Chapter 7 Triangle
Following that encounter, Robert, try as he might, could not shake off the thought of Xolomon and the threat he posed. This background thoughts gave rise to a creeping anxiety that insidiously seeped into his daily life. Before long, Robert found himself living in a constant state of hyper-vigilance, anxiously watching for any sign of the ice monster's reappearance. Even as several days passed without any sign of Xolomon, Robert's uneasy did not fade. He kept a close eye on Oliver — during classes, in their hostel, everywhere. Tension clung to him like a second skin, and his heartbeat always quickened whenever he caught sight of Oliver's face. No matter how quiet things seemed, Robert couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was preparing to happen.
At the same time, another kind of tension was quietly taking shape.
A strain had begun to form between Dora and Vanessa, and it became increasingly evident that both girls harbored feelings for Robert—and that each were aware of the other's interest. Dora, being Robert's best friend, naturally captured more of his attention and spent a lot of time with him, and that closeness began to noticable behaviors from Vanessa that suggested jealousy.
Though neither girl spoke of it, an unspoken rivalry had taken root.
Robert noticed it too. The love triangle was unfolding right before his eyes, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the situation he feared became unavoidable. Whenever he was with one of them and the other was nearby, he would catch sharp, hostile glances exchanged between the two. The tension was palpable, heavy enough that he could feel it pressing in from all sides. A clash was inevitable.
Dora, surprisingly, handled the whole thing with impressive levelheadedness. At least at first. Ever since Vanessa publicly rejected Jackson and compared him to Robert the previous week, Dora noticed that the girl began spending time around him. Initially, it didn't seem like a problem as Robert spent most of his time alone and their interactions were infrequent. But as days passed, Dora began to see a pattern: Vanessa always seemed to be with him.
Even though Dora never voiced her displeasure to Robert, the realization wounded her deeply. But despite all levelheadedness, it became increasingly difficult for her to watch Robert and Vanessa grow comfortable around each other—to see them talking easily, laughing, and even holding hands. Robert, for his part, didn't intend for things to escalate. Every attempt he made to distance himself from Vanessa only seemed to draw her closer. She came everywhere; sitting with him in his favoured corner of the dining hall during meals, bringing him snacks during break time, introducing him to her many friends from the other classes, and even offering, once, to do his laundry.
Despite the sting Vanessa's actions caused her, Dora chose to endure it. She resolved to spend as much time with Robert as she could. While they hadn't made it official yet, Dora could sense that she and Robert were getting close on a romantic level, and she was determined not to lose that. Still, no matter how much time she spent with Robert, seeing Vanessa around him just as often unsettled her. She hated how effortlessly the other girl inserted herself into his life, and the thought of the two of them ending up together was almost more than she could bear.
Dora and Robert had formed a close friendship back in seventh grade when they met on the first day of school during a theatre play organized to welcome new students. The circumstances of their acquaintance wasn't extraordinary.
But here's how it went.
There Robert was, much smaller at that time, sitting in the third-to-last row of the theatre seats and homesick already, replaying his last memory with his mom from earlier that day, as he watched the other seventh-graders fill the seats. Some were already well acquainted and chatting comfortably. Robert distinctly remembered spotting Tom and Zarie chattering as they strode to the front row like they owned the school. Both seats besides Robert remained empty at first, but soon, just as the theatre was almost full, the seat to his left got occupied by a plump seventh-grade boy, who was munching biscuits from a packet as if nothing else in the world mattered. The boy's name was Yonnesse, and Robert never really got to know him, just like he never got to really know the rest of his classmates.
The entire theatre was filled with little students donning dark-blue casual wears. The seat to Robert's right stayed empty until, just as the play began and the curtains drew apart, someone began to make their way into his row. Robert wasn't looking, but he'd seen the person squeezing past Yonnesse's plump legs. As whoever it was passed him, Robert's nose was flooded by a strong wave of perfume that made him think of cold biscuits sprinkled with sugar. It was so heavy, Robert felt certain that the next breath he took had drawn no oxygen, only thick, sweet-scented chemicals. Just before the person took the empty seat beside him, Robert glimpsed the small bucket of ice-cream in their hand, and a skirt. It was a girl. He looked up, curious, and was pleasantly surprised to behold the most beautiful red-head he'd ever seen, which was a stark contrast to the fat, clumsy humanoid the bucket of ice-cream had made him expect.
Robert stared on until the girl, after making herself comfortable on the seat and setting the bucket of ice cream on her lap, caught his gaze, prompting him to look away immediately. Robert could feel her amazing green eyes linger on him for a moment before turning to the stage. For the remainder of the play, Robert was overwhelmed with flusters. He could barely focus, occasionally stealing glimpses at the girl, especially every time the audience erupted into laughter. His peripheral vision never wavered from her, capturing every spoonful of ice cream that went up to those cute lips.
The play was soon over, and as the seventh-graders poured out of the theatre, Robert looked around for the red-haired girl, hoping to break through his social reticence and introduce himself, but he couldn't see her anywhere, just a noisy sea of little boys and girls disorderly streaming towards the exit. Just as he sighed, ready to give up, a hand tapped his shoulder. Turning, Robert found a slender girl—slightly taller than he was—with long, sleek, black hair, politely asking him to move out of the way with a smug but warm smile that accentuated her striking light-blue eyes and perfect face. Only then did Robert realize he was standing in the midst of a moving crowd. As he moved aside, the black-haired girl gave him a nod of appreciation — and that was the first time Robert met Vanessa.
Little Robert patiently stood to the side, eyes sweeping the moving crowd in search of the red-haired girl. At last, he spotted her ambling by just when the crowd began to thin. She brushed past him without so much as a glance. Robert made to step forward, intending to speak to her, but the frustrated expression etched on the girl's face tightened the grip of his social reticence and he stopped dead in his tracks, only following after she'd exited the theatre.
The girl made her way across the school grounds towards the white hostel building, silent as she passed the students littered about. Robert followed six meters behind. The sun had nearly disappeared into the horizon, casting a soft twilight that turned the lush green grasses in the school grounds a golden yellow, the yellow grasses even more yellow, and bathed everything else in a warm orange hue.
The girl walked on, apparently unaware that Robert was trailing behind her. He continued following until, just as the girl passed an Auo tree (A short tree with large round leafs), she abruptly stopped. For a second, the girl appeared to be lost in thought, but then she suddenly spun around, and her gaze landed squarely on... not the students chattering by the school fountain, not the seniors girls seated beneath the Auo tree, not any of the students milling about, no. Her gaze landed directly on Robert.
Robert was stunned to stillness; literally he just stood there, heart pounding as the girl narrowed her eyes, as if she'd recognized him. And then, she began walking toward him. Robert had wanted to turn and walk—no, run—the other way, but his legs refused to cooperate.
The girl stopped right in front of him and stared intensely into his eyes. Petrified, Robert stared back, unable to move or say anything. The staring lasted for ten tense seconds, until the girl's stare turned to a glare and she said;
"You! You were the one sitting next to me during the play, right? Tell me, did you see any gold coins on the floor? Like... not yours?"
Robert stared on in stunned silence, only managing to squeak out a stuttered, "Y-you lost some?"
"Yes!" The girl exclaimed, "twelve!"
"Twelve?!" Something about the girl had made Robert's unease begin to lighten. Was it the innocence her tiny voice? The sweetness in her delicate frame? Or maybe the way her rosy cheeks brightened her adorable face and gave a touch of cuteness to her curled lips? In fact, despite the frustrated scowl on the girl's face, she seemed like a blank page waiting to be filled—so open and inviting. "Why would you bring that much money to the theater?" Robert asked.
"Ice-cream, obviously!" The girl snapped. "I was gonna buy some after, but can you believe the theatre doesn't even have ice-cream, or poppers, or quaffies, or anything!" She groaned. "What kind of theatre doesn't sell snacks? That's just wrong."
Robert couldn't help it—he smiled a little. "I think you're more upset about the ice-cream than the coins money."
The girl shot him a sharp scowl. "I am not!" she snapped, then paused. "…Okay, maybe a little. But still!"
Robert felt stupefied for a moment. "Well, it's a just school theatre, you're were not expecting it to be like the Maskers Movie Mansion, were you?"
"Well, it should try harder," she muttered.
Then Robert added. "And besides, five gold coins could get you two max-cups at the canteen. Not sure anyone could finish it in one go but..."
The girl's eyes widened. "Wait, this school has a canteen?"
"Yeah, over there," Robert pointed to a small orange building northwest of the classroom block. A cartoonish mouse holding a yellow heart was painted across the left side.
The girl's face immediately brightened. "Ooo..."
"Can't fault you for not knowing already. I only found out because my mum had to buy some stationery after I got cleared today."
"Classic fresher's handicap, huh?" The girl muttered with her eyes fixed on the colourful building, where a group of seniors—evident from their heights—were walking out with juice boxes and cupcakes in hand, chattering in loud voices. The girl faced Robert again and said in the most gratifying voice, "Thank you so very much!"
Robert raised an eyebrow. "For what? Pointing at a building?"
"Yes!" she said brightly. "That was very helpful."
He gave her a look. "You probably would've found it by yourself in like… an hour. Or at worst before midday tomorrow."
"Maybe," she said, shrugging. "But you told me first, so it counts."
Before he could reply, she grabbed his wrist lightly and said, "Come on!"
"Huh? Where?"
"Canteen," she said like it was obvious. "You're getting a max-cup."
Robert frowned. "Wait, I thought you said you lost your money?"
She waved it off. "It's fine."
"Fine? You lost twelve coins!"
"Meh... I have more," she said casually.
"…More?" Robert repeated.
"Yep," she smirked. "Way beyond the school's allowed maximum."
Before Robert could wonder what the girl meant by going over the school's twenty-coin limit, she stepped back a little and stuck out her hand. "I'm Izadora Lamberd. But call me Dora."
She was smiling—now that was real beauty right there; young Robert had unwittingly developed a crush. "I'm Robert Shade Manwell."
"Okay, Robert Shade," she said, already turning toward the canteen again. "Max-cup?"
Robert chuckled. "Alright."
And that's how it went. Nothing extraordinary, as stated.
Nevertheless, from that day forward, a close friendship was birthed; Robert and Dora—the gentle, highly introverted boy and the sweet, super adorable ice-cream-loving girl with wealthy parents. Over the years, Robert and Dora grew to be extremely close, so close that Dora began to harbor strong feelings for him, and many signs hinted that Robert felt the same. Dora wasn't ready to give up on that, especially not to the beautiful, stylish, and popular 'queen' of the science class, Vanessa.
What finally pushed Dora past her breaking point happened during one of the evening prep sessions. She and Robert were seated together in the 11th-grade art class, books spread out on Robert's desk, quietly discussing. Halfway through the session, Vanessa interrupted, and without so much as acknowledging Dora's presence, she turned to Robert and asked him to come study with her alone in the laboratory. Robert was conflicted, but he ultimately apologized to Vanessa, explaining that he had already committed to studying with Dora that evening. Vanessa said nothing more and walked away, but the damage was done. Following that incident, Dora started perceiving Vanessa as a serious threat to her developing relationship with Robert, and the day following that, she finally decided to do something.
On a Saulday morning, shortly after the geography teacher—a dark and handsome man with a full beard—left the eleventh grade science class after teaching, Dora rose from her seat and walked with controlled steps toward the desk against the opposite wall in the same column as hers.
She came to a stop right in front of Vanessa's desk.
For a second, she just stood there—too still, too tense—watching as Vanessa calmly finished arranging the books in her bag. There was something almost irritating about how unbothered she looked.
Before Vanessa could raise her head, Dora forced a smile onto her face.
"I know this might not be news to you, Vanessa," she started, her voice measured, "but I think it's pretty obvious that Robert and I are practically a thing." She did her best to sound as confident as possible. She did not want to give the impression that she was unsure about her relationship with Robert, knowing fully well that Vanessa could pose a real threat.
Vanessa's fingers paused on the zipper of her backpack. Then she looked up. Her expression wasn't cold. Not quite. Just composed… observant.
"Is that so?" she said quietly, "because from where I'm standing, it doesn't really look like that."
Dora's smile twitched.
"What does that mean?" she asked, a little too quickly.
"I mean…" she said, her tone still even, "you talk to him, you spend time together. That's true. But being close to someone doesn't automatically make you… anything more." She glanced down again, adjusting the strap of her bag. "And Robert doesn't exactly act like someone who's taken."
The words landed harder than Dora expected. Her chest tightened, but she forced a soft laugh.
"You know you can't just suddenly take an interest in him and expect him to be yours, all because you had to announce it to the entire school."
Vanessa let out a small breath—something between a sigh and a quiet chuckle. "It's funny you assume I've only just started noticing him, but what if I told you I've had my eyes on Robert long before you ever did?"
There was no smugness in her tone. No mockery.
Just a simple statement. And somehow, that made it her words hit worse.
Dora felt something sharp twist inside her. "Right," she said, her voice tightening despite her effort to keep it steady. "So what—you've been quietly waiting your turn?"
Vanessa's brows drew together slightly. "No," she replied. "I don't see it like that."
"Then how do you see it?"
Vanessa hesitated for a brief moment, choosing her words. "I like him," she said simply. "That's all. I'm not claiming him. I'm not competing with you." A small pause. "At least… not in the way you seem to think."
Dora's patience snapped.
Her smile vanished and when she spoke again her voice dropped to a low, dangerous calm. "I'm only gonna say this once Delmouré," she growled quietly.
Vanessa straightened slightly.
"I don't want to see you around Robert anymore. Whatever you think this is—whatever you're playing at—it stops. Stay away from him. If you don't, I promise you'll come to regret it deeply. I won't rest — I'll dedicate every ounce of my time, energy, and will to ensuring that you'll wish you had never laid eyes on him. Consider this your one and only warning." She hated how desperate and possessive she sounded, but she couldn't help it. The thought of Vanessa getting close to Robert made her blood boil. Her eyes were filled with rage.
Vanessa, for all her confidence, had to admit the threat unsettled her. But she didn't show it.
"Dora," she said, "threatening me won't change anything."
Dora let out a quiet scoff, but Vanessa continued.
"I like Robert," she repeated. "And if he ends up liking me too… then that's something between him and me. It's not something you can control."
Dora's jaw tightened.
Vanessa softened—just slightly. "I'm not trying to take anything from you," she added. "But you don't get to decide how Robert feels. None of us do."
That struck deeper than the threat ever could. A brief silence stretched between them.
Then Vanessa finished, gently but honestly:
"If there's something real between you and him… then you don't have to fight this hard to protect it."
Dora's breath hitched. For a second, it almost looked like she might say something else. But instead, she shook her head sharply.
"Just you wait and see," she snapped, then turned and stormed out of the classroom.
As soon as she was gone, Oliver walked into the classroom and made his way over to Vanessa's desk, his expression as focused and impassive as ever, ignoring the stares of the girls, and the boys' glances.
He stopped beside Vanessa's chair. "Vanessa, may I ask you something?" he said, gently running his finger through her long, straight black hair.
"Please don't touch my hair. And if it's about a relationship, I'm so sorry I'm not interested. I bet there are lots of other girls that would love to..." Vanessa started to say, but Oliver placed a finger on her lips and shushed her. She wanted to shove his hand away from her face, but something made her hesitate. It was a feeling. It was fear but not all fear. There was also intimidation and some sort of peculiar vibe. And why the hell was his finger so cold?!
"It's not about that," Oliver whispered, and then added, "Who'd have time for that these days, anyway?" He paused for a moment, then said, "But I did want to ask you something. Is your last name really Delmouré?"
At that moment, the feeling escaped Vanessa like it was never there, and she looked up at him as if he was the dumbest person she'd ever met. She let out a small scoff and said, "Of course it is. Why do you ask?" She turned away from him and looked at her desk, convinced that he was trying to ask her out in a roundabout way.
"Nothing, just curious, that's all," He replied with a grin and without waiting for a response, he turned and left the classroom.
Moments later, Dora walked into the 11th grade art class and headed straight for Robert's desk. She stood in front of him, glaring, but he just gave her a blank stare, clearly confused. This lasted for ten perplexing seconds. Finally, Dora pulled a chair over and sat down facing him, her eyes still fixed on his.
"Robert? Robert! Has that girl enchanted you?" Poison called from within his mind, but Robert sent a telepathic response to him.
"Don't worry, it's just a staring contest," he said, "it's something we do once in a while, especially when we've got nothing to say to each other. We just sit there and look into each other's eyes..." Before he could finish his thoughts, Dora suddenly whacked him on the knee, causing him to yelp in surprise.
"What was that for?!" He asked, rubbing his knee even though the discomfort had instantly dissipated, thanks to Poison's rapid regeneration ability.
Dora's eyes became glassy with tears.
Robert frowned. Just as he tried to ask, she spoke.
"Robert, I need you to be honest with me."
"I will, I promise," Robert replied, his voice gentle and reassuring. "C'mon, Dora... please don't cry. You know I can't stand seeing you so upset." He reached gently for her face, cradling it tenderly as his thumbs lightly brushed her cheek, offering comfort in the gentlest way he knew. "Tell me what's troubling you. Whatever it is, we'll face it on together."
Robert had always known Dora was deeply emotional—but it was no weakness. If anything, it made her the feistiest person he'd ever met.
"Robert," she started softly, "we've been friends for so long—been through a lot in school together. Maybe you haven't noticed it yet, but I don't think I can keep holding this in anymore. I've had feelings for you for a while now." She let out a soft, nervous laugh and lowered her gaze. "And I know you're not the most expressive person—I admire and respect that—but I'm tired of wondering, of guessing." She looked back up at him, searching his face. "So I just need to ask… do you feel the same way about me?"
Robert went completely still, his hand frozen midair, still pressed gently to Dora's cheek. After a moment, he leaned back in his chair and drew in a slow, measured breath, trying to collect his already chaotic thoughts. Her question had hit him like a sledgehammer.
Of course he had feelings for her. That much was undeniable. But the idea of saying them aloud—of stepping into something as fragile and consuming as a relationship—filled him with dread. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that expressing love wasn't worth the risk, that it was a weakness, and that a relationship would only complicate the already chaotic future he saw ahead of him.
As he searched for an answer, his eyes drifted around the classroom. Students were returning to their seats, hurried and distracted. Desks and chairs scraped softly against the floor. A teacher was coming.
"Dora," he said at last, without meeting her eyes, "you should probably head back to your classroom. Miss Greene will be here any moment."
He stood and began straightening his desk and the books on it with unnecessary care. He noticed, if only in his peripheral vision, the confusion and hurt etched across her face, and the sight twisted something inside him. Yet he couldn't bring himself to stop or look at her—he simply didn't know how to face her in that moment. It was easier to pretend that nothing had happened, that he hadn't just been asked a question that threatened to upend his entire world... or so he thought.
"Dora, please that's my seat," Aspiere, the class representative for 11th grade art class, was standing beside Dora. "Miss Greene will be here any second."
Dora rose slowly. For a brief moment, she looked at Robert—really looked at him—but he remained absorbed in his desk, never once meeting her gaze. The hurt in her eyes was unmistakable as she turned away and left the classroom.
"Robert," Poison's voice broke into his thoughts, sharp with disbelief, "what did you just do?"
"Poison, don't talk to me."
Poison didn't let up. "You've been smitten with that girl for ages. She finally worked up the courage to talk to you about it, to do the difficult part for you and you just ignored her. You ignored her. Are you out of your mind? That was your best chance, and you let it slip right through your fingers. No, you hurled it straight into fire!"
Robert cut him off with a loud sigh. "I know you think I'm nuts, Poison," he said quietly. "But with everything that's been going on, don't you think this is the worst possible time to start a relationship?" His voice faltered with exhaustion. "Please, I don't want to talk about this, okay? Let it go."
"Listen to me, kid," Poison said firmly. "Just because Xolomon is after you, doesn't mean you should reshape your life around his ambitions. He wants to ruin your... our life. Don't you see? This is exactly what he wants—to make you feel miserable and alone." He hesitated, then continued. "If anything, this mess is the very reason you shouldn't shut yourself off. Being with someone might help keep you grounded. Help you breathe."
He added more quietly, "And not just anyone. Your dream girl, Dora."
"You seriously think I have a dream girl, Poison?" Robert asked, and at that moment his eyes drifted over to Miss Greene as she walked into the classroom, her movements smooth and graceful.
Poison didn't miss the pause. "Think about it, there's never a day you fail to think about how beautiful she is, or how soft her cheeks are, or how sweet her voice is, or how crazy her scent drives you. What do you think that is, mere admiration? Think about this Robert, you just broke her heart, and she wouldn't have come here to ask that question if it didn't matter so much. Just think about it Robert, think!" And with that, Poison fell silent.
For the rest Miss Greene's lesson, Robert couldn't stop thinking about what Poison had said, his words echoed in his mind, looping and reshaping themselves into questions he could not ignore. Perhaps there was more to his feelings for Dora than he had realized. Maybe what stirred in his chest whenever she smiled or laughed wasn't merely the warmth of friendship, but something deeper—something frighteningly close to love... or even greater than it.
Was it really so impossible that his feelings had grown stronger without his noticing? And if Dora felt the same way—if she wanted a relationship just as much as he did or even more—then why allow the fear of Xolomon or the uncertainty of his future be an obstacle? Maybe some things were worth risking everything for. Maybe it was time to stop being afraid and just go for it.
For a fleeting, unwelcome second, another thought intruded: Dora kissing another boy (and for some reason, that boy was Jackson). The image struck like a blow to his chest, leaving behind a sharp, hollow ache. That alone told him more than he wanted to know.
— — — —
Meanwhile, Dora walked slowly toward the laboratory building with heavy steps. Robert's reaction replayed itself over and over in her mind. She tried to rationalize it—he was shy, introverted, prone to retreating into himself. But deep down, she knew what she had seen in his eyes wasn't mere embarrassment. It had looked like dread… like he'd been reminded of something traumatic.
Maybe he wasn't ready for a relationship. Maybe her question had been too sudden, too overwhelming. Or maybe he was afraid of something she couldn't understand. And then there was the thought she dreaded most—that perhaps his heart already belonged to someone else. Vanessa, maybe. Whatever the truth was, Dora felt sick with regret. She hated how the moment had unfolded and dreaded the thought of facing Robert or Vanessa again.
When she reached the lab building, she leaned against the wall and focused on her breathing, drawing in slow, deliberate breaths as she fought to keep her tears at bay. She turned toward the window, forcing her attention onto the neatly set laboratory equipment inside.
That was the chemistry lab at the first floor. The test tubes, filled with liquids of varying colours, appeared to be arranged in a neat progression, mirroring the colours of the rainbow—Vanessa always did have a habit of going the extra mile when it came to lab maintenance. Dora almost smiled at the thought; she had to give her that. Nearby, the microscopes reminded her vaguely of alien machines from a movie she couldn't quite remember... but no matter how hard Dora tried, she couldn't shake that awful feeling throbbing within her chest. She swallowed hard and tightened her grip on herself, holding back her tears with everything she had.
— — — —
After Miss Greene's class, Robert bolted out of the classroom and raced to the 11th grade science class right next to his, looking for Dora. He ran into Jackson and impulsively asked if he had seen her, but Jackson just gave him a cold look and said he had seen her head towards the lab. Robert dashed off without another word, and Jackson glared after him resentfully.
"Jerk," he muttered to himself, "he dares to talk to me," he scoffed. "The Lamberd girl's too good for him anyway. Maybe I should try to win her over. That would serve him right." He grinned.
Meanwhile, Dora was still struggling to push the chaotic thoughts out of her mind and focus on the present moment. She lingered by the window a little longer, her eyes unfocused as they traced the familiar outlines of the lab inside. When she finally turned to head back toward the classroom block, she froze—there, in her line of sight, was Robert, walking straight toward her. A sharp surge of panic, anger, and aching sadness flared in her chest all at once. Without thinking, she quickly turned and walked briskly in the opposite direction, toward the school canteen. She didn't want to see him. Not now—certainly not after the way he had treated her earlier.
"Dora, wait!" Robert called out, quickening his pace to catch up to her. When he did, he reached for her arm, but she quickly yanked it away and kept walking. He reached out and grabbed her arm again, this time holding on tighter. "Dora," he called pleadingly, but she refused to even look at him. She kept walking, trying to get away from him. At that moment, Robert did not know what to say or do, but he knew he had to talk to her.
"I'm sorry!" he blurted, causing her to pause and turn around to face him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Dora, please, just listen to me. It's not that I don't feel anything for you, it's just..." he trailed off, clearly struggling to find the right words.
"You're too scared to admit it?" Dora asked quietly, get eyebrows raised, anticipation trembling beneath her tears.
"Well..." Robert began but she cut him off.
"It's alright, I'll make it easy for you," she said, her voice wavering. "How about I just declare you my boyfriend, and we can skip the whole 'confessing feelings' part?"
Robert's eyes widened in confused surprise. "Wait... What?"
"Yes," she said firmly, looking him straight in the eye. "I, Izadora Presley Lamberd, declare you, Robert Shade Manwell, my boyfriend."
Robert's gentle smile held a tender affection as he observed her for a moment. He looked deeply into her eyes, and every other thought evaporated from his mind when he said, "Dora," his tone lipped with subtle playfulness, but sincerity shone like a beacon in his eyes. "I love you."
The words hung in the air, and for a moment, Dora was completely still, her expression frozen. Time seemed to stand still as she processed what he had just said. Then her restraint shattered. The tears she had been holding back began to flow freely. She stepped forward and threw her arms around Robert, holding him tight. They remained there like that, wrapped in each other's embrace, as though the world around them had faded away.
"Wow. Your girl sure knows how to pour out the waterworks," Poison couldn't help but comment on the scene before him.
"Not now, Poison. I'm having a moment," Robert thought back.
"You're literally holding a crying girl in public."
"And you're literally ruining the moment."
"Fair," said Poison. "My bad." And he fell silent.
Robert tightened his arms around Dora, breathing in her familiar, delightful 'sugar biscuits' fragrance and drawing comfort from the warmth and softness of her against him. Eventually, they eased apart, and Dora looked up at him, her eyes still wet with tears but glowing with pure, unfiltered joy.
"You really mean it?"
Robert nodded, smiling brightly.
"Of course," he replied.
Dora looked as though she might burst with excitement. Energy practically radiated from her as she bounced slightly on her feet. "So… what now?"
"I would totally kiss you right now," Robert admitted with a nervous, playful chuckle, "but, you know—we're outside, and I really can't do that with people watching."
Dora laughed—freely, beautifully.
Robert found he couldn't look away from her. She seemed like some red-haired teenage angel to him, impossibly cute, delicate, and overwhelmingly lovable. "But," he added, his smile widening, "I say we celebrate."
"Ice-cream?"
Robert's eye's narrowed playfully. "You wouldn't happen to have enough on you for two max-cups, would you?"
Dora grinned back, her eyes twinkling. "When don't I?"
He laughed silently. Of course she did. She always had it covered. Come to think of it, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd paid for their ice-cream runs.
Robert held out his hand, and she took it, and together, they strolled towards canteen. As they walked, it was evident from their silence and wide smiles that they were both deeply aware of the significance of this moment, the beginning of something new, something thrilling. From the serendipitous meeting of two seventh-graders, seated together by chance in the school theatre on their first day, to the blossoming of a romance... it seemed strangely inevitable.
On their way, Robert glanced back at the laboratory building and caught sight of Vanessa unlocking the main door for a group of juniors and a teacher in lab coats. Her face lacked an expression as she glared in their direction. Robert then impulsively turned his head and looked up at 11th grade art class on the fourth floor of the classroom block, where he immediately caught sight of Oliver at a window, grinning down at them. The boy's grin quickly faded when Robert met his gaze. The two of them locked eyes, and Robert's eyes turned brown and sandy while Oliver's became solid ice. Their glares lasted for three solid seconds until a telepathic message began to form in Robert's mind.
It was from Xolomon.
"I hope she gets enough protection from you," the deep, otherworldly voice boomed.
"Oh, she most certainly will!" Robert thought back.