Nichole laid sprawled across the yellow flannel blanket that she and her friends were sharing. She watched as the giant fluffy clouds hurried across the big blue sky.

It was peaceful.

“Did you have a chance to talk to Dei yet?” Melony asked as she laid down beside her.

“Oh, they talked alright,” Melody grinned.

“What do you mean?” Melony looked confused.

“N-nothing! But yes. I think he feels a lot better now,” she smiled.

“So, you two finally gave in to your feelings for each other?” Melony mumbled as she sucked on a Bomb Pop.

“No,” Nichole closed her eyes, “We just talked.”

“Sure,” Melody rolled her eyes.

“You two really are a cute couple. I hope y'all do decide to get together someday,” Melony smiled.

“Yeah, Nikki. You are perfect for him,” Melody added, “You complement each other.”

“Do y'all really think so?” Nichole responded as she sat up.

“Yeah,” they smiled.

Nichole smiled to herself as she thought about Deivian.

“Why don't we go find him, and invite him to join us?” Melony clapped her hands as she stood up.

“Yeah! That would be great,” Melody agreed.

“I don't know,” Nichole replied.

“Hey, girls,” Sangre greeted as he walked up to them.

“Hey Sangre,” Melony replied, “have you seen Dei?”

“Uh,” he scratched his head, “I think he left campus early this morning.”

“What? Why?” Nichole asked.

“I don't know for sure, but Dante said that he and Tisha were going on a vacation together or something,” he declared.

“Bummer, Nikki,” Melody sighed.

“Why? What's going on?” he asked as he sat down on the blanket next to them.

“Nothing,” Nichole sighed as she laid back down.

“Are you sure?” Melony asked again.

“Yeah,” he repeated, “He said that their relationship wasn't doing well, so they were getting away for the long weekend to mend it or something.”

“That puts a dent in our plans,” Melody pouted.

“A huge dent,” Melony confirmed.

“Do you want me to stay with you while he's gone?” Sangre asked Nichole.

“Why?” she responded.

“You know,” he shrugged, “in case you get lonely. Guys might take advantage since you are there alone.”

“That's dumb, San,” Melody told him as she stood up and stretched.

“He is just saying that he wants to spend some time with you since Dei is out of the picture,” Melony confirmed.

“You two don't have to be so blunt,” Sangre sighed.

“These days you have to be direct lover boy,” Melody smiled, “We will see you two later.”

“Where are y'all going?” Nichole asked as she stood up.

“Our uncle is having a barbecue, and we promised to be there,” Melony told her.

“Why wasn't I invited?” Nichole pouted.

“It's supposed to be a family-only thing,” Melody told her as she gathered her things.

“Bye,” they waved at her as they left the school grounds.

“That sucks,” Nichole frowned.

“Let me walk you back to your room,” Sangre smiled.

“Ok,” Nichole agreed as she rolled up the blanket.

They walked slowly back to the dorms as they chatted about their past fun times. They had plenty of them since they have known each other since childhood. Nichole opened the door to her room and tossed the blanket into the corner of the room.

“Do you want something to drink?” she asked as she pulled off her shirt.

“I'm not thirsty, but I could take a nap for a bit,” he smiled as he sat down on her bed, “Will you join me?”

She smiled as she hopped onto the bed with him. She lay back on his chest as she stared at the ceiling fan spinning slowly around.

“So, have you thought about me staying?” he asked again.

“Of course, you can stay, San,” she giggled.

“Wow, you haven't called me that since grade school,” he laughed.

“Seriously?” she laughed with him.

“Yeah,” he smiled, “I kind of missed it.”

“I'm sorry it seemed like I have been putting you on the side burner,” she apologized.

“It's ok,” he wrapped his arms around her, “I figured that I would just wait until you were ready.”

“You're too good to me,” she told him as she snuggled close to him, “You're such a good friend.