This update's officially up and running! This one's a little boring compared to the others but there are quite a few revelations here. Reply time.

Rose Enaid: Thank you! Also concerning that question about the movies bit: which emotion are you mostly like based on their reactions when it comes to watching movies? Desiree's eating disorder probably might escalate after this. And it's true that we all need critiques.

HollyAnne1084: That's okay you can always comment on other things XD (Angus: I'm NOT jealous!)

CNBW: That won't come for a while… but it's nice to come up with a few hints. I'm glad you enjoyed it though!

Tripledent: Oh I wanted him to but I decided to make their choices a little inspecific. It sounds a little awkward to come up with movie titles or include official ones. Also, thanks a heap. I may be told that quite frequently but it does help.

I even got a recent update from Dancingwiththesocks! I'm so glad you're ok and still active on this site. And hearing your message only helps keep me and my works going even more. Thank you.

Take care, all, I apologize in advance for any mistakes, and enjoy.


The weekend was over. Everyone went along doing their own thing the night after the pool party. It was now a Monday morning throughout the neighbourhood.

Sadie awoke to the rays striking from her window. She stretched her arms and turned to her side to realize she wasn't alone in her room. There was her brother, sleeping next to her with his arm over her lap, causing her to shriek. Felix's eyes shot open and gasped.

"What are you doing here?!" she cried.

"Huh?" Felix moaned as he sat up to rub his eyes. "Oh, you were whimpering when I came to check on you and I stayed until you fell asleep. I guess I fell asleep too, so here I am now?"

"You're impossible," Sadie sighed and leapt off her bed.

"Hey, you know what day it is: It's the day I go to your workplace to back you up from those jerks whose names escape me," Felix reminded.

"Fine, but if you embarrass me then I'm going home."

"Hey, better me than them, right?"

"Where's my son!?" they heard an old voice mumbling from the outside. Then he burst into her room. "Sadie, have you seen my- Oh, there you are. Oh, I thought I lost you!" Freddie wailed.

"You're overreacting, dad. I'll have a shower then make breakfast," Felix yawned.

"That won't be necessary, sport. Sam beat you to it," Freddie chuckled.

"Always an early bird," Sadie mumbled before leaving to wash her face. Freddie turned to his son. "You know, Felix, you've been awfully quiet yesterday. You never made a single comment at the movie we watched and you didn't say a word when we attended mass. Did something happen at that pool party?"

"P-pool party, what pool party?" Felix stammered.

"And every time I talked to Sadie about it she kept directing me to you," Freddie went on.

"I-it's really nothing dad," Felix answered, his cheeks flaring.

"I know that face. You and Joy did something, didn't you?" Freddie teased.

"No?" came his unsure answer. His cheeks only flushed more.

I knew it, Freddie thought. "Alright then," he said with subtle disbelief. Before Felix could sigh in relief, he nervously gazed at his father, who turned back to look at him.

"I hope you haven't done anything undignified," he said sternly. Felix shook his head and sighed defeatedly. "It was…. It was just a French kiss, dad. I know where our boundaries lie."

Freddie was dumbfounded. Is that why he was so distracted? "Oh, that's all?"

Felix's frown deepened, and so did the hue on his face. "Yes, that's all."

"Alright! As you were," Freddie said and moved his wheelchair out of the room, mumbling incoherently. Whatever it was, Felix knew he was being teased.


Angus drove Desiree to the studio that same morning. Some of the employees who stuck around outside the building noticed the car and began exchanging whispers.

"Thanks for dropping me off," Desiree began. Angus stared at her with his hand tapping the steering wheel. He noticed she wasn't staring back and shook his head away from her.

"Don't mention it. But, Desiree, you do know that if there's anything wrong, you can always talk to me, right?" He wasn't good at this. Even she knew that.

"I would but I don't want to come back with you saying you can't help me," Desiree answered, hinting that same issue he never wanted to discuss.

"Look, I know what you're talking about. And I really—"

"Need more time?" she guessed, leaving him speechless. "I've been waiting two years, Angus! Our third-year anniversary is coming up in two months and you haven't made up your mind. What's your damage?" she rambled on with demand.

Angus gritted his teeth. "I really don't want to talk about it, okay!"

"Then when will you?"

There was brief silence. Angus released his grip from the wheel and clenched his trousers, obviously tensed. Desiree rolled her eyes and stepped out of the car. I have no time for this.

"Pick me up at three," she said like she always would and shut the door before him. Without another word, Angus turned on the siren and revved off, leaving Desiree to sigh with disbelief.

"Is something wrong, flower?" said a smooth voice. She rolled her eyes. "Back off, Aaron, and go count your bills elsewhere."

"You know I need you for that." He winked at her, causing her to shove him roughly.

"Go get your client to do your dirty work and leave me alone!" Desiree snapped as she turned her heel and ran off inside. Confused at first, it suddenly hit him on what was going on and snickered.

"Alright; I'll play this game."


Joy was the last one to leave her home that morning. Her parents had already left before her to run their own errands. As she made her way to the bus stop, she paused in front of Sadie and Felix's house. On most occasions the two of them would catch the same bus to work together, the price which Sadie would have to walk a few blocks to her workplace if she chose to go with her. She walked up the steps and poked the doorbell.

"Sadie, someone's at the door!" Felix shouted, his voice echoing from the bathroom. He heard no response and called her name again.

"I'm a little busy!" Sadie said from the other bathroom, sitting on the toilet while reading one of Felix's psychology books. Freddie and Sam were out in the backyard and were too busy rambling about their garden to hear the doorbell. Felix groaned and stepped out of the bathroom with his robe on, lazily tying a knot as he approached the front door. He looked through the peeping hole and blinked at the person he saw. He unlocked the door and opened it all the way.

"Hey, Joy," he greeted.

Joy was taken aback by his sudden appearance and noticed he was still soaked. His violet hair that darkened to that of wine or almost black, drooping on the left side of his face, the light flush on his somewhat bewildered features, and the fact that he just got out of the shower in a robe; it was a lovely sight to see at eight in the morning.

"Oh! Hi, Felix. I thought you already… left," she slowly swooned.

Felix smirked sheepishly. "No, I already said I'm not going to work today. I'm visiting Sadie at work."

She clapped her hands and looked away awkwardly. "Ah, I see! Whew, is it hot in here?"

The Nerveling narrowed his eyes slightly as his pupils darted back and forth. "Uh, yeah it's summer. That's why I took a shower," he answered obliviously.

"R-right, of course!" she chuckled and thought inwardly, 'That killed the mood.' Seeing the slight disappointment in her eyes, Felix blinked in realization. "Oh… n-no not at all. Or is it just you?"

Joy burst out laughing. "You have such bad timing when it comes to flirting! It's adorable." As her laughter died down, she felt her nose twitch and inched towards him. "Is that… lavender?"

His eyes widened and cheeks flushed. "Huh? Oh, yeah, it is. I ran out of soap a week ago and Sadie got me a lavender-scented one. Her first impression was, 'It's purple, so it's yours, Felix'," he laughed. "Ah, good times."

"That explains a lot. In saying that, you should probably dry yourself off. Your hair is… raining," she giggled.

"Huh, so it is," Felix spoke smoothly and pulled the door further. "Come in."

"Oh no, I-I'm okay waiting out here. It's sunny and I could use a little Vitamin D," she declined.

Suit yourself, was what Felix was going to say until he heard Sadie's faint echo, "Let her in, bro. And don't tell her I said that."

"Was that Sadie's voice?" Joy asked. Felix gave her a 'what-do-you-think' look, yet he took Sadie's plan as an opportunity and gently took her hands in his.

"Maybe? Look, just come in," Felix insisted.

"No, I'm fine waiting out heee-aaah!" Joy squealed as he pulled her inside and closed the door. Their lips briefly met as a final greeting. She loves how his bravest moments always hit her unexpectedly.

"Now stay," he commanded and left the scene to his room. Joy let out a gleeful chortle and walked to the living room, where Sam and Freddie were. Startled to see her entrance, they welcomed her immediately, much to her protests saying she won't stick around for long.

"Apparently my son's been pretty darn quiet during the weekend and told me you two kissed," Freddie began. Confused, Sam interjected, "But they always kissed. What made him so," until she realized, "Oh, that kiss. Oh dear."

Joy's eyes widened and blushed. "Y-yeah… but I beg your pardon, Freddie, it was my fault. I shouldn't have—"

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, dear. If anything, it was long overdue," Sam interjected once more.

"It was?"

"Sure! The guy could use a push. He's prone to running away when it comes to those sorts of things," Freddie replied.

"Oh… how do you know?"

"A fatherly instinct," he answered quickly. "And that one time where he told me one of his co-workers tried to kiss him and he ran. Good on him!"

Satine, Joy growled inwardly. "I can't wait to meet her," she mumbled ominously instead. Not long after they started talking, Sadie and Felix arrived in the living room.

"We're leaving. Let's go," Sadie murmured softly.

"And yours truly is driving you there," Felix added while spinning his keys around his index finger.

"Thanks! Bye Freddie, bye Sam!" Joy grinned and trotted out of the living room, dragging Sadie and Felix with her on the way out.

"Take care," Sam called.

"And stay safe!" Freddie added before hearing the sound of the door slam.


The school was their first stop. Joy hugged Felix and Sadie farewell; but before she could exit the car, she felt Felix grab her hand.

"Wait! What if Sloane tries to frame you, o-or get back at you?" he stammered worriedly.

"Hey, I can take care of myself. Besides, you'll delay Sadie's job." She leaned in to kiss his nose. "I'll be fine." She grabbed her bag and exited the car. Felix watched her leave until he heard Sadie's signalling cough. He pushed the gear exited the car park, allowing another one to enter.

As Joy entered her office, she noticed Sloane's belongings were no longer on her desk. She smirked and beckoned a social studies teacher. "So, did Sloane finally quit the job?"

"No," muttered the social studies teacher, with obvious intimidation masking her voice. Joy squinted. "What do you mean?"

"It means she's handed her job to me," said a snobby voice. Joy froze, her heart stopping at the dreaded sound of pride in her voice. She slowly turned her head sideways, albeit not looking at who was behind her. Even after all these years, even when they no longer made any sort of contact with each other, she recognized that voice.

"You haven't changed at all. You're still that same pathetic teacher's pet who befriended a couple of plebs, my ex-user-friendly tramp, and her tool of a boyfriend."

Joy glared and clenched her fist, keeping her back turned. "You know, I thought you changed, but I guess I was wrong."

"No, you're right. I did change. I learned how to overthrow any crowd they throw at me, how to overcome anything no matter what people say, and how to overpower anyone who stands in my way. I've gone past my pride thanks to you, and I'm loving it," she said with distasteful pleasure, making Joy shudder. She gathered every ounce of courage she could to turn around and meet those deep violet orbs. She hasn't changed a bit, other than having longer hair – which looked thicker and shinier than before – violet eyeshadow, more piercings on her ears and one on her rouge bottom lip. Joy shook her head with disbelief.

"Hannah."

"Joy."

"How did you get this job?" Joy asked, trying not to panic. "And what have you done to Sloane?"

"I haven't done anything to her. She is my sister after all," Hannah answered.

"Your… sister?" she asked dumbfoundedly. It's no wonder their surnames were identical!

"That's right. She may be lazy when it comes to work; but when it comes to dirty work, she knows how to get the job done. I simply got my work cut out for me without getting my hands dirty," Hannah went on while examining her black nails.

"Yeah, well, I'm not letting you take over this school," Joy warned.

"Duly noted. But I'd watch my back if I were you. I've got some juicy gossip about you and your friends, especially your little gal pals, Desiree and Sadie. If all else fails I can always make up lies about Sir Beanpole and Brickprick. I even noticed how handsome your nerdy boyfriend got over the years and I already thought of ways to blackmail him," she said almost hoarsely.

"You wouldn't," Joy hissed.

"Oh, I will. I'm the one who got Sloane to blackmail Principal Raine. If I can get Principal Raine fired without having to see each other eye-to-eye, then I can take you and your friends down all at once just as easy. And we all know you wouldn't want that.

"So… yeah, try not to best me nor get me in trouble this time, sweetheart. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on my way to teach these peasants that pride is power." Hannah walked past Joy with ease to rest her bag on her new desk. Joy's face went red with anger.

This cannot be happening.


"Alright, sis, just show me their faces and I'll give them what for," Felix challenged as they entered her lab. "Should I even be here?"

"You're a dork," Sadie mumbled. "And no, but I granted you access so you should be fine to stay for a few minutes."

"And proud of that. I forgot how big this hospital was. I'm usually too dazed or unconscious to notice," Felix commented. Unknown to them, they heard the door creak open and footsteps getting louder until they pressed to a halt.

"Felix, darling!" squealed a voice. Felix jumped on Sadie's arms, screaming.

"SATINE!?" he yelped.

"Darling…?" Sadie repeated incredulously.

"Ew, she's touching him, Satine! Let him go, Sadie. You already have enough people in your life," came the frustrated tone in Levy's voice. Felix ignored Satine's presence as he pulled himself out of Sadie's arms to glare at Levy.

"So, I heard you're that girl who's been bullying my sister," he snarled.

"Oh, what a coincidence: siblings meeting siblings. It's almost like a double date!" Satine swooned, completely ignoring the Nerveling's frustration.

"Siblings!?" Felix and Sadie stammered.

"Duh! We're sisters and you're unidentical siblings," Satine stated.

"Whoa, whoa, wait, how did you even get here?!" asked an angered Felix. He wasn't going to admit their unrelated sibling bond.

"I, like, heard you weren't coming to work so I decided to visit my appalling younger sister at her job. But I didn't expect to see you here, Feely," she said in a low seductive whisper.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Sadie mumbled to herself. Then she checked her titrations from last week and glared daggers at Levy. "You stole my flask didn't you!?"

"Please, it was obvious you didn't come back to finish it, so I finished it myself. Our boss said the endpoints weren't accurate enough, so I blamed you. After all, it's about time someone admitted their imperfections," said Levy's raspy tone.

"'Admitted their imperfections'? You really don't know me," Sadie growled, tears forming in her eyes underneath her glare.

"Okay, that's enough!" Felix snapped. "Satine, Levy, if you both have nothing good to say to us then get out of here and make yourselves useful!"

"Ugh, fine. At least I don't have to look at her all the time. Come on, Satine, there's this really hot guy I received as patient and he's coming back today. I hope Sadie doesn't take him from me," Levy said as she tried to drag her sister out of the room.

"I'll see you in a minute. I have to talk to Feely first," Satine insisted, causing Levy to growl and exit the room. Felix rolled his eyes. "'Feely'?! Give me a break. For the last time, Satine: I'M. IN. A HAPPY. RELATIONSHIP!"

"If I don't see her, then I won't believe you. You'll have to let her meet me sometime," she flirtatiously responded. Sadie sticked her tongue out in disgust.

"Oh, great idea! Meet up with her," Felix raised his voice sarcastically then shot her a sneer. "And then what? Get rid of her so you can have me? No chance! I know your game."

"Jeez all I want is to meet her then I'll leave you alone. Otherwise, I'll be the only one you'll ever think about even when you leave work." Satine winked, much to his irritation, and exited the laboratory.

"Wow… I've seen desperate girls but she's a whole new level," Sadie mumbled. "And why does she look so… fake?"

"She is fake. Almost everything about her isn't natural. I always overheard her stories flaunting about how she gets all these transplants, o-or implants. It's a nightmare!" he answered.

"Felix, you need to get out of there. She could violate you! S-she could lull you to sleep and take you in your dreams," Sadie spoke conflictedly.

"Sadie, you're spiralling. And I'm not letting her have her way with me. Also, didn't you say there was another person bullying you?"

"Lester? Oh, he's usually early so he's not coming. He probably got gastro again," Sadie deadpanned.

"Okay… that's disgusting. So, what're you supposed to be doing?"

"Well, the titrations can wait. Right now, I need to examine these bacterial cells. The doctor couldn't identify it so he turned to me for answers," Sadie answered.

"Bacterial cells?! Are they contagious? Are you sure your safety gear is adjusted properly? Did you take your Vitamin C this morning? Put your mask over your nose! Why aren't you wearing safety gloves!? Where's MY safety gear!?" Felix cried.

"That's why you shouldn't be here. And stop worrying so much," Sadie muffled through her mask and snapped her gloves on. "I know what I'm doing."

"I hope you do. Do you need any help?"

Sadie smiled. She wanted help since the day she started working! "Grab that lab coat and goggles and go get me an Erlenmeyer flask."

Felix nodded eagerly. "Right back at ya, sis."


And that leads to the end… of this chapter. Wonder what'll happen to Angus at his job... The next update will arrive soon.