"What do you mean?" Nina looked troubled.
"The end of last term, I started spending time with Mara. After Jerome cheated on her, then ending up with Joy, she's been having a bit of a hard time. So I ended up spending more time with her because of it. She was great to be around, but it felt like there was something missing."
"It didn't really hit me until we went to see a film together. We," Fabian motioned to the two of them, "never even made it to the cinema when we were together, and it didn't seem right. I told her we could only ever be friends afterward, and she told me she didn't want to be friends anymore. Shortly after, she got her scholarship to this really high-class science school. It worked out for the best, but then I felt sort of alone again... after being back here again for another year without you here, that's when I decided I was going to find out a way so you could come back."
Nina shook her head and chuckled. "We're pathetic…."
Fabian nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we are. But I'm okay with it if it means I have you."
"I promise I won't do anything like that again." She mumbled.
No matter what happens, she will not leave again without explanation. Even then, she will not leave Fabian. He was her rock in this crazy world she lived in.
"And I promise not to listen to people's advice, even if they mean well." Nina looked at him, her eyebrow raised.
"Listening to Alfie and your Gran is what caused everything to snowball."
"Ohh…" Nina mouthed.
"Who says you can't be best friends and dating anyway?" Fabian said, kissing Nina on her head. "Besides Amber, anyway. Though I think she's changed her mind about that." Fabian chuckled. Good old Amber.
"Come on, it's almost supper time." Fabian stood up, holding out his hand. Nina grinned, and took his hand.
"Why would you hug her?!" Patricia's voice was starting to rise.
"Patricia!" Eddie hissed. "Quiet down! Listen, she's been feeling guilty about that letter she wrote to Fabian, and leaving us to deal with the crisis on our own. She feels that she abandoned us, which isn't true. But anyway, when I did hug her, we saw a vision."
"What about?" Patricia asked suspiciously, it seeped into her tone.
"We were in some random tunnel, with a sarcophagus, mosaic, markings on the wall, and another tunnel with thick webs blocking the way. That's all we saw before the vision abruptly ended." Patricia believed him.
"What do you think that means?"
"I don't know…we're not even sure where they are, much less why we saw it. Nina's never seen a vision before, so it was new for her. She has a lot going on right now, so please try being a bit sensitive."
"I can be sensitive!" Patricia cried defensively. "Nina IS one of my best friends you know."
Trudy walked in then to take their supper out of the oven. The couple walked over to the table and joined their friends.
"We're going to need a bigger table if anyone else moves in," Jerome joked, reaching for a roll on the table.
"About that," Trudy said excitedly, "we're expecting two new male students to be arriving at the school in the upcoming days."
The students looked up at Trudy in surprise.
"Don't tell me… they're both American." Jerome mumbled, Joy nudged him.
"Actually one is American, the other is from here in England. Now don't worry, the attic's being renovated and the two new students will be rooming up there. We'll also be getting a new dining table; you guys are already so cramped down here." Trudy scurried out of the room.
"Looks like we'll have to be extra careful with Sibuna again," Fabian said.
Amber and KT were hunched over at the corner end of the table, giggling quietly.
"What's gotten into you two?" Patricia asked. "Two new boys!" Amber exclaimed. Everyone around the tabled snickered.
Except for Alfie.
"Attention!" called a familiar voice. "I ask that you all be in bed early tonight, I have a very important person coming to the house and I need you all in bed." Victor gave the students a look that said he was both disgusted and irritated. Then he said, "that is all," before he waved his hand in dismissal and crept off down the hall.
"Well that's not good…" Alfie said, furrowing his eyebrows with pursed lips.
"No, it's not…." said Eddie, looking after Victor suspiciously.
"Whenever Victor asks us to go to bed early, it's always a bad thing," Nina pointed out.
"Victor never does ANYTHING good. That's like, a Victor rule," Amber said before talking animatedly with KT again.
Everyone was able to get Victor and the visions out of their minds, and continued their happy conversations at supper. Everyone had but Alfie, who gazed at Amber from across the table. She was back, and it was a really good thing. But why did it fill him with dread?
The alarm began ringing at 7 AM, dull sunlight poking through the breaks in the drapes. Nina, Amber, and KT slowly sat up, stretching their arms and greeted each other.
"You have no idea how much I've missed this." Nina said, bending down to put her slippers on. "I'm an only child, so I never had to share a room with anyone, until I came here."
"I missed this, too. Fashion school was kind of boring…. Wow, I can't believe I actually just said that," she said to herself in surprise.
KT laughed, "Hey Amber, can you help me put together an outfit?"
"Sure, what for?" Amber started rummaging through the wardrobe. KT was a bit hesitant to explain why.
"Who is he?" Amber asked her bluntly, her arms crossed. "Since all of the boys in this house are taken…"
"Ah, he doesn't…I mean, I don't know yet," KT sat down on the end of her bed. Amber laughed.
"Sometimes I swear it seems you and Nina could be related…or maybe it's just an American thing…" Amber trailed off, becoming consumed with her thoughts. Nina shrugged at KT, and walked out the door with her toothbrush and toothpaste in hand.
Jerome passed by Nina on the way to Joy's room.
"'Morning, Nina." Jerome greeted her politely.
"Good morning, Jerome." Nina said before shutting the bathroom door.
Jerome held a tray with two Danishes and two glasses of orange juice. He stood outside the door, listening to see if the girls were still asleep. He heard Willow talking about flowers. Jerome gently knocked.
"Come in," Willow shouted.
Carefully, Jerome opened the door with one hand, managing to keep everything remaining on the tray.
"Good morning, Joyous," he said happily.
"Aw Jerome, you didn't have to. I was about to head downstairs," she sat on her bed, fully dressed and ready to start the day.
"Humor me." Joy sighed, a smile spreading across her face, and scooted up toward her pillow.
"We're going to head downstairs, then." Willow led Patricia out of the room.
"So I was thinking," Jerome began, snatching one of the Danishes off the tray, "that we go out on a double date with Patricia and Eddie, or Alfie and Willow, or…"
"Nina and Fabian?" Joy finished for him, taking a bite of the Danish. "Don't worry, I'm completely over that."
"You sure? I'd understand if you weren't-" Joy cut him off.
"I'm sure, a hundred percent sure," Jerome sighed in relief.
"Oh good, I don't know what you even saw in him…" Joy pursed her lips, smiling, and threw a pillow at Jerome's face.
AN: If you've read up to this point, please let me know what you think so far! Especially since things are about to get interesting. x3 Remember, this fic is unfinished as of now, and the more comments I get saying they like It Doesn't End Here, the quicker I'll get around to finishing it up, as I write fics for Miraculous Ladybug that are my priority. Expect a total of ~26 chapters of content until I need to continue writing it, so you still have plenty to read!
