Chapter 71: Chapter 71

"Tch... I thought we were playing a game of asking any questions you want. You don't have to necessarily answer the question, Connie," Amelia said with a shrug and Ashley scoffed at her "sympathy."

"What exactly is her problem?" Ashley asked leaning to Navaeh who shook her head in return.

She wasn't close to Amelia so she didn't know maybe she had mood swings or something is just wrong with her.

She shrugged and continued the game which everyone also participated in.

The game continued but someone's mind wasn't there anymore. In the middle of the row opposite Navaeh, a figure was looking at Navaeh's smiling face before the person released a discreet smirk.

All that smile would vanish in a few days... When the person releases their hidden trump card... Ah, how her face would look and how much fun they would have watching!

The dark figure snickered and looked away once Quinnel turned his head to the side where they were seated. When Quinnel had looked away, the person turned to him looking at his face lit up with bright orange courtesy of the fire.

Then a small giggle was released and looked away from him to finally enjoy their night. It was all coming to an end soon anyways.

"I'm beat. I'm not up for anymore game." A girl said dropping to her back to look up at the starry sky.

"Aww, come on. Just one more." The guy beside her whined and she shook her hand.

"Nope."

"I'm also not up for a game."

"Me too!"

"Same."

Soon, almost half of the students were lying on their backs on the cold sand looking up at the Starry night.

It was undisputable. The game had ended.

"Do you wanna go for a stroll?" Quinnel asked his head turning to Navaeh.

"Sure." She replied with a shrug.

"Hey, Ash... I'll be right back,"

"Where are you going?" The latter drawled out lazily with a pout.

"I'm just going for a stroll to that side. You know, explore the ocean and all."

"I wanna come too!"

"Uhh, sure then." She replied with a shrug and Ashley bounced off the soft sand with a grin.

She held unto Navaeh's hand while Quinnel glared at his best friend's annoying twin sister.

"You're going too?" Quinnel asked Ashley openly glaring at her.

"Well, of course!" She replied with an eye roll turning to her friend with a grin.

"Ash, you wanna go for a stroll?" Jake asked and Zaire glared at him.

"If she's going and you're going, I'm coming with." Zaire said standing up.

Quinnel groaned. It was supposed to be just two persons! Himself and Navaeh! How did it turn to a whole squad of 5 people?!

"Then let's go!" Ashley yelled pulling Navaeh with her.

Quinnel looked at their retreating backs and ran a hand over his face angrily. Once his hand was down, he was glaring coldly at Ashley's back.

"Let's go then." Jake said throwing his arm around Zaire and Quinnel while they involuntarily followed after the girls.

"Okay, I need your sister off Heaven's arm! Jeez, it's like she's going to break it off!" Quinnel exclaimed suddenly when he couldn't have it anymore.

Presently, the girls were playing by running towards the sea and then when the wave is coming back, they would run before it caught up with them all while laughing.

It was easy to do since both were dressed in shorts. The guys were sitting on the sand not too far from them. Jake's eyes was closed as he laid on his back facing the starry night.

"Why? They're just playing. Leave them alone." Zaire replied with the intention of irking off his friend.

He watched a frown etch itself onto Quinnel's face as he watched them play. He brought his hand up to cross in front of his chest with a pout like a child who all of his Halloween candies had been taken from him.

"Aww, someone's looking cute." Zaire teased his hand going to Quinnel's lower lips.

He ticked it and no reaction was given. Huh, where is the Quinnel that would glare at him?

"Someone's looking pouty." He teased again his hand moving to the lips. His outstretched hand hadn't gotten to the lips when he heard,

"Touch my lips again and you're dead."

"There we go." Zaire said instead with a light laugh while he looked back at the girls.

"Hey, Stubby Legs!" He called out suddenly and Ashley froze suddenly on hearing the nickname she had strictly warned her brother not to call her. Ever.

When they were young, she was a chubby child and so her cheeks were puffy, her nose looking small and cute like a button, her arm and leg stubby but it seemed of all, the leg was what Zaire took a liking to or rather what he only saw.

He would call her stubby legs to tease her and she would glare at him most of the time. She had gone to report to their parents but there was little that their parents did.

He listened to them for about three days or so, after that he was back to calling her Stubby Legs.

She had cried on many occasions and Zaire was there to console her even though he would still call her the same thing that made her cry!

He was a bully to her!

"What's wrong?" Navaeh asked.

"I'm going to kill someone today." She said slowly in a low voice as her head turned to Zaire glaring.

Zaire caught her gaze and stuck out his tongue at his sister. He slowly stood up and muttered to his friend.

"So I got Ash away from you, but at a very heavy price so please do me well and cremate my body if you truly are my best friend. I love you, bro. I really do. That said, someone is coming to kill me." Zaire said dramatically.

Quinnel raised a brow at him in confusion and suddenly his confusion was cleared up when Ashley came for her brother.

Both broke into a mad sprint with Zaire in the front and Ashley hot on his tail.

"Ah! Help me! Mother!!!! I'm sorry! Stubby Legs..."

"You still have the guts to call me that!" Ashley cried out after her brother.

"I didn't– Ahhh! I'm dead!"

"That you are!"

Navaeh watched the twins run in circles and she shook her head chuckling. Now, the imagination of Ashley as an Assassin was coming up again! Seeing as she no longer had a playmate, she walked to Quinnel sitting beside him.

"Huh, I see you finally have my time, huh?" Quinnel replied and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh please." She replied.

"What college are you planning on attending?" She asked before Quinnel could reply her.

"I've no idea presently. Why?"

"Nothing." She replied with a shrug. Quinnel looked at her with a look that said, "Really?"

"Ugh! Fine, I was thinking of New York then I remembered there was NYU. I thought of going there but I remembered it was about 1000 miles away from home and most importantly... The twins." She replied her voice low at the last two words.

"NYU?" Quinnel repeated thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Hold on, are you planning on going?" She asked noticing his thoughtful look and voice.

"I mean, why not? The environment is beautiful. The air is nice."

"It's the same oxygen." Navaeh mumbled go herself which earned a roll of the eye from the guy beside her.

"Anyways, my dream university has always been Stanford University actually." Quinnel replied and Navaeh turned to him wide eyed.

"You should apply! You're totally going to get in!" She exclaimed pushing him by the shoulder.

"So should you." Quinnel replied in a matter of fact tone.

"Where? NYU or Stanford?"

"Stanford! Your parents went there didn't they? And I remember you saying you want to be just like your parents. Successful and all that. This is the first step towards that dream."

Navaeh's smile fell and she looked away from him.

"Not anymore." She replied with a low tone.

"Oh come on! You can't say cause they're messed up–Pardon me– You would give up on that dream. It's been your dream for a long time." Quinnel bemoaned while Navaeh just snorted her eyes drifting to the waves.

Quinnel had only developed a liking to Standford university when she told him one day that she would like to go go Stanford as well. Be successful and earning good pay like her parents.

But that was way when she was younger. When everything was still okay and normal.

"Like I said, Not anymore." Navaeh replied with a shrug and Quinnel muttered something under his breath that sounded more like a groan and didn't reply her anymore.

She sighed and looked away from him. Why were they fighting so much this days? They had only just reconciled from a fight that morning!

"Stanford, NYU... Both are good universities." They heard suddenly making them snap their head to Jake whose eyes was jow opened staring at both of them carefully registering the shock that was on their faces.

Had he heard everything? Even when Quinnel said her parents were messed up? Oh shit, what did he think of her now?!