Part 7!!
I don't have much to say….other than please review!!
(I don't own these characters)
Truth or Dare
Pati
Gill was acting…strange…that much Elli knew for sure. He wasn't even pretending to work today. He just sat at his desk, staring straight ahead at nothing. The room was so silent…too silent. Elli was afraid to breath, afraid that she would make some sort of sound that would break him out of his trance.
Gill sighed heavily.
That's sigh number forty three…" Elli thought, glancing at him worriedly. The poor dear….what's wrong?
He grabbed the book in front of him, flipped through the pages, then set it back on the desk with another sigh.
That was it! Elli had had enough! She shoved her chair back and got to her feet, stomping toward the door, she jumped when Gill said her name.
"Elli…where are you going?" He asked, eyebrows raised.
"E-Em….out."
"Oh…" he mumbled, eyes shifting toward the window.
She just stood there. Was he really going to let her leave that easily!?
Apparently.
She left, tucking her blue hair behind her ears and went in search of Pat.
---
She and Pat had become friends recently when they found out they both were avid fans of "I couldn't help but love you." Now, Elli wasn't alone in her late night marathons, and the two of them met every so often to discuss Elli's various theories, especially those on Gill. She found the young inventor having lunch at the inn, parts of what looked to be a broken clock were scattered on the table in front of her. One hand curled under her chin, the other tapping a spoon against her red glasses that were balanced on the tip of her nose.
"Pat!" Elli said unhappily, taking a seat next to her. "He's worse today!"
Pat peered at her over the rim of her glasses. "Gill?" she asked.
"Yes… he just keeps sighing…"
"Hmm…." Pat mused, touching her lip thoughtfully. "I wonder what it could be…"
Just then Chase shuffled into the room.
"What will it be?" he asked Elli dully.
"Oh, whatever Pat had." she said glancing up at him momentarily, and then second glanced. His face was just as lifeless as…Gill's….
"Alright..." he sighed and shuffled back to the kitchen.
"Do you see what I see!?" Elli whispered to Pat, pointing at Chase's stooped form.
"No…what?" Pat said cluelessly.
"He sighed!" Elli exclaimed.
"I don't get it…"
"Just like Gill!!"
"Oh…." She blinked at her. "I still don't get it…."
Elli tugged at a lock of her hair. "I think Chase has what Gill has. Something is wrong with both of them…but what…"
"Oh…" Pat glanced over her shoulder for the cook before leaning over the table and whispering to Elli. "I hope it's not contagious…"
Elli sighed.
"You caught it too!?" Pat exclaimed, jumping back.
"No, no…I didn't." Elli reassured. "But lets think…what could have caused these two boys to act so strangely? And nearly the same symptoms too. Sighing, blank expressions; more than normal in Gill's case, not talking much…"
Pat shrugged her shoulders. "How should I know."
"Well, think with me!" Elli exclaimed. As much as she loved her new soap opera buddy, Pat seemed to be a little distant sometimes when it came to people. Elli decided to try another method.
"If this was 'I couldn't help but love you,' and Gill was Daniel and Chase was Edmund--"
"Oh, I love Edmund!!" Pat suddenly gushed.
"I know! Me too!!" Elli squealed in return, then regaining her composure she said, "What would make those characters act so morose at the same time?"
Pat thought for a moment.
"I suppose….a girl." She mumbled.
"Interesting…" Elli said, tapping her chin. "The same girl, perhaps."
"No, no, no!" Pat exclaimed passionately. "Daniel is in love with Bridget, and Edmund loves Samantha!"
"No, I'm talking about Gill and Chase now."
"What does Gill and Chase have to do with anything!?" Pat exclaimed, dumfounded.
Elli sighed. "We were talking hypothetical!"
"Oh…I suppose they could like the same girl."
"Hmm…so something is up between Gill, Chase and some girl…" Her eyes suddenly lit up and her hand flew to her cheeks. "Oh! A love triangle!?" She squealed.
Pat nodded. "But who is the girl who stole their hearts?"
"Well, it has to be someone close to both of them…someone who can charm a sarcastic cook and thaw the heart of an iceman."
"Oh, wow! That was so poetic!" Pat exclaimed admiringly.
"Thank you!" Elli bat the air with her hand and blushed.
"But who could it possibly be?" Pat wondered, eyes scanning the ceiling as Chase shuffled in and placed a bowl of soup in front of Elli.
"Enjoy." He muttered halfheartedly, then shuffled back to the kitchen.
Elli watched his slow retreating gait, pity filling in her heart.
"We must find out who it is and then…I don't know…should we help them?"
Pat shrugged, "We won't fully understand the situation unless we have a reconnaissance man. Someone who is with them when Gill and Chase are together. That way they can easily spot who the third person in the triangle."
"Oh! I know just the thing!" Elli exclaimed, slapping her hands together. "They go play Truth or Dare everyday with a bunch of friends. That has to be where all the juicy things happen!"
(Oh dear Elli,…you have no idea…)
"But who would be our spy?" Pat asked.
Elli thought for a moment. She didn't know all of the people who played, only Chase and Luke for sure…Chase very well couldn't spy on himself and Luke….well, lets face it…Luke would be figured out in mere seconds. It had to be either Pat or herself. But because she was a little older than the others she feared they might act differently around her. So that left…
"Pat!" Elli shouted. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to gather information regarding the fascinating love triangle, via becoming a member of the Truth or Dare game!!!"
Pat stared at her blankly. "Say what?"
"You will join the Truth or Dare club and research the love triangle between Gill, Chase, and…some girl!!"
"Really?"
"Yes! How often does one present itself in real life!? Hardly ever! We can't pass up this opportunity!"
"Well…I guess…"
---
Akari had lost her sheets sometime in the middle of the night. Now they were dangling from the light fixture and swaying slightly from the breeze that filtered in through the open window. Her eyes slowly opened, only to be closed again, then reopened, then closed. Continuing this process for a few minutes, eventually her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. She squirmed into a sitting position, stretching her arms and back, running her fingers through her hair and causing it to stand straight up. Yawning and more stretching followed, until she heard the two brisk knocks at her door.
"What? Someone at the door this early?" She glanced at the clock. "It's the afternoon!? I'm late!!" she gasped, flinging herself toward her dresser and tugging on clothes that only kind of matched. There was more knocking while she tried to calm her wild hair.
"Oh yeah! The door!" She had completely forgotten that someone was there.
Pat was standing on her doorstep with an awkward expression on her face.
"Pati!" Akari cheered. "What brings you here!?"
Pat shuffled her feet uncomfortably and mumbled, "I've heard that you play Truth or Dare everyday around this time…and well, I--"
"You want to play!? That's great!" The brunette cried.
Pat nodded. That was easier than she had expected.
"Well, lets see…" Akari glanced at her wrist where a watch would have been but wasn't. "I'm running really late…so do you mind coming with me to go get Gilly?"
"Oh, of course not." Pat smiled.
"Great! Lets go!" She started walking off down the road, Pat close behind, toward Town Hall. As they walked, Pat reviewed the goals of her mission. A: To find out who the third side of the triangle was. B: To figure out what has happened so far. And C: To find out who the side of the triangle was, either Gill or Chase, that had unrequited love. One side always had unrequited love, that's what made love triangles interesting.
When they arrived at of Town Hall, Akari kept walking and Pat followed, confused at where she was going. They turned and walked around the building, stopping here and there momentarily, where Akari would step back thoughtfully and examine a window or some notches in the bricks. Then they would continue around the building until they were back to the front. Pat would start for the door and then realize that Akari was circling the building again and would have to hurry and catch up with her, while the brunette searched with a determined frown on her lips.
"What are we doing?" Pat asked, after their third lap. "Are you the building inspector or something…?"
"No, no, silly." Akari laughed, checking to see if her boot could fit in a gap in the bricks. "We are searching for a point of entry."
Pat furrowed her brow. "How about the door?" She mumbled.
"Pfft! Doors are no fun! That's where people expect you to enter! Why not enter through a place you aren't expected to enter!?" She exclaimed, throwing up her hands. "And who said you had to enter through doors anyway!?"
Pat blinked. "Well, its just…what they are there for…ya know…"
"Yes, but doors can be locked." Akari pointed out. "It's difficult to get through a locked door."
"But that's the point…"
"Oh never mind Pati. Here!" She exclaimed, stopping suddenly. "Do you think you could hoist me up into that tree!?"
Pat inspected said tree. "I suppose…" she mumbled. "But what are you going to do in the tree?"
"Well, first I'll pull you up." she said, miming the action. "And then we will climb to the top branches and jump onto the roof. There has to be an attic or something with a secret door up there."
"So you are going to use a door."
She tipped her head to the side. "I guess….do you think people come through that door often?" she asked.
Pat just stared at her, waiting for her to laugh or…something. But she didn't. She was dead serious.
"No, I really doubt that." Pat muttered.
"Oh good!" Akari clapped cheerfully and then said, "Okay! Hoist me up!"
Pat bent her knees and hung her arms low, fingers interlocked. Akari put one foot in her cupped hands and steadied herself with the trunk of the tree.
"Okay, one, two, three!" Pat pushed with all her might as Akari reached to get a hold of the lowest branch and scrambled her way up it. Then, after securing her legs around the branch, she reached down and helped Pat up. They were now sitting on the branch facing each other, huffing and puffing.
"Alright." Akari said. "Going up?"
Pat nodded.
They made their way up the tree branch by branch, careful whenever one snapped threateningly, and whether or not it was strong enough to hold their weight. Akari was on the highest branch closest to the roof inching her way to the edge. Pat climbed up behind her and waited until she was safely crouching on the roof before she made her way over and joined her.
"Ta-Da!" Akari sang, as Pat's foot touched the shingles.
Pat gave her a weak smile and then followed her as she pulled herself across the tiles. It was a tricky process…as soon as their foot felt secure on a shingle they would suddenly feel as if they were about to lose their balance and wobble precariously.
Eventually they made it to the very top where everything was relatively flat. Akrari scanned the area for some sort of door as Pat took a rest on a funny box-like thing.
"Wait! What are you sitting on!?" Akrai shouted, making Pat jump right off of it. "Ah-ha! It's a door thingy!" She ran over and pulled the top off, revealing a ladder that sank into the blackness.
Akari and Pat exchanged looks.
Akari's was 'YAY!'
Pat's was 'Are you kidding me?'
Akari went first, going down the ladder backwards. When she reached the bottom she whispered up to Pat that the coast was clear. Pat sighed and descended.
It was dark, wherever they were, and it smelled like old shoes. Akari was searching the floor for another trap door, when her hand got tangled in something sticky.
"W-What is this…?" she whispered fearfully. "It's a sticky thing…that's…that's light and feathery."
"It's probably just a spider web." Pat mumbled then grimaced, sliding her hands across, what felt like, mouse poop.
"Oh…" Akari sighed with relief and then gasped as she felt something crawling up her leg. "Wha-what's that on me!? It's heavier than a spider….at least, I would hope a spider wasn't this heavy…"
"Probably just a mouse. It certainly smells like them up here."
"Oh…" Akari sighed again, and shook the mouse off her leg. It squeaked its anger at suddenly being launched across the room. She then swallowed hard when her hand slid around a cool object that had the weight of metal. "I think I found it!" She whispered happily, just as something wailed at the other side of the attic.
"What was that!?" She cried, finding Pat's arm in the darkness and gripping it fearfully.
"I-I don't know!" Pat replied, gripping Akari just as hard.
They heard it again. A long high pitched wail that made their blood curdle. Then a flapping sound, and more wailing. They pulled closer to one another, trying to shrink away. Suddenly the whole attic seemed to come alive as the flapping and wailing seemed to be everywhere at once. Through the dim shafts of light they could see black figures darting around. Then they were in their hair and all around their bodies. Flapping and wailing.
That's when they screamed, a terrible murderous scream.
---
Three flights below the party in the attic, Gill and Elli were doing the exact same thing they had been doing all day.
Nothing.
Elli was staring at the clock, wondering when Akari would show up and drag Gill away, and Gill was actually trying to pretend he was reading a book. She would have bought it too, if she hadn't noticed he never turned the page.
They heard the strange bumps in the attic, but figured it to be the mice or a cat chasing after the mice. Then they heard the scream.
It was so loud and piercing that Elli screamed along with it, while Gill, knowing where it had come from, was running up the stairs and pulling the secret door in the ceiling open. He was up the ladder and in the little attic quicker than you could say 'Kalamazo,' with his arms spread out he scooped up Akari and calmly told the frightened Pat to follow. Akari's arms were still wrapped tightly around his neck long after the secret door was closed and Elli was at her side trying to find out what was going on.
"Bats." was all Gill said in explanation.
"But why were you up there!?" Elli tried to urge from Pat, who sat wide eyed.
"A point of entry…" was all she said.
Akari hid her head in Gill's shoulder, her eyes still closed, her body stiff. He tried to set her down but she refused to unhook her arms from around his neck. Meanwhile Pat finally snapped back.
"Bats?" she asked Gill.
"Bats." he said again.
"Oh…" she touched Akari's shoulder and whispered softly. "Bats…It was just bats."
"Oh…" Akari sighed, then looked up. "Gilly…?" Her eyes widened at the signs of worry on his face. "Gilly? Why aren't you shirtless?"
---
Arm in arm, Akari and Gill walked up the hill to the Special Spot with Pat close behind.
"Hey Akari!!" Luke waved from under the tree.
"You're always the first one Lukie!" She marveled, as she skipped over and sat next to him, making sure to save a spot for Pat on her left. Gill sat across from her as usual, his face read 'Don't mess with me, Luke,' and his hands almost automatically went to their ritual routine of tearing up blades of grass. A short while later Juli arrived, and sat down with a quick grin to Akari and dagger to Luke. Candace and Luna followed close behind and sat next to each other. Then finally Chase, the one they had all been waiting for, appeared on the horizon. The first thing they saw was one of those little frilly headbands with the white lace and the black velvet bow. Then the dark ruffled bodice that laced up like a corset in the back and exploded in frilly fabric at the skirt. A small, white, heart shaped apron was tied around his waist, where his normal apron usually was, with the big bow knotted at his lower back. His face was the color of a cranberry, his knobby knees screamed of over exposure as he tried to pull the skirt down to cover them, and his violet eyes were a mix of embarrassment and hate.
There was one thought that trickled through Pat's head,
What have I gotten myself into…?
"Oh! Chasy!! You look adorable!!!!" Akari gushed, and couldn't help but run to him and wrap her arms around his skinny shoulders. His face reddened even more, and then seemed to glow like a stop light when they all started laughing at him.
Juli was dying, he was tearing up at the sight of Chase and was laughing so heard he couldn't breath. Luke was also hysterical, with his constant pointing and laughing. Needless to say, Chase made himself a reminder to beat him to a pulp later that day. Candace and Luna were raving about his feminine beauty while Gill hid his face in his hands. Whether he was crying or laughing, nobody knows. Pat's face was a sight to behold. It was a strange combination of shock and pure pleasure, as if this was a fantasy she had longed to live for some time.
"Shut up!" Chase finally bellowed, after they all had had a good laugh. "Let's play the game now, shall we!?" He plopped on the ground, spreading his legs apart.
"Don't flash us!" Luna shrieked, shielding her eyes.
"It's okay, Luna, he is wearing gym shorts underneath." Akari said with a smile.
Chase rolled his eyes and hoisted the skirt up to his waist, exposing the red shorts underneath, before dropping the skirt again and straightening it.
There was a few more snickering and then silence as they all waited for Akari to speak.
"Everyone, Pat has joined us most recently, so she should go first." Akari proclaimed.
"Oh…okay…" Pat mumbled, feeling the heat as all eyes turned to her. "Um…" Remember what you are here for! her inner Elli sang. "Alright." she finally said. "Chase, truth or dare?"
"Dare."
Hmmm…what should it be? Something that would help indicate who he likes, but nothing too obvious.
"I dare you to hug everyone in the circle."
Instantly Luke jumped up and ran a good thirty feet away.
"I've had enough Chase lovin to last me a lifetime! I'll pass!" he called back to them.
"Good! I'd rather die than hug you anyway!" Chase hollered back as he fixed the ribbon that fell into his eyes.
Pat raised an eyebrow to the others in confusion and Juli helped clarify. "There was a dare where they had to kiss."
Her jaw dropped.
"Oh, don't worry! They actually didn't kiss…it was fake, but it did look…intimate…" he teased, with a silly look at Chase.
"Okay…?" Pat mumbled.
"Alright! Whose first!?" Chase asked, getting to his feet and stretching his shoulders. "Gill! How bout you!?" he walked toward the blond boy, arms outstretched.
"No." Gill warded him off.
"Oh, come on Gill! Don't deny your feelings!" Chase spewed, as he latched his arms around him. Gill's face transformed to that of intense pain, his teeth bared, his knuckles clenched. Then Chase released him and went on to the next.
"Luna…you have dreamed about this, haven't you?" he asked her.
"You in a French maid outfit? Yes."
He rolled his eyes and hugged her quickly.
"Candace…" He said, glancing down at the girl whose cheeks were turning redder by the second. He wrapped his arms around her gently, so as not to break her, and then went on to the next. Because Luke had run away, it was Akari. His face had turned scarlet before he even looked at her grinning face and outstretched arms. He didn't know what to do, suddenly his body wouldn't move when he told it to. So she ran up and hugged him instead, causing butterflies to dance in his stomach.
"Oh Chase!" Juli exclaimed, as he suddenly ran up after Akari and caught him in a bone crushing hug.
"Can't…. breath…" Chase gasped.
Once he had been set on his feet again, Chase stood in front of Pat with his arms open. She didn't get it.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Hug?" he asked back.
"Me?"
"No, the gorilla behind you, of course you!" And with that he wrapped her in his arms. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and yet she was loving it.
"Alrighty!" Akari declared, once everything had calmed down and Luke was once again sitting next to her. "Chasy it's your turn."
"Candace, truth or dare?" said Chase.
"Truth." she whispered.
"Now don't take this the wrong way," he clarified, "but because this is your first truth, the normal first question is if you have a secret crush. So…do you?"
Her eyes flew around the group and settled on the grass. "Yes….yes I do…" she breathed.
Juli straightened up a little for some reason, a small smile on his lips.
"Oh, okay….cool… Yeah, so your turn now." Chase added, while fiddling with the lace on his skirt.
"Um…Luke…truth or dare?" Candace said.
" Dare!"
"Oh….well… I dare you to sing 'Mary had a little lamb' while a….rock is in your mouth."
"Oh! Good one!" Akari exclaimed.
"But rocks are dirty…" Luke whined.
"Your mouth has seen worse." Chase commented. "Don't think I've never seen you do that one thing!"
"No! You've seen that!?"
"Yes! And I'll tell everyone!" Chase threatened.
"No! No! No!"
"Sing then!"
"Okay…" he put a rock in his mouth. "Muahwe haff ha wittwe wamb, wittwe wamb, wittwe wamb, Muahwe haff ha wittwe wamb woos wheesss wasss whi wasss wooooooo!"
"Beautiful." Chase said with an exaggerated eye roll. Candace was grinning.
"My turn!" Luke cheered, after spitting the rock on the ground near Luna whose face shriveled in disgust. "Ah…Akari! Truth or dare!?"
"Dare!!" she sang with just as much enthusiasm as Luke.
"Ha! I've got a good one!!" Luke exclaimed with a snap of his fingers and an animated wink.
"Goodie!" Akari clapped.
"Alright! I dare you to prank call Dr. Jin at the clinic!!"
"Oh really?" she tipped her head to the side.
"Is that not a good dare?" Luke leaned forward worriedly.
"No, it's a great dare…it's just….I prank called him just yesterday."
Gill rolled his eyes.
"But I'll do it again!" she added cheerfully. "Does anyone have a cell phone?"
"I do!" Luna said, handing her the device.
"Alright…" Akari mumbled, pressing the number keys and then holding the phone up to her ear and motioning for the others to be silent. "Is this the clinic?" she asked, then waited as someone on the other side was talking. "I need to speak with Dr. Jin. It's an emergency. Oh…okay…" she smiled to the others, then her face transformed immediately into a mischievous smirk. "Doctor! I don't suppose that you're--….um…no….I don't even know who that is…" Her face fell. "Anyways, I was wondering if--…yeah,…yeah,…yeah, I won't call again…bye." She pressed the off button and looked at the others. "He knew it was me…"
"Oh…." Luke said, disappointed. "Well, it's your turn now."
"Okay!" she rubbed her hands together greedily as her eyes locked on Gill. "Truth or dare, Gilly!?"
"Dare." he muttered.
"Cha! I dare you to take your shirt off for the rest of the game!"
There was much gasping and snickering.
"No." he said curtly.
"Oh, you have to!! I revoke any and all chickens!" she grinned. "Do it!"
His blue eyes clouded over and he seemed to be frothing with displeasure, but he untied the little red ribbon from around his neck and set it aside before pulling the sweater-vest over his head. His hair was disheveled cutely, flicking up in all directions, and his cheeks had a faint blush upon them.
Pat's eyes widened, were these strange actions a normal occurrence here!?
Gill sighed as he unbuttoned his shirt to the background of Juli's catcalls. Luna and Candace were sitting forward eagerly, while Chase and Luke tried to shield their eyes. Finally, he unveiled his beautiful chiseled chest, and was marveled at by all the girls.
"Gill…you're ripped!" Luna exclaimed with a gasp. "Do you work out!?"
"No…" was the dull reply.
"Oh, you must! How the heck did you get so muscular then!?"
He didn't say anything, but his cheeks reddened a little bit.
"There's a gym in that basement of yours, right!?" Akari exclaimed, suddenly by his side.
"N-No!" he yelped, reeling back. "W-Why would you think that!?"
Akari's eyes narrowed. "I know when you're lying Gilly…."
Gill frowned, and then gasped as she poked his abs.
"Like solid rock." she said with a nod to Pat, whose eyes were wide with amazement.
"Whatever!" Luke jeered, suddenly stripping off his shirts and exposing his tanned muscled arms. "That's nothing compared to this!" And with that he flexed his bicep.
There was much ooing and awing.
"No way, Luke! You're ripped too!?" Akari gasped.
"Of course I am! I am a carpenter after all!" he made a show of twisting his arms and flexing. Luna clapping enthusiastically.
Akari suddenly turned to Juli expectantly.
"You're next, Ju-Ju Baby!!" she sang.
He laughed as he slid his jacket off his shoulders and then unbuttoned his frilly top. His long torso was tanned and had lean muscle like a swimmer. Candace blushed fiercely.
"Oh…you're pretty Ju-Ju!" Akari cheered as he struck a model pose, and then she turned to Chase.
"No!" Chase begged as a blush flitted across his cheeks. "Don't you think that you have put me through enough!?" he exclaimed pointing to the frilly maid skirt.
"No…" she giggled, coming up behind him and unlacing the corset backing. He was blushing crazily now that her fingers were brushing against his bare back, his breathing stopped and his palms sweated. Gill's face turned sour.
"There you go!" Akari said, once the frilly outfit was loosened.
Chase sighed, but pulled the entire dress over his head and sat among them in nothing but his gym shorts.
It was silent for a second as everyone took in the sight. Then Juli whistled.
"Ooh-da-la-di!" Luna sang, in her high pitch voice. "That cookin' has paid off!"
"What do you mean?" Chase frowned as he looked down at himself. He didn't have a six pack like Gill, or crazy large biceps like Luke, and not even the attractive lean muscle like Juli. He didn't even think he had any muscle.
"Well!" Akrai sighed, plopping down next to him and wrapping her hands around his upper arm., causing him to tense up. "Look at this muscle here." she slid her finger up his arm, he shivered. "It's probably the one you use to flip pancakes or something." He had no idea what she was talking about, all he knew was that she was very close to him. And he liked that.
"Feel my arm!" Luke said haughtily. "I bet it feels cooler than his arm!!"
And with that the spell was broken as she skipped over to marvel at his arm, then gave an attack-like hug to Gill, causing them both to tumble onto the grassy hillside.
While she was insisting that everyone come over and feel Gill's abs, Pat was lost in thought.
She was surrounded on all sides by half naked young men; and the only thought that swam through her mind was…
I can't wait to tell Elli!
---
After the game was finished, and everyone but Chase, Gill, Akari, and Pat had left the hillside, Chase grabbed Akari's arm and pulled her off to the side.
"A-Akari…I was wondering if…" He began a little uncertainly.
"Yes?" she asked coaxingly. "What is it?"
"Well…" he began again. "Do you think that you would want to go on a…..on a date with me?"
She stared at him blankly for a moment. Gill froze, suddenly feeling queasy as his stomach twisted into all kinds of knots.
"Yeah! That's a great idea!" she exclaimed. Gill's shoulders drooped noticeably.
Chase's face lit up. "R-Really!? You want to?"
"Of course I do!" she grinned. "And Gill and Pat could double with us!"
The light fell from his face, and the other two looked back at her in shock.
"That's not really what I…wanted" Chase said under his breath.
"It will be even more fun this way!" Akrai said excitedly.
"Yeah! I'm sure it will!" Chase said with false enthusiasm. Nobody was convinced…except Akari.
---
"How did it go!?" Elli asked Pat the second she had sat down at the little kitchen table in Elli's house. "Have you discovered who the third side of the triangle is!?"
Pat sighed heavily and pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Yes…"
"Who!" Elli exclaimed, so excited she thought she might burst.
"It's Akari."
Elli's eyes widened. "Why hadn't I seen this before…? Of course it is Akari, who else could it have been!?" She smacked herself in the head. "She is the only girl who has ever come near Gill!"
Pat nodded, then mumbled. "I have a date with him tomorrow night."
Elli nearly fell out of her chair.
"You what!?"
"A double date…me and him…Chase and Akari…."
"Oh?" Elli rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "You can gather more information that way…But tell me! Tell me! What happened!?"
"Well, besides the strange kissing dare between Chase and Luke--"
"What!?!?!?"
"They didn't really kiss…it was fake…but I was told it looked…intimate. Anyway…I didn't see anything too out of the ordinary." That was a big fat lie. "Well…other than Chase coming to the game in a French maid outfit, he makes a cute girl, and all the boys taking their shirts off and comparing muscles, yes, even Gill; nothing really happened."
Elli's face was utter shock. She didn't even know where to begin her questions, but before she had the chance to open her mouth, Pat continued.
"But I did corner Luna after the game and got some information…"
"Oh?"
"Apparently yesterday there was another kissing dare…this time between Chase and Akari if Luke couldn't find the square root of 625..."
Elli's eyes widened. "He didn't find it did he…?"
"Nope. He actually went looking for a square root." Pat said.
"A-And the kiss?" Elli asked fearfully.
"Well…that's where things get strange…You see, I guess they were about to kiss, touching lips even, and Gill pulled Akari away."
Elli gasped. "He did!?"
Pat nodded.
"The only reason I can come up with as to why things weren't awkward today, is that Akari isn't aware of Chase's feelings…everyone else is though. Even Gill. He seems to not like the thought of them together, but I cant decide if it's a brotherly thing…or something more…"
"Wow….nice job." Elli marveled. "So then…you haven't figured out who has unrequited love?"
"Not yet." She said with a shake of her head, then she sighed. "It's sad…even though Akari is so happy all the time, she is completely oblivious of others actions toward her."
Elli thought about that, this was going to be harder than she thought.
"So what are we going to do?" Pat asked.
"Well, I think you should continue playing the game, and go on that date of course. But other than that I don't know. I can't decide if we should help one of them…."
"But wouldn't that be unfair for whoever we didn't side with…plus you already are going to side with Gill aren't you?" Pat accused.
Elli's face turned pink with guilt. "Yeah…but he needs a love interest! This could be the only one that ever comes….EVER!"
Pat rolled her eyes. "That may be true… but maybe we shouldn't interfere…. Ya know, just let things happen on their own…"
"Are you kidding me!?" Elli exclaimed. "How many times have you seen a love triangle that ends up horrible!? All the time! Like in the case of Travis, Jenna, and James; Travis did not deserve Jenna! James did!!"
"Oh yes, I love James…poor guy ended up alone… The only reason he didn't get Jenna is because he didn't tell her how he felt! I know she loved him!"
"See! We can't let that happen here!"
"But…I like Chase more than Gill…You should have seen the sweet look in his eyes. He truly adores her." Pat confessed.
"And I like Gill more than Chase…The only time I see him smile is when he is with her." Elli added.
"Are we going to take sides?"
"I don't know…"
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End of part 7!
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