Once again it was lightly raining outside. Looking out the window revealed nothing but dark grey clouds in the sky. It was so dark in fact that we needed to turn on the barely functional light in the New Club room.

We were all sitting around the table like always as Nathalie was at the blackboard once again explaining some boring journalistic theory or whatever. I wasn't the only one not really listening. Rudoslav shared a note with Philip that made him conceal a chuckle while Lola was desperately trying to flirt with Jules under her breath. 

I looked back at her and whispered: "Lola, aren't you going out with Tobias?"

With an annoying look on her face she mouthed the words "On Break" before happily sticking her tongue out at me. Well, seemed like there was some trouble in paradise.

Suddenly Nathalie turned around to face us and we all immediately sat up straight and smiled at her. She smiled back, either because she was clueless that we weren't listening or because she didn't have the energy to call us out for it. Something told me it was the ladder.

"So, are you all ready to start your assignments?", Nathalie sighed, "Lola?"

"Uh… yeah, sure.", she mumbled as she glanced over at Rudoslav.

Rudoslav quickly grinned and nodded along. They haven't even started working yet, did they?

"Fifi?". I couldn't help but notice Nathalie's voice become softer as she spoke my name.

Before I could open my mouth Jules already took over. "We're actually finished already."

Nathalie's eyes widen as she stared at me in surprise. At that moment I saw her whole semester plan crash before her eyes. Jules didn't seem fazed as they took out some papers from their bag and placed it on the table in front of her seat.

"We wrote five pages. Two of which are the catalogue and the rest are the report.", they explained.

Nathalie suspiciously walked over to the table, sat down in her seat and flipped through the pages. Carefully touching them with her fingers like they would crumble into ash if she were to grip them too tightly. "This… did Fifi help you?", she asked.

"What the hell Bats.", I let out.

Jules nodded. "Of course. So… can we like chill for now?"

Nathalie looked at the both of us with her blue eyes. I saw conflicting emotions in her face. She was a bit impressed but also somewhat annoyed. I don't think she even knew how to feel.

She took her designer bag off the floor and looked through it. It took her a moment to explain: "I actually planned for a backup assignment in case-"

Immediately as I heard the word assignment leave her mouth I sprung into action. "That's not necessary! I already have a topic I want to write about!"

They all looked over to me.

Nathalie sighed: "Fifi, I told you already. My family does not have hidden dungeons with slaves under our house."

Damn, I completed forgot that was the last story I wanted to go with. Kind of a bad look if you want to get someone on your side. At least Jules seemed to have some sense of humour since they giggled under their breath.

"…I have a new topic!", I smiled, trying my best to seem as convincing as possible.

She didn't seem convinced. "I already say no."

I looked over at Jules, remembering what I told them about convincing Nathalie to give us a better grade. Maybe it would just get her more annoyed but at least it would get a laugh.

"Do you think if we bring Philip into this she will say yes?", I mumbled to them.

Jules scoffed: "Wait, Philip is your hot friend?"

"What?", Philip's voice cracked a little.

The truth was that he was. I couldn't think of anyone else Nathalie had the hots for. "One of. You don't think so?"

Jules just shrugged and nonchalantly commented: "I'm personally more into black haired half Koreans." 

Okay... last time someone hit that hard on me it turned out they were a secret murderous vampire. Normally, I would think people who flirt that hard were too desperate but somehow with Jules it didn't bother me that much. Unlike someone else.

"Excuse me?", Nathalie smacked her lips, probably also pretty thrown off by the comment.

It took Jules about two seconds of looking at her then me then her again to point their finger at us and smile in realisation: "Wow... wait-"

Just as Philip looked up from his notes I quickly jumped up and desperately gasped: "News Club, we have a new mystery!"

There was no way I would let Philip get any hints of what was happening between me and Nathalie. I may be a lunatic but I'm not a heartbreaker.

"Exhibit A!". I slammed a picture on the table and pointed at it. "Me and Jules found this in the forest, but when we found it it was smaller. Aka. It keeps getting bigger."

Nathalie leaned her head on her hand as she scanned the picture with her eyes. She looked up at me. "A patch of dry land? That's our mystery?"

Philip quickly chimed in: "Let her get to exhibit B and C."

At that moment I was kind of glad I rehearsed the whole presentation with Philip at home. I may be a bit spontaneous at times but I wasn't going to present something in front of Nathalie without knowing what I was talking about.

So, that's what I did. Presented the whole case. The missing flowers, the interviews, the weird patches of land and the fact that I couldn't find any funguses that matches this one in any plant books at the book cafe. I've done my research and recorded everything I could, aka. Did it the Nathalie way. So there was absolutely no way she would reject this.

"No." Her voice blunt and clear.

I looked down at all the evidence on the table in front of us and just gasped: "What? But-"

"Our meeting is over.", she stood up. No care in the world.

Almost everyone awkwardly walked off into the hallway, beside Jules who slowly packed their bag, just listening in.

"Why not?!", I asked.

Nathalie sighed as she closed all her notebooks. "I won't publish some conspiracy theory in my newspaper, Fifi."

"This isn't even a theory! It's happening right now.", I picked up a picture off the table and showed it to her.

She glanced at it before looking at me, completely unimpressed.

"And why is it happening, hm? You haven't even figured out that part yet."

That was such a stupid excuse and she probably knew that herself. I could feel my face getting hotter as I stared at her. She was looking for an excuse, I just knew it.

I hissed: "I swear if you're just rejecting this because you're in de-"

She suddenly raised her voice: "My choice is final. Give me an actual reason why this is happening and maybe we can talk!"

There was silence in the room as her voice bounced off the walls. She wasn't mad, no I've seen her mad and that wasn't it. She was desperate. I silently watched as she stuffed the rest of her stuff into her bag and left without saying another word.

It kind of hurt. Knowing I caused her to bottle up like this. One day she would self implode and there wouldn't be anything for me to do.

"…Hey, Fifi. I heard a new ice cream shop opened up. Wanna come with me?", Jules voice finally broke the silence.

I looked over at them. They clearly felt a bit awkwardly having to witness that, but I'm glad they did. Otherwise I would have been left all alone with my thoughts.

We went to eat ice cream together. Thankfully when we got out of the ice cream shop it already stopped raining. As we walked with our ice cream there was still this awkward silence between us.

"So", Jules spoke, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I licked my ice cream to give myself time to think. Did I want to talk about it? Wait, no. One thing I learned from my now retired therapist was that I need to ask myself; Do I need to talk about it? Well… did I?

I probably thought for too long so Jules decided to start the conversation: "You know, Nathalie did have a very strong emotional aura around her but I thought it was because of Philip and not… you."

I shrugged. Not really knowing what to say to that. It was just another stupid psychic talk.

"What happened between you two?"

That question ripped me out of my thought. I wanted to answer it so badly but I just couldn't. My mind was screaming at me to finally tell someone but my mouth just wasn't moving. What happened… maybe it would be easier to say… what didn't happened.

I took a deep breath and started talking, not really trying to think about it: "Okay, hypothetically... let's say you noticed someone crushing on you."

"Alright.", Jules nodded. Quickly getting what I was doing.

"And when you do, you naturally point it out to them because you obviously don't want to shove it under the rug and… you kind of like them too.", my voice couldn't help but break a little, "But then when you do they laugh at you, call you a crazy self centred narcissist and say that they couldn't possibly fall in love with you, ever."

We stopped walking and Jules just stared at me in silence.

"Oh my god. Is that actually what she said to you?". They murmured.

"...Hypothetically.", I added.

They took a bite out of their ice cream before we continued to slowly walk. "Damn, didn't know hypothetical Nathalie had such a tongue."

Me neither. To be honest I have no idea what I was expecting her to say when I confronted her. Well, no. I expected her to say everything, anything else than what she did.

Jules quickly wondered: "So what are you doing now? Trying to make her annoyed to prove...?"

"She has feelings for me! She is practically forcing herself onto Philip and using him to try and distract herself.", I took a breath, "It's messed up."

We both looked at each other. They seemed to agree with me for a short moment, before they started to think.

"...Have you ever thought that maybe she just hasn't accepted that part of herself yet? Maybe you're her first girl crush and she doesn't know what to do.", they added, "She comes from old money too, her parents are probably homophobic."

I thought for a second. "...They are jerks."

"See?"

"Doesn't excuse her gaslighting me.", I mumbled while taking a bite.

"I guess not.", they shrugged, "...But I guess you do stupid things just to feel normal..."

Their voice became softer, almost quieter when they said that last part. Like they knew what that felt like. Just before I could ask someone suddenly started screeching across from us.

It was Lola. Waving her hands like me noticing her was the last thing she could do while being alive. I awkwardly waved back. When she started walking to us I already knew it would be hell talking to her again. At least I had Jules-

Looking back I saw Jules already walking away from me. I gave them an annoyed look as they shrugged, clearly trying to leave the conversation before it even began.

"Hey, Fifi! I was looking for you!", she smiled, "I want to help you figure out that whole mystery."

I faked a smile. "…Why?"

She fidgeted with her fingers like an wannabe anime girl. Combine that with her pastel pink cardigan, long white skirt, cutely braided hair and a bow choker, she almost looked the part.

She smiled again, this time softer. "Oh, I just… I thought we haven't really been around each other since what happened." 

That was true. But I didn't see how she could have helped me with anything. Just as I was about to open my mouth to talk she cut in.

"And it's not like anyone else is willing to help you."

That was… also true. Rudoslav hated me, Jules didn't believe something was going on, Philip was too distracted with Nathalie and Nathalie…

"…Okay. I guess, I need all the help I can-", I was quickly cut off.

"Fantastic! Meet me in the town square on Friday at 4 o'clock!", she made such a loud and obnoxious shrieking noise I wasn't even able to wrap my head around how a human could do that, "This will be great!"

I stared at her as she jumped up and down. Seemingly super excited to restore our "friendship". As I watched her do… this, only one question kept repeating in my mind.

…Will I regret this?