insisted he could handle his part alone.

"I'll go with him," Winny said, his voice surprising everyone.