We finally found Gina — and of course, she wasn't alone.
"Hey, Gin—" I didn't finish. I spotted Noel beside her. Great… that jerk is here too.
"Oh, hi Emma! I'm glad you made it. I thought you wouldn't be able to come."
… I stayed silent for a second, surprised. I immediately looked at John and whispered:
"Are you kidding me? What is he doing here?"
"I didn't know he'd be here either," John whispered back.
"Sorry," Gina said, "I didn't tell you guys Noel was coming. He surprised me too."
"Yes, hello," Noel said with that same sly smile.
Then gina said, looking between us, "So this is Emma. And this is John—we just met recently."
"Emma, right?" Noel said, then looked at John. "I think tonight's going to be fun."
"I don't think so," I muttered before catching myself. John nudged me lightly, so I forced a smile.
"I mean… yes. We should have fun. So, uh… where's the party, Gina?"
"A dance party by the beach. What do you guys think?"
"That's great," Noel said immediately.
"I'm in too," John added.
I looked at them with annoyance — this idiot…
"Fine," I said. "Whatever you want."
We got to the event, and Gina handed the tickets to the staff.
"You actually bought tickets?" I asked, surprised.
"Of course. Everything needs to be prepared."
"Right…" I turned to John. "Can we go check out the beach?"
"Let's go."
I leaned to Gina and whispered, "We'll join you later. Take your time with Noel, okay?"
She blinked in surprise, smiling. "Wow, supporting the relationship now?"
"He's not that bad," I said with a shrug.
Gina laughed.
By the water…
We walked toward the shoreline, music and dancing behind us.
"Look at them," I said with a soft smile. "Didn't expect places this pretty to exist here."
"Yeah… me neither."
I looked at the waves right in front of us. Me… and the guy who had always seemed mysterious. Hard to understand. Hard to read.
Now… I finally understood him a little.
I smiled while staring at him.
"What?" John said, looking at me. "Are you going to stare at me instead of the ocean?"
"You idiot. I was just thinking," I said, turning back to the sea.
"You know…" he said quietly, "I always wanted to watch the ocean with someone. I didn't know who, but… I wished I had a friend who understood me."
I laughed softly. "I think both of us needed this… The house suffocates me. So… thanks for being here, John."
He smiled. "I should be thanking you. You actually left the house for us. That's enough."
I sighed. "I really want this… to go out with you guys, to have fun. But… I feel so helpless."
"Hey," he said, "don't think about that now. Just enjoy tonight. Look!"
He pointed with sudden enthusiasm. "Ice cream cart!"
My eyes widened. "Can I—?"
"Of course. Let's go."
Somewhere else — Gina and Noel
Gina sat beside him. "Noel… I'm honestly happy you're here."
"…Me too."
"Why did your mood suddenly change?" she asked, nervously laughing.
"In what way? My moods shift quickly."
"Emma… and that guy, what's his name?"
"John? What about them?"
"I mean… where'd they go? Didn't expect every pair to split up."
"Let them be. It's fine."
Noel sighed and looked away.
Noel… I want to confess something. Can I?" Gina asked.
Noel sighed lazily. "What is it?"
"I like you…" she said.
Noel looked at her for a long moment, his face unreadable. He seemed more surprised by her boldness than anything else.
"Won't you respond? Or do you already have a girlfriend? Is it Aria? Damn… how can I even say this… I'm really sorry."
"No, Gina. I don't have a girlfriend. Aria is just a friend, nothing more," Noel reassured her.
Gina exhaled in relief. "So… you're not into anyone else?"
Noel paused for a moment. "No. I just don't think about relationships. I've failed in too many and don't want to deal with that mess again."
"What?"
"Give me a moment," Noel said. "This is weird… I just met you. So quickly?"
"My situation is different. I've known you and watched you for a long time. I didn't realize I liked you this much," gina explained.
"That's not a reason. You should get to know a person properly. Don't rush, you're young and haven't fully understood yet.Noel said
We're in the same age, and you say this?" Gina questioned.
"My experience is more than yours," he replied.
"Fine… then I'll leave…"
"Wait! We're not done yet…" Noel called after her.
Noel ran to catch up with her.
"Gina? Gina?"
Meanwhile, John and I were sitting together.
"I was wondering…" John started. "You always had a friend, right? You've been together all these years?" I smiled a little, trying to distract from the conversation.
"You probably know a lot about me already, huh?" John laughed. "I'm just curious. She was the closest to you?"
"Yes… her situation wasn't normal. That's why her parents took her to a psychiatric hospital.
Why?"
I paused, unsure if I should say more.
"I don't know… but in the end, it's John. She overthinks a lot and always warned me about things, like not going out with certain people. I never understood why, but she made me alert. I think I'm the only one who feels she's normal… not crazy like some say. I wonder what she'll do when she leaves. I really want to protect her from people, especially school kids—they never leave anyone alone," I told John.
He looked at me worried, not realizing all that had happened.
Then we heard a voice…
"Hey…" It was Noel.
I froze, looking up. Gina wasn't beside him. What happened?
"Gina, we had a discussion, and she left. I can't find her anywhere," Noel said.
"What??
to be continued...