Summer Days to An End

Chapter IX.

For hours, the five of them spent their time aimlessly walking through the busy streets of the bustling city, the girls regularly forcing the boys to follow them into stores and buildings that caught their attention, as well as to hold the bags filled with their many purchases. However, as night fell over the expansive city, and the same lights that greeted them the night before reappeared, the time had finally come for them to attend the show that they all eagerly awaited to see.

"What is taking those girls so long?" Leo's voice held a slight temper as he whispered to himself, he and Finn having sat in the lounging area in the lobby as they waited for the girls to meet them downstairs.

"You know, from now on, let's make sure that we get dressed after them," Finn remarked with a chuckle, and this joke helped to lighten the atmosphere of impatience between the two.

Just a few moments later, one of the elevators across the room had reached the ground level, and out from it stepped Lo, Selah, and Miyo as they too made their way over to the lounging area.

"At last, you three better be ready to go, or else we might get there late." Leo stated as he and Finn stood up, walking with the girls to the front of the hotel as Finn took the keys of his car from the valet that was there.

"It's not late if you arrive well-dressed," said Lo with a charming wink.

"I suppose you're right, you three do look beautiful regardless, especially you, Miyo." were his next words, as Miyo's cheeks instantly turned bright pink, clearly stunned at his bold and unanticipated comment. Having noticed her reaction, as per usual Selah and Lo took to quiet laughter, as Miyo tried her hardest to hold her head high.

"Alright guys, everything's set, let's get to that show." Finn called out to them from the driver's seat, as the four of them walked over to the car and quickly made their way inside, before taking off down the street ahead of them and towards the theater.

Having chosen a lavish yet affordable hotel near the heart of the city, the theater wasn't a long drive, and after managing to steer their way out of the late-night traffic, they had arrived just in time to make their way into the main auditorium to find their seats.

As luck would have it, the original owners of the tickets had a fair amount of money to spend, seeing as they found themselves seated in a booth containing a small table with five seats in front of it, and not only that, but the booth was on the upper level of the auditorium: making it optimal for viewing the show. In terms of seating arrangments, their order followed as such: Finn at one end, then Lo, Selah, Miyo, and lastly Leo seated at the other.

"Well, whoever paid for these tickets clearly had good taste, making it all the more favorable for us," Selah whispered just before the show began, to which they all nodded in agreement.

Within moments, the sounds of the orchestra's melodic symphony filled the room, opening the performance with its powerful yet heartfelt music. On cue, the actors began their graceful and whimsical displays, captivating the audience with their actions despite their verbal silence.

For two hours, the show continued as such, and whilst managing to hold their reactions and thoughts of the show to a low voice, the group exchanged every moment of it with each other, ultimately turning the event into an even grander time for them. However, as the clock struck ten, the show came to an end, and nearly everyone in the auditorium stood up to commend the performers with a well-deserved round of applause.

Soon after, the group rose from their seats and made their way back to the theater's lobby, choosing to linger for a while longer to talk amongst each other.

"Finn, can I talk to you about something, alone?" Lo started abruptly in the middle of their conversation, and calmly Finn nodded his head as she led him to another room of the lobby, one which displayed the artwork of some who have had their pieces performed at the theater.

"Is everything alright, Lo? You seem uneasy." He answered as they made their way into a corner behind a wall, one where they would have their privacy guaranteed as long as their voices were low.

"Look, I know it's not my place to ask you about this, since it has nothing to do with me, but I just can't get the thought out of my head that there's more to this than I think." She began, trying her best to hold a steady voice as the words of her conversation with Selah and Miyo that morning flooded back into her head.

"What are you talking about?" Finn's gaze fixated on Lo's with a puzzled look.

I don't have a choice, there's no other way that I can go about this without asking him directly, I simply have to do it, she thought to herself, and after taking a deep breath, she worked up the courage to ask him the question that had been tormenting her for nearly that entire week.

"Finn, who is it that you have feelings for?" She lifted her head to meet his eyes as she spoke, and within those few seconds, she could feel the atmosphere around them shift as Finn let out a deep sigh.

"Lo, please, I don't understand why you want to know so much, it really doesn't ma-"

"Yes, it does! I need to know because, because," Lo paused as she felt her voice begin to fade, shamefully lowering her gaze as Finn extended his hand to her, to which she swatted it away in an instant.

"No, don't try that with me. Answer me; who is it that you have feelings for? Is it some girl from Ellis? Miyo? Or maybe even Selah?" Her tone grew sharp as her rage began to unfold, and Finn froze as his eyes widened at her last remark, and seconds later Lo had finally found the missing piece to the puzzle she had so desperately wanted to solve.

"It's Selah, isn't it." She muttered, her eyes still aimed at the ground.

"What? I can't hear you."

"I said it's Selah, isn't it?" She forced herself to meet his gaze at last as she raised her voice, crystal tears welling in her eyes as her hands began to shake.

So I was wrong, it was never what her step-mother had said that bothered her, it was the fact that she was right; Lo has feelings for me. How could I have been so damn blind? Finn thought to himself, thinking that if he had only cared to ask her about how she was feeling, he could have spared her of this experience.

"I never should have said anything, I never should have played that game that night. Lo, I'm so sorry if I hurt you in any way because of this. I just can't help but feel the way that I do." Finn's voice held a burdening sorrow as he spoke, clearly regretful of the pain he had unintentionally caused his friend.

Without even a response, she grabbed his wrist and led him back to the other room, where Leo, Selah, and Miyo were awaiting their return.

"I'm going back to the car. If any of you want to come with me, be my guest, all I ask is that you don't talk to me. I have no interest in speaking to any of you, especially you two." Lo directed her tear-filled sight to both Finn and Selah as she walked out of the hall, the sounds of her heels clicking against the tile floor only adding to the gloomy aura that surrounded the group.

Silently, the four of them kept their distance as they followed her outside.

"What's wrong with Lo? Did you say something to her?" Leo asked as he walked with Finn, and minutes passed before Finn had given him any answer. However, just before they had met her at the car, Finn whispered these few words back to him.

"It's best not to talk about it."