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4 more minutes…
3 more minutes…
2 more minutes…
“Connie, are you paying attention? You’re gonna miss the best part.”
The engrossed boy finally looks away from the classroom clock to answer his brunette bestie right beside him, although his eyes do shift between them.
“Sorry, Sash. There’s only a minute left and I cannot miss it.”
“Doesn’t the bell notify us anyway?” She asks.
“Still.” Connie goes right back to focussing more on the clock arrows than the movie projector.
Every little movement, the tiniest of milliseconds do not escape his stare. The biggest arrow is now only a centimetre away from hitting the big 12, causing a grin to spread upon his face; and before anyone in the room can know it…
DING! it lands.
“YES!!” The boy shoots up from his seat like a rocket. His arms up high, eyes tired but wide open and his enthusiastic laugh reaches every corner of the class.
“Connie Springer!” His teacher calls him out. “Sit back down will you!”
The excitement has been replaced by honest confusion. “Huh? B-But… it’s time to-”
“I told you the clock is 10 minutes slow? Now sit.”
Through mortification, Connie slowly does what he was demanded and returns to his chair. All his pumped up energy has been deflated out of him like a balloon, left with reddened cheeks and some whispering laughter surrounding him. Well, at least he receives a reassuring pat on the shoulder from Sasha even if it means little comfort right now.
—
Five minutes have passed after the ACTUAL bell rung for the day, the very last day for about 2 months, and a bunch of teens are still waiting by the main doors for the two missing members to appear. Half of the group are keeping themselves occupied with small talk, the other half either growing worried or impatient - the latter mainly belonging to the Amber-eyed, messy haired Jean Kirstein, folding his arms.
“Jean, it’s fine. It’s not that late yet.” The calm, optimistic freckled wonder tries to ease him.
“Well I still have things I need to do.” Jean retaliates. “So they better move their asses.”
He isn’t the only one getting irritated, unfortunately, as the emerald-eyed brunet begins pacing back and forward; it’s really agitating his two closest friends.
“Please don’t be the second bummer here, Eren.” The blonde boy sighs with his and Eren’s bags in hand.
“I’m not.” The latter argues. “Unlike horseface over there, I’m doing this out of worry.”
“Again with that name?!”
Before yet another verbal brawl between these two can commence, or their friends jumping in to prevent it, the door swings open and almost hits directly onto Eren’s back. Sasha and Connie emerge from the building and meet some relieved and annoyed gazes.
“Perfect timing, you guys.” The freckled brunette Ymir speaks first with a smirk.
“You didn’t get into trouble, did you?” Her blonde girlfriend Historia questions worriedly.
“Yup.” Sasha answers sadly. “Connie yelled aloud in class thinking summer vacation started, but he was 10 minutes early so he had to stay behind for 10.”
“How does that affect you?” The raven-haired girl Mikasa brings up.
“She insisted on staying to not make me lonely.” Connie informs with a pouty face.
With all the loose ends tied up, and two bratty boys taken care of, the friend group simultaneously walk down the school’s steps and into the radiant summer sunshine. The huffy, buzz-cut boy very quickly forgot about his embarrassing misfortune as soon as he basks in the warming weather; Sasha starts talking to him about it too which leads them to join in with their friend’s conversations too. Once they reach the sidewalk by a bus sign, Armin raises one last question in a friendly manner.
“So what are your plans for the summer, Marco?”
“Hm? me?” The freckled boy ponders for a few secs. “Well aside from catching up with some of my novels, not much honestly.”
“What? You don’t wanna go to the arcade or bowling with me?” Jean questions, feeling slightly offended. “I thought I brought that up during class.”
“Oh! Sorry, Jean. That did kinda slip my mind.”
“Hey Marco.” Eren interrupts. “If you’re not up for that, you could come over and play video games with me and Armin instead.”
“Dammit. I was gonna suggest that.” Connie bums out again in disappointment.
“You know you can always volunteer to join them, right, Connie?” The strong, hefty Reiner advises to his short friend.
“I could join too! With snacks included!” Sasha beams.
As the group chatter gets a lot more chaotic, everyone butting in with personal suggestions on how to hang out throughout the vacation, two remaining individuals stay quiet and deliberately try to not get involved. One of them, named Bertholdt, is actually pretty curious on how the other wants to spend her time; he gains enough courage to look down with a soft smile whilst grasping his backpack with the smallest of nerves left.
“S-So… um, Annie.” He stutters. “Do you have anything you want to do?”
The blonde, narrow-eyed girl doesn’t look away from her phone, scrolling through photos of her white kitten, but manages to respond politely yet monotony. “Not really, except looking after my dad and Angel of course. Hitch did try inviting me to her pool party which is this Saturday, but I’ll pass.”
Two words. That’s all it took to grab some of the teens’ attention. It’s pretty rare for half of them to listen on what Annie says, but she genuinely sparks some curiosity in them this time… unintentionally; especially Jean who’s extremely all ears.
“Wait- pool party with Hitch? That super rich snob?”
Don’t worry, he receives a kick in the ankle from his boyfriend Marco for using such a word.
“Yeah.” Annie responds.
The light kick he got doesn’t stop him from having hypothetical thoughts flowing into his brain; they stretch a grin upon his already jerkish expression. “You know, since you care little about these things, you’d feel the same if one of us takes your place, right?”
Some of the others don’t like where this is going.
“Jean?”
“That… honestly doesn’t sound bad.” Armin of all people agrees with his snarky friend.
“What? Armin.” Eren intervenes with confusion. “Are you serious?”
“You don’t have to be the one to go, Eren; I’m just saying it seems kinda fun.”
“No, no, I’m more surprised that YOU wanna go.”
“What else do you expect from the guy who loves water places more than anything?” Connie quips, with Armin pouting right at him like he did prior.
As most of the guys, and Ymir, laugh along, Mikasa mentions a concern of hers in a shy tone. “Are we even allowed to these kinds of parties? And we’ll she allow more than one guest?”
“Hmm, that kinda sounds like you wanna go too.” Mikasa lightly blushed at Ymir’s suspicion. “C’mon, don’t play with us like that.”
“Ymir, stop. Don’t tease her.” Historia steps in.
“Whatever. Besides, if she doesn’t, that means she won’t be outshining the real star of the show there.”
The little wink she gave and wrapping an arm around her girlfriend makes the latter instantly surprised at what Ymir’s implying.
“Welp. It looks like it’s been decided.” Reiner assumes with open, muscular arms. “We’re all gonna be taking Annie’s place at Hitch’s pool party.”
(strange how he didn’t speak up until Historia got dragged in, isn’t it?)
“W-Wait! I didn’t say anything!” Marco nervously waves his hands about until Jean pulls him close to his body.
“Don’t wimp out, babe. Lucky for you, I won’t be doing anything like peeping because I have you now.”
Poor, flustered Marco only softly groans in response.
“Okay. Anyone else?”
“I’d be even more stupid not to go to something like that.” Connie boldly admits.
“And since she’s rich, imagine all the snacks and refreshments she’ll have!” Sasha bounces a little at the thought of it alone. “Double-sized sandwiches, exotic fruit kebabs and salads, all the types of sodas and all the barbecued meat!” A smidge of drool appears.
The conflicted Eren shrugs his shoulders as he gives in. “If Mikasa wants to, and Armin too, then… I guess I’m reeled in too.”
Mikasa shyly smiles to herself; having Eren there is both a comforting yet also scary thought.
“That leaves you, Bertholdt.” Reiner looks back at his taller, quieter bestie. “What about you?”
A sudden chill goes down Berty’s spine once all eyes lock on him. His eyes shift between them and Annie beside him - whom’s continuing to pay no mind to the situation by the way.
“W-Well… I- uh…” His own hesitation is killing him. “Um… uh… A-Annie? You- sure you don’t want to…”
Seeing how detached she is from the conversation, Bertholdt feels defeated; he decides ‘screw it’ and just goes along with what everyone wants planned, just like always. “I-I suppose so.”
Just as a deep, dissatisfied sigh flows through his nose, the approaching sound of a bus engine enters the scene. Most of the teens hop aboard once it stops, while others choose to walk by themselves; the pool party discussion never leave their minds still and it even carries on within the backseats. The fractioned group say their farewells for now, wish luck that they’ll all be there, then the bus drives away.
The lovely girl couple soon start their journey together down one way of the sidewalk, while Bertholdt and Annie head down the opposite direction. The former could’ve joined Reiner on the bus ride but wanted to tag along with their blondie friend for a change - probably to spend some time with her since she’s not going to the party.
Maybe he could try and convince her in some way? No, he knows her too well that she doesn’t like crowded places. But is she even okay with this exchange of invites anyway? Seems like it since, as stated, she barely payed attention at all.
Berty’s thought process is soon interrupted and proven wrong once Annie speaks up with a little ‘hey’. He jolts a little.
“Make sure none of them get into trouble, especially since Hitch will obviously be there… and… have fun.”
She smiles. She’s actually smiling. She’s smiling at him. It’s such a rare sight and yet a welcoming one, and her hope for him to enjoy himself makes it even better. Bertholdt nods his head shyly to answer.
“Th-Thank you.”
Hopefully the sweat dripping down his forehead and rosy-red cheeks are just due to the summer heat.
It’s precisely 1:09pm on a Saturday; the sun is way up in the clear sky, much more hotter than the days before, but an often moderate breeze does offer to cool those in dire need of it.
Those in particular are Jean and his freckled boyfriend sluggishly strolling their way towards the residence of Annie’s loaded acquaintance. Even with Jean wearing nothing but a tank top and swimming shorts, the intense heat still slightly stings his visible skin; beads of sweat distracts the exhausted teen from looking at the map on his phone so he has no idea if they’re there yet, and all he wishes for is to just melt onto the pavement already.
Luckily, despite being just as clammy and tired as his bf is, Marco remains at his side and volunteers to guide them the rest of the way. Jean unknowingly agrees and ponders to himself on how he can possibly be less as bad with that hideous palm tree patterned shirt and cargo shorts on, but that’s Marco for ya.
After what feels like an hour of stumbling under the sunshine like they’re in the middle of a plain desert, they finally reached the ‘oasis’. Jean mainly expected a large luxury manor the same size as the White House, but to his and Marco’s surprise, it appears to be a pretty standard building just connected to another and a sparkling coat of smooth, white paint. There isn’t that king of a stairway either, which is a very good thing for their feet; the boys tolerate the last steps towards the finish line and feel at ease to hear the doorbell.
Being shaded under the canopy makes it a whole lot easier for them to patiently wait for Dreyse or some servant to answer, giving them time to wipe off sweat and double check the necessities in their backpacks. Just as they were both cooling down, the brief sound of footsteps approaches the door on the other side; it swings open by a teen girl of ash-brown hair with curls all knotted and twisted, almost like she just got out of bed. Her narrow, hazel eyes don’t leave her glittery rose-gold phone - much like Annie did the other day - which is pretty rude considering this is her party.
“Let me guess, you’re here to fill in for Annie too?” She suspects with a dry tone.
Neither respond, specifically due to having a reaction to the white, slightly revealing bikini with lace trimming. It does seem a bit inappropriate for a girl her age to wear, but what shouldn’t be expected from the rich? A few seconds in and Dreyse lets out an ‘ahem’ to reel their minds back.
“Oh! Well… yes.” Marco answers. “I assume everyone else got here before us, right?”
“Well that’s my luck.” Jean rolls his eyes as he zips up his bag. “But maybe not so if Eren isn’t one of them.”
The undercut boy then shoves his way pass the distraction that is the ‘snob’ he feared, shifts his head towards every direction until he can make out a pool in his sight - the distant sound of music and splashes end up being more helpful. Witnessing the look of disgust, Marco apologises on his boyfriend’s behalf and quickly follows behind him. The hallway belongs to herself now, so the dissatisfied Hitch feels free to groan and speak her mind about the oddity that keep on bursting through her doorway today.
“Geez, Annie; how many of these weirdos did you sent to my house?”
—
A great big slam of opening pool house doors echoes throughout the outdoor area, yet the air is so full of laughter, splashing and bopping music that nobody pays any mind. Said air is also fresh of chlorine which makes Jean twice as relieved as he was five minutes ago, same can be said for his freckled lover, glancing around at all the present guests enjoying themselves.
Intense heat may still be shining down on everything, but the sight of the large, freeform-shaped swimming pool helps to bounce right off of them - there’s even a circular spa within it, how awesome is that? Along one side stands a 4 metered table full of appetising dishes and desserts Sasha hoped for there to be, and two large speakers are presented over at the other, blaring ‘Call Me Maybe’ almost up to eleven. There are without a doubt in the right place.
As stated by Hitch earlier, a bunch of their friends have already made it; the two lovely girlies in love sit upon an edge chatting, the buff Reiner continuously does laps whilst Bertholdt times, Sasha obviously gazes over everything on the summer-y banquet table, and Armin relaxes on one of the many fancy loungers with a book in hand. No sign of Mikasa or Eren yet - the latter being satisfying to Jean - and weirdly no Connie either; he’d be having a riot by now.
With everything revealed, at last can Kirstein drop his backpack, kick off his sandals and strip off his tank top in the most exhilarating manner possible. The flustered Marco is left to watch in shock and hear what excuse of a shriek just came out of his boyfriend’s mouth.
‘Well… at least his mood’s lifted’ he thinks to himself before heading off to find a private space to change.
It’s a good thing he left in time to not catch onto the giant, thunderous splash occurring as Jean disappeared under the water, undeniably soaking most of his friends present and ticking them off. Notably, the racket grabs the attention of two other teens just now rushing out to inspect for themselves; it isn’t a surprise that the displeased brunet huffs at the first sight of his frenemy.
“Ugh, I should’ve known that a wild stallion came trotting in here thinking it was the ocean.” He remarks, twisting the trademark nickname for the situation.
“Oh shut it, Jaeger. You’re lucky you weren’t here to be soaked to; or should I say unlucky?” Jean retorts back, kicking his way up to an edge of the pool.
Eren’s huffiness reaches up to 10 and instantly stretches his arm back towards Mikasa behind him. “That does it. Mikasa, hand over one of my squirt guns?”
Unfortunately, the girl seems distracted; her eyes are more interested on the oddly tight back muscles of the brunet, ones she’s never noticed until now. Despite the rising blush on her cheeks, Eren completely ignores it and snaps back her focus onto his strengthened tone.
“Mikasa?!”
“Oh! Th-Those?” She points directly at two of them in a confused way.
“Huh. Good thinking. I’ll take him down with both.”
“Just… don’t create a scene - your mom says so.”
After one grumble under his breath and a pair of rolling eyes, Eren snatches both guns into his grip and swiftly jumps back into the pool; nowhere near the way Jean did prior. Tension rises between rivals, in contrast to the quieter raven-haired girl sitting at the side with just half her legs in the water, adapting to the temperature and eyeing Eren like hawk.
Meanwhile at the lounges, someone else is keeping a close watch on the commotion splashing about, including his bothered friend in the patterned, sky-blue bikini kicking away by herself; Armin can either be sorry for her or annoyed at the water fight disturbing his book time. “Perhaps I should step in after this chapter.” He ponders to himself.
Train of thought gets interrupted by the nearing sound of mumbling, said sound is followed by a desperate grumble, making a pair of ocean-blue eyes glance at the brunette having a dilemma killing her.
“Please don’t tell me you’re still struggling with ‘decisions’ are you?” The blonde boy asks in an unamused voice.
Sasha’s head faces towards him, displaying agony and a slightly watery mouth. “This is hard for me specifically! I’ve been saving my stomach for this yet I don’t wanna wolf down everything or else Hitch will call me out; but they all look soo good!”
“But… that’s an entire main course you have there.”
The pointing of his finger has her eyes glance back at the dish full of sandwiches, a hot dog, mini cakes and a soda, all perfectly balanced by a miracle, but she only returns an equally unamused look back at him.
“This looks like a light snack.”
Before more banter can spring back and forward, the happy girl couple approach the party table as well and try to settle down the situation - well, at least one of them does.
“Um… Sasha?” The content Historia lightly taps on her friend’s shoulder. “I really like your flower-patterned swimsuit, it’s pretty neat.”
“Huh? Eat? I can’t eat my own swimsuit. I may be hungry but not desperate.”
“She said ‘neat’ and you already seem desperate.” Ymir corrects and retorts back, somewhat snickering to keep from laughing at Sasha’s response.
The latter girl’s face blushes at full pink, tiny drops of sweat form as she continues to stare blankly at the couple next to her. Awareness at her own silence builds up more pressure that she actively looks and walks away all mortified like.
“Y-Y-You’re swimsuit is cute too!” Sasha yells out shyly from a distance.
—
(to be continued)