Chapter 8 : Prank

"Congratulations, man," Elli said, patting Fred on the shoulder with mock sympathy. "You've officially set a new world record for stupidity."

"Your friend is heartbroken, and you're—"

"Heartbroken? You need to have a heart to break in the first place," Elli interrupted, opening a bag of chips and munching on them.

"You seriously betrayed your friends for a girl? You deserve to die. I'm telling you, you wouldn't even get a place in hell for this."

Fred stared at Elli, his eyes filled with guilt and anger. He knew she was right, but he couldn't help but feel bitter towards her for making fun of him in his moment of weakness.

"You know what, Elli?" Fred said, his voice trembling with emotion. "I'm sorry. I know I messed up. I shouldn't have betrayed my friends. But I was just so... I don't know. I was just so caught up in the moment."

Elli stopped eating her chips and looked at Fred with a mixture of pity and disgust. "You were caught up in the moment? That's your excuse? You seriously let that girl call the police on your friend? I had a match with that girl, and our school still has a match with theirs. You seriously didn't suspect that she wanted revenge?"

Fred hung his head in shame. He knew that Elli was right. He had let his friends down, and he deserved to be punished.

"I'm sorry, Elli," Fred said again. "I really didn't think things through. I really didn't know girls could be so cunning."

*Thwack*

A ball hit Fred on the head. Turning around, he saw Amaya and Sophia standing with the other boys.

"Who are you calling cunning?" Amaya asked, striding towards him.

"Ama! I wasn't calling you!" Fred exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. Seeing the sour expression on the boy's face, he gulped.

"W-what happened? Did the police officer say something?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly. His eyes were filled with terror.

Seth walked past Fred without a word and grabbed his bags and boots from the ground. The deafening silence of Seth's actions sent a chill down Fred's spine.

"Seth—" Fred began, but his voice trailed off.

"Ama, I'll stay at your home tonight. Tell my mom." Seth said, his voice devoid of emotion.

Fred's heart skipped a beat as he grabbed Seth's wrist. "Where are you going? What about the practice?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Seth clenched his jaw, his eyes blazing with anger. He glared at Fred. "Practice?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "There needs to be a match to practice, and thanks to you, we're kicked out of the match now."

Seth pulled his hand away from Fred's grasp and stormed off. Fred watched in horror as the other boys followed suit, grabbing their belongings and leaving him alone in the empty stadium.

Fred knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't believe that his stupidity had cost his friends their last high school football match.

Fred stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He ran out of the stadium and caught up to his friends.

"Wait!" Fred shouted.

His friends stopped and turned around. They looked at him with a mixture of anger and disappointment.

"I'm sorry," Fred said, his voice trembling. "I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean any of this. I just wanted to pull a little prank. I didn't expect her to really call the police on you guys. I'm really sorry.."

Seth, Jay, Elli, Amaya, and Sophia stared at him for a moment. Then, one by one, they began to smile, then burst into laughter along with the other boys. Fred raised his head, tears filling his eyes, confused by their laughter.

"Pfft-hahaha," Amaya exclaimed, hugging Seth and laughing so hard that she clutched her stomach. Amaya wiped away her tears and walked towards Fred. "Man, we were also pulling a prank on you."

Fred stared at Amaya, then at Seth, and released a loud and heavy sigh.

"You all scared the shit out of me," Fred said, walking towards Seth and embracing him. "You're really great at acting." He whispered with a chuckle.

Seth smiled and patted Fred's back. "I was seriously pissed though."

Sophia and Elli smiled and joined them in a hug.

Fred laughed and hugged his friends tightly. He was so relieved that they had forgiven him and that it had all been a prank.

Capturing the moments into pictures, Amaya stood at a distance, her camera lens trained on her cherished companions. A warm and gentle smile, tinged with a hint of wistfulness, played upon her lips as she stared at them. But as she gazed upon the image she took, her smile slowly faded, replaced by a profound sense of loss.

Her eyes drifted skyward, where thousands of stars twinkled like celestial fireflies. "What is running in your little mind again?" Sophia murmured, her voice soft as a whisper carried by the wind. "I don't want to lose any weight so you better stop making me run in your mind all day and nights." A gentle hand encircled her waist, and the familiar melody of Sophia's voice filled her ears, bringing a flicker of warmth to her heart.

"I'm thinking how life would be of yours.. if I'm not around." Everyone paused and stared at Amaya. "If we fight in real-"

"Did the prank take a troll on you?" Elli questioned, her voice as soothing as a summer breeze with no hint of anger. "Our friendship isn't an option for you, it's an order from Lord himself. Want it or not, we're stuck with each other for a lifetime."

"Life where Amaya isn't present, I'll never want it." Fred said, embracing Amaya tightly. Amaya's gaze fell upon Seth, who stood alone at the edge of the group, a wry smile playing upon his lips. "Oh trust me," he teased, his voice laced with a hint of mischief, "I'll live happily and with peace especially if you won't be around." Amaya chuckled and shook her head in amusement.

Amidst the lively chatter of her friends, Amaya couldn't help but notice the puzzled expressions on their faces. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she ruffled Elli's hair and posed her question, "Seriously, all I asked was a simple question because I was thinking of going on a trip yet you guys seriously thought I'll ever leave you alone?"

Confusion etched itself upon their foreheads as Sophia inquired, "Trip?"

Amaya's smile widened as she elaborated, "Yes, a trip but now I'm thinking of something else." Cupping Sophia's face gently, she gazed into her eyes, her own brimming with happiness. "How about a group trip instead?" she asked, her voice filled with anticipation.

"A group trip?" Fred questioned, his curiosity piqued.

Amaya nodded her head enthusiastically, her gaze shifting to Seth. "I was planning on booking a solo ticket in a Flora Resort for the whole two weeks, but now I'm thinking about a group ticket for us? The date will be three years later from today's date, June 12th at 12 P.M."