That was smooth!

As the bell rings signaling the end of the last school day of this semester, students gather their belongings, chat, and laugh as they prepare to leave for the day. Among them are Alphonse, Romeo, Adam, and Lina.

Alphonse turns to his friends while holding his phone and says, "I'll ask mom if I can pay for the school trip or not", Then he starts getting closer to the door and adds before leaving, "I'm leaving first then!"

After waving back to their friend, Romeo turns to Adam and Lina then says, "I'll be passing break with you guys then."

Adam chimes in, "You're not going to the library?"

"Why should I?", Says Romeo, "I've got a whole holiday you know. Let's just rest a little for now."

"What are you going to do about your job though?", Lina looks at Romeo with a hint of concern before asking him.

"My superior appears to like me, " replies the boy nonchalantly, "I think she'll give me a week off pretty easily."

"She's what?", This line crosses Lina's mind as her eyes widen in surprise, "She's in what?"

"When are you going to meet her?", Says Lina, switching to that persistent personality for now.

-Romeo: "Today I guess?"

Lina looks determinedly at Romeo, "I'm coming with you," she says, her eyes sparkling with envy since she doesn't want those two to share some time on their own. Romeo starts to protest, "Don't bother yourself..." but Lina cuts him off, "I'M COMING WITH YOU," she repeats firmly, a wide smile spreading across her face. Romeo can't help but nod, "Alright, suit yourself then."

After that, Romeo takes a look at his phone, "It's about time we leave", he says. As he opens the door of the classroom, an interesting number of students are waiting outside, some holding cameras and start taking pictures of Romeo. Students are shouting questions, "You got a perfect score, how did you do that?", "How does it feel like to become the 4th student of this school to get a 100?", "He's a hotty as well! Man, I envy you!" Romeo keeps scanning his surroundings to see if he can make his way through the crowd. However, One student even asks for a handshake and another asks if he is free tonight.

"Are... Are you free tonight?", Says one of the girls, her cheeks brightening for sure.

Just like that, Romeo firmly closes the door behind him, cutting off the crowd of students. He takes it slowly as he turns to his friends, his expression unfazed as usual. He walks slowly to join them and takes a seat, letting out a sigh. "I'm doomed," he says, his voice as calm as ever which made Adam get a bit agitated by that calm action, "At least try acting doomed!", He says.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Muttered Julien, his head resting on his hands, trying to come up with a solution "I need to get out somehow."

With a sense of confusion, Lina stood up to look from the window that , "I can't see a problem here," she says, "It's not like the whole school is in front of the class..."

But as she glances out the window that overlooks the hallway, her eyes widen in shock. "Oh no," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "The whole school is really in front of the classroom."

-Adam: "At this rate, even me and Lina won't have a chance to get out as well!"

"I think I have an idea", Romeo takes a rope from his bag, his face focused and determined. He's actually been carrying a rope around all day long, but they never thought they would need it for this. He opens the window and looks down, his eyes scanning the ground below. They are on the third floor, so the drop is pretty high. He then looks back at the rope, running his fingers along its length as he makes the necessary calculations. With a final nod of his head, he raises his head and looks straight at Adam and Lina, raising his thumb and trying to reassure them. "I've got this," he says, as he begins to tie the rope securely to the windowsill.

"Yeah, I think I'll pass!" She says, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Yeah, me too" Replies Adam, nodding his head in agreement.

Romeo throws the three bags out of the window without a second thought. "Oops," he adds, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly as Lina and Adam's jaws drop in shock.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING ABOUT ?!?!", Exclaims the girl, her voice rising in anger and frustration as she glares at Romeo and keeps shaking his body.

"That was the only way to make you get out of the classroom without dying", Replies Romeo while holding her hands, trying to defend his actions.

"You're making it sound like we're in a zombie apocalypse! She retorts, rolling her eyes.

"I have one condition!", Says Adam, holding up a finger and looking at Romeo and Lina with serious expressions.

"And what is this condition?" Ask Romeo and Lina in unison, while Lina is confused by Adam's statement.

"I'll be going first!", He explains, "I want to test its safety myself", looking at Romeo with a challenging gaze.

-Romeo: "No you're just greedy because you think the rope might not hold on."

"How sharp can you actually be?" Retorts Adam, raising an eyebrow and shaking his head in disbelief.

Romeo throws the free end out the window and turns to Adam, "Here goes nothing!", Says Adam. He takes a deep breath and with a firm grip on the rope, starts to descend, the rope tight in his hands.

"Hey! That was actually kind of fun!", He exclaims as he reaches the ground safely.

"Wasn't it a bit scary?", Asks Lina as she looks at him with a mixture of relief and envy.

"A bit at first but I did enjoy it!", Grins the president and gives her a thumbs up.

-Romeo: "Lina, go on. It's your turn now."

"I know, I know", She approaches the window, her legs feeling like jelly. She puts one foot on the sill and looks down, but as she does, she starts sweating and feels like the ground is moving beneath her. She quickly pulls her foot back inside and turns to Romeo, her face pale. "I-I'm afraid of heights," she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. The boy keeps looking at her quietly for a while, "This could be such a drag", He says as he keeps trying to figure out a second escape plan for her.

"ROMEO!!! Wha... What are you... WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?", Romeo gently wraps his arm around Lina's waist, pulling her close to him. He moves slowly and carefully, making sure not to startle or stress her as they make their way down the rope. He holds her securely, making sure she feels safe and comfortable as they descend. With his other hand, he guides the rope, ensuring a smooth and steady descent. Despite her initial surprise and embarrassment, Lina finds herself leaning into his embrace, feeling a sense of safety and comfort in his presence.

"ROMEO!!!" she exclaims, her voice shaking with confusion and embarrassment.

But Romeo doesn't falter. He keeps her in his arms and keeps descending down the rope slowly and carefully, making sure she won't get stressed. Adam, who is taking photos of the scene, is surprised by what he's seeing. He never thought Romeo would be so bold.

"I bet Alex is the one who told you to take photos," Romeo says, turning his head to Adam.

Adam chuckles, "Sure he did!" he says and hands Romeo and Lina their bags. "Take your bags, lovers."

Lina, her flushed face growing even redder, started hitting Adam while she was still trying not to think about what just happened, "No WE'RE NOT!" she stammered, still flustered. While Adam simply held his hands up in surrender, "Okay okay... Calm down," He teased, chuckling softly as the girl stopped her clumsy cute action, "You're enemies, okay?"

Lina, talking to herself, was trying to make sense of what just happened, "Wait, what just happened? Did he really just touch me like that?" She thought to herself, the moment she raised her head to look at Julien, she immediately drew her eyes away, feeling a surge of warmth coursing threw her body right after.

"And why did it feel so smooth?" She thought once more, her hands over her burning-up cheeks, totally ignoring her surroundings, "Why did I like that sensation? Oh no, no, no, this can't be happening. I can't be falling for him, that's not how it's supposed to be. I need to shake these thoughts out of my head. This is so confusing and overwhelming. Why does everything have to be so difficult? Gosh, this is tiring", She tried to shake off the confusing emotions she was feeling and focus on real life, but it was all in vain, those stirring emotions couldn't help but grow bigger and stronger, completely overwhelming her.

As for Julien, he looked at the confusing Lina, lightly hitting her head, "Snap out of it," He said, prompting Lina to raise her head, getting back to reality, "Let's get out of here before anyone notices us leaving," He added, securing a hat over his head along with the mask.

Lina, with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment, glared at him, "Quit hitting me like that!" She stammered, still clearly embarrassed, "That's why no girl wants to be with you because you don't know how to treat us properly."

Then there was Adam, trying to lighten the mood by chiming in, "Wow, Julien. You really have a feisty one on your hands," He said, putting his elbow over Julien's shoulder as he smiled.

"Who are you calling feisty?", Said Lina, A hint of defensiveness in her voice after turning to Adam, "And what do you mean by 'one on your hands'?"

Meanwhile, Julien simply shrugged, "I've grown used to her attitude, I suppose."

"What? You're teaming up with him already?", Shouted the girl as she turned back to Julien with watered eyes, getting even more irritated as she pointed at Adam.

After their playful banter, Julien felt his phone vibrating, "I just got a message," he said after pulling up his phone, switching his interest to the screen, "Sara's waiting for me at the entrance. Lina, do you want to tag along?" He invited his friends, and Lina didn't appear happy with what she just witnessed.

"No, that's okay," Lina, with a hint of nervousness in her voice, replied, "Adam and I are neighbors, so we'll be fine."

"Are you sure?", Asked the boy, giving her a second chance as he pocketed his phone, "I could treat you to an ice cream like last time."

"I said it's cool", it felt like her tone got a bit serious now, her eyes avoiding looking at him as she stood closer to Adam, "Go on, don't keep 'your Sara' waiting!"

Julien didn't say a word as he walked away, catching up to Sara. Adam, standing there in shock, watched as he left with Lina. As they continued on their way home, Adam turned to Lina and couldn't help but ask her about her strange behavior, "What's going on with you Lina?" He nudged her gently with his elbow, "Did you really need to give him the cold shoulder?"

Lina, crossing her arms with a huff, decided to spell out what was crossing her mind, "He's always mumbling about Sara, Sara, Sara!" She started, and Adam appeared to be expecting such a reaction as he listened, "That stupid, brainstormfreak! Is she the only thing on his mind now? He changed the moment he met her, you know. Idiot."

"Why are you getting so worked up about this?" He said after giving Lina a curious look.

Lina, avoiding Adam's gaze, kept the conversation going, "I'm not getting worked up," she said, a sigh escaping her lips, "There's nothing between us, so there's no reason for me to worry about it."

"Really?" Smirked Adam, his hands reaching the straps of his bag, "Because it looks to me like you're a little bit jealous."

"Jealous?" She couldn't help but glare at Adam with her suddenly flushed face, the turned back to look at the street right away, "Of course not! Why would I be?"

As they reached Lina's house, Adam kept standing a little and decided to have his share of fun by playing with her thoughts a little, "And do go with him to the coffee shop, okay?" He said, perplexing another cute flinch from Lina's body.

"Why should I?", Added Lina while putting the key on the gate lock, "Let him take 'His Sara' with him!"

"I thought I told you to take care of the boy not do the opposite. See ya!" Then he took his leave while trying to hold back his laughter.

The girl, pretending not to hear that line at first, got inside and shut the door aggressively, "What the hell is wrong with you?", She said as she slowly felt that the heat was about to join the show, "Coming up with such a line before leaving?"

She got to her room and kept holding her phone while wearing a look of guilt because of the way she treated Julien before leaving the school, "Should I accompany him to the coffee shop", Her thoughts started racing with those words, sitting on her bed without turning the lights of the room, "I don't know maybe he needs some time for himself..."

A moment of realization struck her head, "He said that the owner is..." She thought, and suddenly, her eyes started to gleam as she switched to her persistent persona, "Never mind I'm going!!"

As Lina made her way to the coffee shop, her mind was filled with a mix of emotions. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret for the way she treated Romeo earlier, and she was not sure why she was even here, waiting for him. The clock ticked on, and as she glanced at her watch, she realized that it was now 6:45 pm and there was still no sign of Julien.

Her stomach sank as she started to worry that maybe he was not coming at all. Despite her mixed feelings, she couldn't shake the feeling of longing to see him. She tried to push the thoughts away and focus on the present, waiting for him to arrive, "What can I say", Added the girl with a sigh tagging along, her head leaning on her hands, "He has every right to hate me after all!"

Something cold touches her cheek, "What the...", Says the girl before turning around, and finding Romeo standing behind her while pressing an iced coffee on her face, "It took you long enough", He says before sipping some of his coffee.

"R... Romeo?", The girl is still finding it hard to comprehend that he's not mad at her, "Did you teleport or something?"

"Take this coffee", He adds, avoiding her meanie side, "It's on me."

"Thank you", Lina, feeling guilty for her previous behavior towards Romeo, hesitantly accepts the iced coffee from him, her eyes downcast as she mutters quietly, "Seriously though, when did you come?"

"I was waiting for you inside the coffee shop from 5:00 you know", He answers while messing around with her hair.

"Really?", Says the girl, trying to prevent him from messing up her hair more, "Why didn't you call me then?"

He lends her his phone, showing her that he tried to call her 5 times, "You didn't pick up."

"Let me check my phone", Says the girl before realizing the reason why she wasn't able to answer his calls, "Oh, it's out of battery, aha! I'm sorry about that!"

"Yeah, whatever.", He takes the girl by her neck, keeping her hung mid-air, then starts walking, "At least tell me where are we going stupid brainstorm!", She exclaims.

"Huh? You already know though", He adds, "We're going to meet my superior."

As they walk to the coffee shop, Romeo seems to be in his usual self, unfazed, while Lina is fidgeting with her hands, unsure of what to say or do. When they arrive at the office and Romeo opens the door, Lina is surprised to see his superior greet him with a warm hug, and she can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Lina's heart sinks as she watches the coffee shop owner, embrace Romeo tightly. She can't help but keep frying her insides as she watches the two interact, noticing the way that girl's eyes linger on Romeo's face and the way she clings to him. That's when her thoughts start bursting into madness, " A freaking girl is hugging him!!!", She can't think straight anymore, " He's taken then? Is she his girlfriend? Why didn't he tell me? Does she Trallalla him this much? And does he actually, like, Trallalla her? When did he choose her? WHY did he choose her over me? I can't blame him though, she's gorgeous and successful. I'm quite an eyesore compared to her. I don't have a chance."

"Chance? What chance? What am I even thinking about?"

Romeo gently pries the girl off of him, "Amanda, if you keep hugging me like that, it's only a matter of time for my body to turn into slime", he says.

"What can I say honey?", Adds Amanda, still clinging to Romeo's arm, " You're just so wholesome, I can't imagine staying away from you! I just miss you so much, it's been an eternity since I last saw you!"

"Yeah it's actually yesterday", Then he starts pointing at Lina, "This thing is called Lina."

"This thing?", She can't resist the way he keeps treating her dirty which made her cheeks blossom in embarrassment even more.

-Romeo: "Lina, this is Amanda, the coffee shop owner."

Lina, still looking at Amanda, can't believe that she's the owner of the shop, "You're the owner of the shop?", Asks Lina, trying to process things, "That's impressive, to say the least!"

"Thank you!", Says Amanda, adding a soft giggle after her line, "I've worked hard to get where I am today!"

"Seriously, a high school girl running a successful business?", Lina is still trying to process the information and trying to come up with an explanation for Amanda's success, "It seems your parents must have had high expectations for you."

"Ha, I wish it were that simple.", It appears that Amanda is amused by Lina's assumptions so she decides to set the record straight and says, "I started this business on my own, I'm 32 years old. Do I actually look like a high schooler? Thank you for saying so, little Lina!", Then she starts squishing Lina's face.

-Lina: "Wow, I mean, 32 years old?"

-Romeo: "She has a son as well you know."

"HOLY MOLY SHE'S A WHAT??", Starts Lina screaming in disbelief, " You're a mother? I thought that you were a couple you know!"

"You're loud", Interrupts Romeo, "both of you. And what's up with that assumption of yours all of sudden, Lina?"

"We finally meet your girlfriend, Romeo!", Says Amanda, appearing to look happy for the boy after that assumption. Lina hides her face right away after hearing that line, to avoid leaking more clumsiness, as for Romeo, he gives quite a sigh as if he's saying "This is such a drag" and then adds, "She's not my girlfriend."

"Oh, I see", Says Amanda after sharing a little gasp, "Too bad, she's quite a figure though!"

As they sit down and Amanda starts to discuss lovely with them, Lina can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as she notices Amanda's lingering glances and touches on Romeo. She tries to shake off the feeling and focus on the meeting, but it becomes increasingly difficult as Amanda continues to flirt with Romeo.

"Look at this photo", Says Amanda after lending the photo to Lina", It was taken on my son's birthday!"

"You see this man over there", Adds Amanda while pointing at someone in the photo, "This is my husband!"

"What is Romeo doing here?", That's what Lina said after getting shocked by the boy's presence in the photo, "And you keep clinging to him even though your man is with you! Doesn't that make him jealous or something?"

"Actually, my husband loves Romeo even more than me", Then Amanda adds a soft giggle.

"Now if you excuse me, I've got some work to do.", Says Romeo before standing up, "Amanda, I'll ask about a favor after finishing my work, okay?"

-Amanda: "Sure thing sweet heart!"

"Behave yourself, smol thing", Then he flicks Lina's forehead and leaves those two alone.

As for Amanda, she keeps gazing at Lina for a while, "So you're not a couple?", Adds Amanda, "That's too bad, you look too close, to be honest."

"Same goes for you", Adds Lina, starting to get a bit irritated, "I mean, the way you keep sticking around him like glue even though you're married, isn't that a bit off?"

"Not at all sweetie", Answers the woman, a hint of gratitude in her tone, "I just feel so thankful to Romeo that's why I keep showing off my love to him!"

-Lina: "Huh? Thankful? What do you mean?"