"Surprise!"

As evening approached, Andrea and Linda showed up at their doorstep, bottle in hand.

Elena stared at the two girls in pyjamas, confused. Her eyes snapped to Maya, who simply shrugged.

"We brought some drinks for a sleepover party."

Andrea and Linda insisted on coming after Maya called off their training. She couldn't stop them from wishing to help mend Maya and Elena's relationship, but feared their idea wouldn't be well-received. However, they were clever and brought a bribe for Elena, who decided to let it slide.

"Oh, how I missed your room," Andrea said, walking in, spinning around like a princess in a castle. "Why don't we hang out here more often?"

While Andrea was admiring their spacious room, Linda quietly helped Maya set everything up and prepare drinks.

"Oh, no! What happened?" Andrea picked up Maya's photo from the nightstand and looked at it with sadness. "You were so cute."

"Fire manipulation accident," Maya said quickly, feeling Elena's scrutiny.

It was natural for Elena to be suspicious as to why Maya just covered for her. Maya wasn't sure herself.

"That's too bad," Andrea said, returning it where she found it.

They gathered on the floor in the middle of the room, making themselves comfortable with pillows.

"Was there any news about the school dance?" Maya asked. She knew Andrea was just the person to ask for any updates about social events.

"Not much news yet, but I'm sure it'll happen. Here's the real question, though, Maya—who are we going to take as our dates? These two already have it sorted out. We need to step up our game."

"I don't have anybody settled," Linda said.

"We all know Isaac will ask you," Andrea patted her shoulder.

"You need to stop bringing Isaac and me up. Seriously. It's not like that between us," Linda seemed slightly frustrated, which was rare for her.

"But you guys are so close… Have you known each other before?" Maya wondered.

"No. We only arrived at the same time," Linda fiddled with her fingers. "I guess we bonded experiencing this new and scary thing together and found out we have specific things in common."

"Yeah? Like what?" Andrea demanded, feeling left out because Linda was implying they had something in common, something she didn't.

"Just the way we are." Linda shrugged it off.

Andrea and Maya both nodded subconsciously. Linda and Isaac were both quite introverted and wouldn't talk a lot with unfamiliar people around. It must be as they say: birds of a feather, flock together.

"How did you meet Andrea?" Maya suddenly began wondering. She was already quite close to them when Maya first met her.

"Like anybody," Andrea waved it aside. "I just randomly started talking once, and we connected. Just like with you, Maya… When I think about it, we are actually quite a weird bunch," she concluded.

"I guess we are," Maya confirmed, thinking about it.

"Speaking of the weird bunch, how did you and Keith become a couple, Elena?" Linda asked.

"Oh, yeah. I'm interested as well. And your rivalry with Sarah; I've missed out on when it all started," Andrea was getting excited.

"I'd rather not get into it," Elena said, content to be left alone with her glass.

"Please, I want to hear your side of the story. Sarah's always closed off about it," Andrea was pouting.

Elena hesitated but finally gave in with a sigh. "You know how they drilled us with different exercises during the summer. Well, Keith would sometimes fill in as a yoga instructor, so it was a popular activity with the girls…"

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"Gosh, I wish I were in that class," Andrea interjected with a dreamy expression.

Elena glanced at her, seemingly indifferent.

"Just like this," Elena said, gesturing at Andrea, "girls naturally began drooling over him, especially since the news of him breaking up with his ex came about. It was funny how desperate some girls were…"

"But not you," Maya made a snide comment.

Elena ignored her and continued. "One evening, Sarah boldly proclaimed that she would win him before the summer ended. I, of course, said that I bet that wouldn't happen, so we shook on it." Elena took another swig of vodka.

'How surprisingly typical of Elena—starting something through deals and bets instead of interest…'

"There were no rules set that I had to leave it to chance, so I started messing with her, in small, unnoticeable ways," Elena admitted through a hint of amusement.

"Gosh, I bet she raged out because of it. She hates that the most," Andrea said.

"Who doesn't?" Maya pointed out.

"Well," Elena continued, leaning back with a relaxed posture. "It was civil. Until…" She took another sip, smirking slightly. "I used a nail file to weaken the stitching on her yoga pants on the day Keith was overseeing the exercise."

"Oh, no," Andrea was fully engulfed in the story.

"It split quite nicely right down in the middle while she was doing a Downward Dog," Elena remembered while trying to suppress a malicious giggle.

Andrea gasped.

"That's horrible, Elena…" Maya said.

"She had it coming," Elena said sharply. "Should all her nasty actions towards me be dismissed just because I didn't have a meltdown like she did? And she did the unforgivable—she messed with my drinks."

For a moment, Maya thought she caught Elena's brief but piercing glance.

"It's not like I stepped on her chihuahua," Elena continued, rejecting all responsibility. "If she played it smarter, Keith would've been the first to jump to her rescue."

Keith was an admirable and altruistic person who would help anyone in trouble. At least Elena was well aware of that fact.

"Instead, Sarah proclaimed war and began spreading rumours that I was desperate for Keith's attention and trying to sabotage her out of jealousy," Elena smirked. "So I went with that, and the rest was history."

'All to win a bet…'

"So," Linda spoke after a long silence, confused, "you didn't even like him?"

"He isn't exactly my type," Elena confessed. "At first glance, he seemed like a male version of Sarah—a pretentious prince. I didn't plan on stealing him away. Honestly, I wasn't seriously considering him…"

Elena seemed to have gotten lost in her thoughts at the end, swirling the liquor in her glass.

Maya, too, was deep in thought. So Elena used Sarah's maliciousness to her advantage and started dating Keith to spite Sarah. Maya could bet that in Elena's mind, Sarah was the one who pushed Elena into being her direct competitor. However, the summer was long gone, and they were still together.

'If this doesn't prove anyone can change, then what does?'

"Remind me never to get into a bet with you," Andrea said.

Still… Elena's antics weren't something they could condone. What exactly did Sarah do? Besides mentioning her drinks, Elena strangely didn't specify anything to justify her actions. Spreading some rumours? Filing a complaint to move her out of the room? It was all they could infer.

"If it was only a bet, then what was at stake that you simply had to win?" Maya asked.

Elena gave her a long look. "I don't remember."

Andrea, Linda and Maya exchanged confused looks.

"Just seeing her defeated was satisfaction enough," Elena said with a smirk.

"I swear, Elena. If I didn't know you, I would think you're, like… evil," Andrea said.

Maya shifted uncomfortably. After hearing about Elena's tactics with Sarah, she worried that Elena might have already done something similar to get back at her. She had a sudden urge to inspect all her pants for sabotage.

Elena remained silent, leaving the atmosphere tense.

Linda decided to lighten the mood. "Can I braid your hair?" she asked Elena.

Elena's long, silky hair was simply too beautiful to resist, making Linda's desire to braid it understandable.

Elena looked puzzled by the suggestion but cautiously agreed. No one had ever made such an offer before, and she seemed to weigh its potential risks. Though Elena typically avoided physical contact, she made an exception this time—even Maya wasn't sure why.

"Great idea! Let's do each other's hair." A hint of excitement brightened Andrea's face.

She grabbed a hair comb and began running it through Maya's hair. The sensation was relaxing, yet it stirred memories of her painful past. The others must have noticed her drifting into thought.

"Are you okay, Maya?" Linda asked.

Maya blinked. "It's just…" She paused, a bittersweet smile crossed her face. "When I was little, my mother and I would spend hours together, just like this. She'd sit behind me on quiet evenings, gently running her fingers through my hair, skilfully taming these wild curls of mine…"

Elena hesitated for a moment, then quietly asked, "What was she like?"

The question caught Maya off guard. She slowly turned her head—as much as Andrea's hands allowed—to look at Elena. But Elena wasn't meeting her gaze; instead, she stared at the floor while Linda—equally surprised by the question—gently weaved her fingers through Elena's raven locks.

It made sense—Elena had never known her parents. Perhaps she felt remorse for burning the only photo Maya had of her mother.

Maya drew a deep breath and resolved to paint the best picture she could of her mother for someone who had grown up without one.

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