Meet up plan

"Huh...?" "Like I said, you're free from your student council duties." "I get that... But why so suddenly?" "Well, it's a long story..." Aliyah explained that just yesterday, someone came to her house and asked to hand over the student council duties assignment to him. I questioned if that person was someone Aliyah knew. Aliyah shook her head, confirming that she had never met him. "Did you at least know his name?" "I think he told me... But I'm having a hard time remembering it. I'll let you know who once I remember it." "Okay, thanks." I waved at her and was getting ready to leave.

"Wait!" Suddenly, Aliyah grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the door. "What's wrong?" "Ah, how did Hugo do in this midterm?" "...It didn't go well for him." Aliyah and Hugo have been friends for longer than me, I can understand her worries. "Hah... I offered to tutor him but he still refused." "Why did he decline?" I asked, tilting my head. "I'm not sure myself... He didn't mention why he didn't want to be tutored." Aliyah says, clearly bothered by Hugo's low score. "I'll try to talk to him later." "That'd be great, thank you." She let go of my hand and I left. Some time later I returned home. I immediately rushed inside, excited about being freed from my student council duties. When I got inside, I saw a note left on the table. It wrote

'Hello, Sherry,

This is Mom and Dad. We will be going abroad for work in Singapore and will return during your next semester. Please take good care of yourself.

Love, Dad'

"This totally feels like I am an anime protagonist..." I sighed, put the note back, and went to bed. I thought about where to go for this year's summer break. Going on a beach could be fun, but we've been there many times since 8th grade. As for mountains, I doubt we have the stamina to climb one.

Out of ideas on where to go, I checked my phone to see if anyone had said anything in the group chat. When I opened it, Enola had already asked if they were available to meet at my house tomorrow. Lucy agreed, but Hugo was having some difficulties. I asked what time they'd come, and Enola said around 8 A.M. I agreed to those terms, but told them I might still be asleep.

The next day came and as expected, I overslept. I woke up to the sound of knocking at my front door. I checked the time, 8:18 A.M. I hurried over to open the door, worried I might make them wait a while. "Sorry for making you guys wa-" I froze when I only saw Hugo at my front door. "Where's everyone else?" I asked, tilting my head and checking my front yard to see if anyone else had arrived. "I didn't see them, they could be late."

Scratching his head, he asked if he could come in, to which I agreed and let him in. An awkward silence fills the air as we sit in the living room. "So... do you have any suggestions for this year's summer break?" I asked, trying to break the silence. "Hmm... Maybe a carnival...?" "A carnival, why?" "Well... not only we haven't been there, but there's also..." He explains the new rides and a 30% discount for 2 weeks, which is a steal, but will the others agree?

"I'll give it some thought, thanks for the suggestion." "No problem, can I go back?" "Stay here for a bit. I would like to hear the others first." We waited for a while until Lucy and Enola came. "Sorry for the wait!" Lucy yells, opening the door. "At least be polite if you know you'll be late!" Enola says, tugging at her ear and apologizing for being late. "That hurts!" "Then listen to what I told you." I accepted Enola's apology and let them in, The two sat down near Hugo.

"So, about this year's summer break... Where do you two think we should go?" I asked Lucy and Enola where we should go for this summer break. "Hmm... how about a mountain range?" Enola suggested, raising her hand. "That's too tiring!" Lucy exclaims. " Then where should we go?" "I'm thinking of the beach!" "Nonsense, it's too hot!" Enola yells at Lucy. "Yours is worse than mine!" "Huh!? No way!" The two started bickering again, I sighed and told them to stop. "What would you guys like to do for this summer's break? I'll narrow it down." I said.

Hugo suggested some fun activities, Enola advised a place with good views, and Lucy suggested a place that's not too hot or cold, and to meet new people. I wrote down their suggestions and looked for a place that fit the criteria. The three waited and talked with each other while I browsed the internet. Two hours have passed and I still haven't found a good place. "Have you found one yet?" Lucy asked, looking over my phone. "Still nothing good yet..." I exhaled, feeling stressed out. "You can search it later Sherry, take a break," Enola suggests I take a break. "Okay, I am a bit tired after all..." Lucy and Hugo decided to go home for the day, and Enola stayed behind to search for it with me.

Enola and I spent hours looking for a place good enough for the summer break. There were some close ones, but they were either fake, closed or too expensive. I asked why Enola chose to stay with me today, she told me it's been a while since she stayed with me. She then asked if she couldn't stay over, I let her know that wasn't the case and I was just surprised. I then asked why she didn't invite Lucy with her, she told me that Lucy had something to do in the evening so she couldn't stay.

Suddenly, Enola heard a notification sound. It was her mom asking her when she would be home. Enola panicked, and she was going to go home—until... Crack! A flash of lightning suddenly struck near my house. Enola shrieked and hid behind me. "Are you still afraid of lightning?" "Of course I am! Why wouldn't I?" Crack! Another one struck just as Enola was about to finish her sentence. "You sure you still wanna go home?"

"Ah... I think I still do..." She hurried to the front door, still shaking due to the lightning. "You sure? Because another is gonna strike in three... two...-" Crack! Another one strikes even closer than the previous one. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR SOMETHING!? YOU KNOW I'VE ALWAYS BEEN AFRAID OF THUNDER...!" Enola grabs my collar with tears in her eyes. "Alright, alright calm down...!" I apologized and raised my hands. "...Fine" She lets go of me, whimpering. "Do you want some hot chocolate? I'll let you stay for the night." "Sure..." Enola sits in the living room as I prepare the hot chocolate.

As I prepare the hot chocolate, I see Enola scanning the living room. She seems to be looking for something. "Are you looking for something?" I asked Enola, who was still scanning the living room. "Are your parents not coming home?" Enola responds. "Oh, they're going abroad for work." "Abroad? To where?" "They say they're going to Singapore." "That's nice, but when will they go back?" "Next semester, they say."

"Next semester?! That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?" Enola raised her voice. Shocked that my parents will be back in the next semester. "Could be, but I don't want to disturb their work." "Just give them a call once a week." "...That doesn't sound too bad, I'll call them next Saturday." I smiled at Enola for the suggestion. Once the hot chocolate was ready, I handed it to Enola, and we chatted as she sipped it.

We talked about our past, specifically our middle school days, and how she missed those days. I agreed with her and told her that we were separating slowly. And that is also why I'm looking forward to where we will spend this year's summer break. Now Enola understands why I looked so focused when searching for a place to spend summer break. We continued talking for another hour before heading to bed. I let Enola sleep in my room because my bed's big enough for three people. I told her to sleep first because I'd shower, but she insisted and asked if she could use my shower too. I allowed her but only I took mine first.

Enola checked out my room while I was showering, she noticed a few plushies on top of the shelf. Ranging from cartoons to popular animes. She also saw a picture from our middle school. It included Lucy, Enola, Hugo, and me. She giggles as she remembers our middle school days and how wild it was back then. "You like this picture, huh?" I tapped her shoulders, unaware that I had just finished showering. "Huh!? Done already!?" She said hastily. "Yeah, you can take yours now. I'll clean the bedding." I cleaned the bedding and waited for Enola to be done showering.

Enola finished taking a shower and came back. I told her she could use my pajamas for tonight but reminded her to return them when she could return. I was about to turn off the lights and head to bed when Enola asked if she could ask something. She asked if I had noticed about Hugo's strange action. Enola mentioned when Hugo was staring at us from a distance a couple of days ago. "You noticed it too? I thought only I did..." "Don't you think something is going on with him?" "Nah, I bet it's just him being shy because of his low score." I shrugged it off as him being shy, Enola, however, doesn't think that's the case. "Let's just talk this tomorrow." "...Sure." I turned off the lights and we both headed to bed.