Chapter 10 BEACH TRIP

finals week starts today. I kept familiarizing and memorizing because of our exams today. i kept studying til 2am. I am so early at school, so I can borrow some notes to max. Max arrived a little later and gave me her notes.

"what time did you sleep?" i ask her, "12am," she said looking so bored, "are you okay?" i ask her again, she fix herself in her sit and faced me, "I felt like I studied lance instead of this damn notes," i laughed at her but i felt concerned too,"max, don't forget about your grades, this is our future," i remind her.

Max nodded and we both started reviewing our notes. The exam was tough but we managed to answer everything. After the exams, we went to the school garden to take a break. As we were walking, we saw Lance sitting on one of the benches. Max looked at me and I knew what she was thinking. We approached him and said hi.

"How did your exams go?" he asked. "It was okay, but tough," Max replied. We chatted for a while, but didn't bring up the past between the two of them. Max and I continued to walk around the garden, discussing how we thought we did on the exams. It was good to have a break from all the studying and just relax for a while.

when lance was far away from us, max hugged me immediately and cried again. I let out a deep sigh, "max, you'll be okay soon, move on, you can do it! I know you can."

Max continued to cry for a while, but eventually, she calmed down. "Thank you, I needed to hear that," she said to me, wiping her tears. "I'll try my best to move on," she added. We hugged each other for a while longer before heading back to our room. I hoped my words could give her some comfort and encouragement during this difficult time.

we took our bags and went to eat snacks outside the school. while, we were waiting for our food, i remember to message felix. "Hello, how's your practice?" maybe they were on a break because he replied right away,"What are you up to?" he asked me back.

"max and i are outside the school, eating. we'll go home later after this. we still have three exams tomorrow so we have to review" I replied, "Good to hear that you're still reviewing for your exams. Make sure to get some good rest too. I wish you and Max good luck on your exams tomorrow!" Felix replied.

"That's very thoughtful of you, Felix. Thanks a lot! I hope your band practice goes well. Keep us updated," I messaged back.

I went home and saw Isla watching in our living room.

"How were your exams, isla?" I ask her

"It's good," she said, "by the way, iris, tomorrow's the last day of the exam. When are we going to the beach? the day after?" she asked, giggling in excitement.

"That sounds like a great idea," I replied with a smile. "Let's plan on going to the beach the day after our last exam. It will be a nice way to unwind and celebrate the end of the school year."

I sit beside isla and watch the series she was watching. "How's Max?" she ask.

"she's fine, she's still crying every time she saw Lance. She's still in love with the guy, i wonder why lance fell out of love with her,"

"Boys will be boys," isla smirked at me

"Not all of them," I said.

Isla nodded, "That's true. But you know what they say, 'plenty of fish in the sea'."

I smiled at her, "Yeah, Max will eventually find someone who will appreciate her for who she is."

We continued to watch the series in silence for a while. Then Isla suddenly spoke up, "Hey, Iris, did you know that there's a new cafe that just opened up in town? It's supposed to be really good."

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really? Have you been there?"

"No, not yet," she replied. "But I was thinking maybe we could check it out together. What do you think?"

I smiled, "Sure, that sounds like a great idea. Let's plan for it too after our exams are done."

As we packed our bags for the beach, we talked about everything that happened during the past few weeks. We discussed our exams, the Xefora rumors, and of course, Max's situation with Lance. It was nice to be able to let our hair down and relax after all the stress from the past few days.

As we arrived at the beach, we set up our towels and umbrellas, and started to snack on the chips and foods we brought. The sun was shining and the water was perfect for swimming. We laughed and talked while soaking up the sun and enjoying the beach.

As the night grew darker, we gathered around the bonfire we made and started to chat. Isla shared stories about her travels and the different cultures she experienced beofre. Max talked about her plans after graduation and how she wanted to pursue being a writer/author. And I talked about my struggles as well.

As we talked, we roasted marshmallows and enjoyed our snacks while listening to the sound of the waves. The stars were shining brightly above us, and the beach was peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"How's felix, iris?" isla asks as if she's teasing me. "He's fine," i laughed, "I heard about the rumors," she said, "I know, we heard about it too, but I haven't tried talking to Felix about their disbandment, but I hope it's not true,"

Isla nods in agreement, "It's sad if it's true, they've come a long way as a group. But who knows, they might still surprise us in the future."

"Ooh, that's exciting," Isla said, grinning at me. "Have you talked to him about it?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't had the chance yet. But I think I might bring it up the next time we talk," I said, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement.

Max nudged me playfully. "You should! Life's too short to keep things bottled up," she said, and we all laughed.

I nodded, feeling grateful for their encouragement. "You're right. I'll talk to him about it soon," I said, feeling a sense of determination. "But for now, let's just enjoy our beach trip and forget about all our problems and worries," I added, and the three of us raised our glasses and cheered to that.

As we talked, we roasted marshmallows and enjoyed our snacks while listening to the sound of the waves. The stars were shining brightly above us and the beach was peaceful, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.