The Secrets Hidden In The Scars

      Two weeks later. It’s about half past twelve. Terrence and Raquelle are going somewhere together. While the girl is sitting in the passenger’s seat, the man is driving his car and going slowly on the road, which is less busy than usual today.       “Life is getting better,” Terrence says cheerfully, holding the steering wheel tightly and watching the road. “I’d say it’s getting better than it was before.”       “I’ve gotta agree,” Raquelle replies confidently, knocking at the door of the car with her fingers. “It’s getting easier to breathe.”       “And I’m happy I finally reconciled with Father.”       “Yeah! But you were running from him and said he was bad.”       “I know, I should’ve listened to Mother and talked to him. But I’m glad this situation finally got clear.”       “Nevertheless, I understand your feelings. And I’d ignore someone if I thought they treated one of my close people badly.”       “Besides, I no longer feel like a half-orphan.”       “Hey, what’s your opinion about your father? You’ve spoken to him for two weeks, and I think you got a thought about him.”       “He’s a great man,” Terrence replies confidently with a slight smile and changes the speed with a gearbox. “As wonderful as Mother has always said.”       “I believe you didn’t feel bored while I was busy.”       “Yeah, Father and I met many times. We went to the city along with Edward and spent a great time a couple of times. We found out much about each other, talked about childhood, discussed some funny cases… I had to get a little blushed when Father recalled some things related to my brother and me when we were kids.”       “I imagine how happy your mother is.”       “Oh, she’s literally on top of the world. She’s so happy we both started to speak to our father.”       “And your father agreed to move into her house.”       “It’s true. But at first, he refused and said he felt uncomfortable. But I made him sure that I’d materially help Mother and him. Well, Father eventually agreed. He brought his stuff to Mother’s house literally the next day.”       “So, did he leave Mr. Johnson’s apartment?”       “Yes, he left that place. He still says he feels uncomfortable, but did it to be closer to the family. Doesn’t wanna be separated from us… But if he gets the company back and proves that Uncle deprived him of the job on purpose, Father will be able to provide for Mother. Although the company reached no success when Uncle Michael ruled it, he didn’t bankrupt it, to our surprise.”       “Michael was good, at least in something,” Raquelle chuckles.       “That’s right,” Terrence flashes a smile. “I think we all thought he’d bankrupt it because nobody taught him what he should’ve known.”       “Gosh, he came there at least once per week. The company staff was doing their work and literally ruling it. Without them, it would’ve been in bad condition.”       “You’re right.” Terrence changes the speed with a gearbox. “But Father got the proof of faking the documents and is going to fight for the right to become the full owner.”       “Great,” Raquelle smiles slightly. “I’m glad he wants to fight.”       “I’m sure Father would make the wish of Grandfather Manuel come true.”       “Manuel? Your grandfather’s name was Manuel?”       “Yup. Manuel MacClife. And my grandmother was Margaret MacClife. I rarely spoke to her in very early childhood, but didn’t meet Grandfather. I know him only thanks to the photos that Mother showed me.”       “Mr. Johnson said when your father took control of the company, your grandfather died some time later.”       “Maybe, I’ll ask Father about Grandfather and Grandmother later. I’d love to know more about those people.”       “Nice idea. Very good…”       Raquelle looks through the window, watching everything that the car drives by and leaning her head back slightly. Terrence glances at the girl for a moment, tightly holding the steering wheel with one hand and putting another on a gearbox.       “Yeah, I’d love to know how the talk between Edward and George was,” Terrence says with a slight smile.       “I think it did well,” Raquelle shrugs, moving her eyes to the windshield. “Edward can slay everyone if he wants it.”       “I hope he won't refuse. For him, it’s such a perfect chance to show his talent, see that he’s appreciated, and start to earn some money.”       “He could do… That guy is too insecure and afraid to show his talents.”       “That’s good Edward agreed to talk to George. My manager planned a meeting, and I introduced them to each other and let them agree on everything. They planned a meeting with those guys, for whom my bro should’ve written something.”       “Didn’t you ask Edward about it?”       “Not yet. But since we decided to come together at Daniel’s home and celebrate Peter’s release from the hospital, he’ll surely tell us everything.”       “I hope he’ll make us happy with the news that he accepted George’s offer.”       “We’ll see. When he shows up at the doorstep of Perkins’ home, holding Natalia under her arm, he’ll tell us everything.”       “Ah, yeah, our lovebirds…” Raquelle smiles slightly, pressing into the back of the sofa as tightly as possible. “I’m starting to like that cute couple more and more. They do spread too much positivity and happiness…”       “Oh, yeah, my brother has become a walking positive,” Terrence laughs shyly and changes the speed with a gearbox. “If you don’t tell him about the hearing and the story of Uncle, that tomboy has a wonderful mood. Smiles a lot, laughs, jokes, has fun…”       “May the guy distract himself. He’s survived too much.”       “That’s cool those events didn’t turn him into a stoned and stale bastard. He remained a decent, kind, and friendly guy that, however, has his own demons.”       “Anyway, Edward has lately started to change for the better.”       “That’s right. Natalia has a very good influence on him. And Father helps him gain confidence. So to say, he tries to fix the mistakes of his past.”       “Natalia, Anna, and, I noticed it, too. Well, as you know, Natalia said Edward honestly recognized his weakness and took off his last mask.”       “Yeah, I know. And after that, I started to understand the reasons for his actions much better. In many cases, Edward behaved like this because of fear and hesitance. A greed for adventures and fears of bad people were fighting with each other and didn’t let him decide what to do.”       “Yeah, we thought he was jealous and egoistic.”       “We can’t close his eyes to his mistakes. But if the guy regrets it, why we can’t give him a chance.”       “Agree.”       “And I’m not gonna hide…” Terrence says confidently with a sly smile. “I’m bribed by the fact that my brother openly says he admires me. He considers me his role model.”       “Oh, Terrence, who would doubt!” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Anyone to say something like this will automatically be included in your white list.”       “I’m serious, Raquelle! It’s madly nice when someone’s proud of you and takes an example for you. Edward can laugh at me as much as he wants and deny that I’m irresistible and unique. But I do know that the kid recognizes my importance and is proud to call himself my younger brother.”       “Oh, gosh, arguing with you about this thing is worthless…” Raquelle moans tiredly, closing her eyes for two seconds. “I won’t even try.”       “This is right, babe,” Terrence smiles slyly. “Because you also recognize it and feel unbelievably proud to call me your fiancé. Who, by the way, became the first man in your life. And for me, it’s another reason to be proud of me.”       “It’s hard to deny it.”       “Just impossible.”       “Oh, MacClife, MacClife…”       Silence settles in the salon of the car again, during which he quietly keeps driving the car, and Raquelle looks around, folding her hands in front of herself and locking her fingers tightly.       “Damn, I still can’t believe my band wasn’t disbanded,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “I’m going to Perkins’ home and can’t believe we’re gonna play all together for the first time in a while.”       “I’m very glad Peter has been released from the hospital,” Raquelle replies. “And he did it well – he got well quickly enough. I thought he’d have to be under the view of doctors for much longer.”       “Nevertheless, his fight continues. Now Peter’s gonna fight with himself, his emotions, his feelings… Learn to live without self-harming.”       “The important thing is that he stops paying attention to insults and humiliations. Understand that nobody can be good for everyone.”       “I’m sure he’ll learn to ignore these things. I know they might hurt you much, but it’s not worth any attention and sacrifices.”       “That’s good he has wonderful friends that would help him overcome this hard time.”       “Agree. Daniel and I are doing our best for that. And Edward started to help us.”       “The girls and I are also going everything we can.”       “Thanks to our efforts, we will help Pete come to himself. Our band will also be able to return to the studio and keep working on our album. Of course, I can’t fully focus on it due to the trial, but we can at least start to write something… Take some notes not to forget it.”       “The important thing is that Daniel and Peter don’t find a reason to kill each other again,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully, running her hand over her hair.       “No, beautiful, it will hardly happen,” Terrence laughs quietly. “Those two started to speak well after the reconciliation. They started to make their stupid jokes and laugh at everything like idiots. Of course, I watch them yet, but they’re doing well without me.”       “Calm down, honey, they’ll hardly need you.”       “No! They must not think of getting off me! As Perkins and Rose suggested I join their band, I will not leave at my wish.”       “Even if you get kicks?”       “Without my unique talent, this band will be broken up. Of course, Pete and Dan are good, but they won’t make it famous. Because they don’t have what I have.”       “Oh, they’d hit you on your gorgeous head for these words,” Raquelle laughs shyly.       “They won’t dare. The hazel-eyed one knows that I will not leave it unnoticed and will take revenge for any trick on me.”       “Oh, yeah, you and Daniel have lately loved mocking each other. Anna told me he complained to her about you and didn’t know where to hide from you.”       “He has annoyed me for two weeks! Daniel doesn’t let me live quietly!”       “Don’t give him a reason, and he will leave you alone.”       “Huh, I don’t want to bother His Highness,” Terrence chuckles quietly with his head proudly raised. “He does annoy me and loves mocking me. At first, he was doing it by himself, but now he agreed with Rose, and he washes my brains with the blond’s help.”       “Gosh, MacClife…” Raquelle shakes her head with a quiet chuckle. “You annoy absolutely everybody: Edward, Daniel, Peter, Ben… You’re adult people, but you act like children that can’t share a toy or get very mad when someone swears on them.”       “Come on, Raquelle,” Terrence replies with an innocent smile. “I do wanna play the fool sometimes and kick the ass of some people that get outta control. So, I finally started to educate Edward, who went out of control while we didn’t speak. And I’ll kick Daniel, so he knows where he belongs. And if I have to, I’ll do it to Peter.”       “Oh, what a terrible daddy that’s gonna punish the bad boys,” Raquelle laughs shyly.       “What can I do if the children don’t listen to me, agree against me, and wanna mock me?”       “Look, MacClife, someday you’ll make the same mistake as Perkins. Someone might get mad and hit you a couple of times.”       “Don’t worry, babe, the jokes of those guys wouldn't hurt me. You, girls, get mad at any harmless joke and say nobody loves you. It’s easy in the case of us, men. If you get a cake thrown in your face, you’ll laugh with everybody.”       “Well…” Raquelle bits her lip slightly. “Yeah… I don’t even know what could make your self-rate lower and make you doubt yourself.”       “It’s impossible,” Terrence replies with his head proudly raised and changes the speed, pressing on the gas pedal much stronger. “May those idiots try to do it as much as they want. I won’t believe them and will just laugh at their pathetic attempts to make me doubt my uniqueness.”       “Yeah… How it’s interesting to watch the metamorphoses that happen to you… Watch you become a shy, good boy for me and your mother or father. Or get insolent and too self-confident for your brother and friends.”       “Anyway, all those people are close and beloved.”       “You can get off it beautifully.”       “I’m telling the truth, cutie.”       “Okay, okay, our honest guy,” Raquelle claps Terrence on the shoulder with a smile. “I believe you.”       “It can’t be otherwise.”       Raquelle moans quietly with rolled eyes. Then, silence settles in the salon for a few seconds, during which Terrence keeps driving the car and watching the road with a slight smile.       “And actually, we talked about Peter at first,” Terrence notices. “About how it’s great to know he’s alive and healthy.”       “And truly happy,” Raquelle smiles slightly. “When he’s smiling or laughing, it’s true.”       “Agree, his emotions finally became real.”       “Thanks to our support. Every one of us let him know that we’d always be by his side and never leave him in trouble.”       “And now we have no right to betray him. Peter doesn’t have a family that would help him. We’re his only close people. We’ll help him overcome the habit of harming himself.”       “How we couldn’t help such a wonderful man! The poor guy experienced such horror… Sadly, he was surrounded by very cruel and unfair people.”       “But now he has many true friends that would never use him and play with his feelings. Peter can completely trust us and fear no betrayal of us. Neither his friends, nor the girl, who he is in love with, will leave him.”       Terrence falls into silence and changes the speed with a gearbox. And then Raquelle breaks the pause when she glances at the man and frowns slightly:       “Hey, why have you, Peter, and Daniel never told Anna, Natalia, and me about that girl?”       “Erm…” Terrence stutters, biting his lip slightly. “Excuse me, what?”       “Why do we know nothing about Peter’s friend? The girls and I think it’s strange that you’ve never said anything about that mysterious girl. We never saw her at the hospital.”       “She visited Peter every day. That girl just went where one of us had left the hospital. That girl works and couldn’t be with the blond all the time.”       “Yeah, but we actually know nothing about her! No name, no story of her meeting with Peter! We know only the fact that she exists!”       “Don’t say you decided to give me a third degree.”       “The fact that none of you told us about that girl makes me suspicious.”       “Hey, are ya jealous?” Terrence chuckles quietly.       “No, I’m not. I just would like to know more about that girl.”       “Don’t worry, sweetie, she’s a very good girl. Sympathetic, kind, loyal… Daniel and I liked her when we met her. Peter would hardly befriend a bad girl and especially fall in love with her. The way the queen of school betrayed him.”       “And who’s she? Where was she born? What’s she doing? How did she meet Peter?”       “She was born in a small city. Not in New York. I don’t know what she’s doing, but she said she worked somewhere. And that girl was introduced to Peter by their common friend, who was the only one from the class not to bully him and still keeps speaking to him.”       “You say, a small city…”       “Thinking of the past?”       “Something…”       “You would’ve probably stayed in Kingston if not for your career.”       “If I’d stayed there, I wouldn’t have reached success in a modeling career. Besides, I couldn’t often go from Kingston to New York.”       “I get it.”       “You know, Terrence…” Raquelle pronounces with sadness in her eyes, looking at her hands. “It’s been so many years since I found out about their death, but I haven’t accepted it… Sometimes I miss them so much, even if I barely remember Mom and Dad. Only the photos in the album and at the cemetery don’t let me forget them.”       “I know what you feel,” Terrence replies quietly, throwing a short, sad look at Raquelle. “And I started to think about what would happen to me after my parents’ death. I know it will happen early or late, but I understand it’ll be hard for me to accept it.”       “I believe you felt something like that when you heard about your father’s alleged death.”       “I seriously thought it was true. I was worried I didn’t meet him, didn’t explain everything, and didn’t tell him the truth… At heart, I felt very bad from the thought that the man was gone.”       “Sometimes I wanna hug my parents and tell them I love them.” Raquelle sighs heavily. “But I completely understand it’s impossible… I can talk to them only at their graves. They’ll never answer me, though.”       “And when I believed in Father’s death, I thought I lost him and wouldn't even come to see his grave and ask him for forgiveness. Yes, I thought he was a terrible man, but I never wished him to die.”       “I believe Edward’s words about your babyhood memory made you think.”       “They did. I reflected on it, even if I said it was bullshit. I was struggling with opposite thoughts… And my brother was partly right. He assumed that something wasn’t right, and that was the truth.”       “I think it will be a lesson for you. If your mother insists on something, you better do it. Who knows, maybe, you would’ve gotten on well with your father much earlier.”       “I know, I should’ve asked her much about it,” Terrence replies, exhaling slowly with sadness in his eyes. “The fact that she always protected Father and never said bad things about him got me suspicious. But I didn’t wanna notice it because of my offense and the belief that he was terrible.”       “Oh, no need to remember,” Raquelle sighs quietly, running her hand over her hair. “Everything got clearer…”       “I’m sorry that I'll hardly forget how unfair I was to him.”       “Sorry, I shouldn’t have talked about my parents and made you think of those things,” Raquelle inclines her head. “Sorry…”       “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Terrence smiles slightly. “I completely understand that you worry about the loss of your parents. I swear I’d never tell you something like, ‘Forget them! They died a long time ago, and you’ll never see them.’ No! It would be very bad for me.”       “But there’s a part of the truth in it.”       “It would be stupid and cruel to ask you to forget your mother and father. They were the people that gave you life.”       “I know…” Raquelle exhales slowly and leans back in the chair. “Oh, okay… Let’s not talk about it. Otherwise, I’ll go crazy if I constantly talk about it.”       “I’m for! Now we can let ourselves relax. We better have much fun before the dark days start.”       “I can’t believe we’ll come together again…” Raquelle smiles slightly. “I haven’t spent time with Edward and Natalia, Anna, and the three guys that become children when they meet.”       “Oh, damn, I missed those times,” Terrence changes the speed with a gearbox with a slight smile and weakens the strength of pressing the gas pedal. “The last time we came together was when we decided to introduce everybody to each other. Daniel and Peter met you and Natalia, and Edward met Anna.”       “I didn’t think I’d spend time in the company of eight people. My company always had not less than two people.”       “Gonna be eight soon! Peter is gonna bring his girlfriend and introduce her to you, Anna, Natalia, and Edward. And I hope she’ll get on well with us, and the girls and you will become her friends.”       “Great! But you could say it earlier. Not now, when we’ve almost arrived at Daniel’s home.”       “Actually, I told you she’d be with us! Did you listen to me? Or dreaming?”       “I’m sorry, Mr. MacClife,” Raquelle throws her hands up with an innocent smile. “For barely listening to what you told me during the breakfast.”       “Alright, you won!” Terrence chuckles quietly. “You’re forgiven, Raquelle Allison Cameron! How I could resist the charm of such a stunning cutie that clouds the mind with just one look.”       “See, pretty boy, I might hypnotize you to make you my loyal slave that would do anything I want.”       “You can order me without that,” Terrence smiles slyly. “I’m ready to be your loyal slave.”       “Okay, I’ll remember.”       Raquelle rolls her eyes with a sly smile, and Terrence glances at her and chuckles quietly.       “Hey, it’s great you finally finished your work,” Terrence says with a slight smile. “You worked for almost two weeks, and you and I barely met.”       “I know, my blame,” Raquelle replies shyly. “But now I’m ready to fix it. Ask anything you want, and I’ll do it with pleasure.”       “Just wanna some attention.” Terrence glances at Raquelle with a mysterious smile. “Attention from one gorgeous girl, who knows how to make me feel nice.”       “Aw, sweetheart…” Raquelle puts her head on Terrence’s shoulder for a second. “If you knew how much I missed you. And which plans I got in between breaks of shootings.”       “M-m-m, I feel you planned something very interesting.”       “You’re gonna be happy. Just like always. Moreover, I never have problems seducing you. You give up almost at once.”       “There are two things. A sexy cutie by my side and natural sexuality and very strong affection that I was given by nature.”       “Terrence…”       “What? Is that not true? I’ve always been a perfect lover! A sexy and irresistible lover of a dream of any girl! And since I started to date you, my confidence about it got way stronger.”       “I’d like to take an example from your brother or friends and laugh at you, but I can’t.”       “So, you’re my good girl. Obedient, good, understanding… And I’ll deal with those idiots. They’ll remember that they shouldn’t get problems with Terrence MacClife.”       “Yeah?” Raquelle rounds her eyes with a slight smile. “Okay, pretty boy. Tonight, you’ll know how obedient and good I am. When you’re tightly tied to the bed and squeak when I slap you a couple of times.”       “Ar-r-r, fuck, shut up, bitch,” Terrence growls with a wide smile. “Otherwise, I’ll throw the wheel, undress you and fuck you right here.”       “Imagine that you have to wait for the end of the trial. If you had no right to touch me all this time. If I was the only one to be able to do anything to you.”       “You think I wouldn’t give a fuck about your fucking bans if you were walking half-naked in front of me and caressing my gorgeous Apollo body?”       “What if you had to?”       “You’re waking up a wide animal inside me.”       “Calm down, MacClife, you’ll do nothing to me because we’re going to visit someone.”       “Wait, cutie, I’ll kick your ass later.” Terrence smiles widely and slyly. “You’ll not hide from me.”       “Dreaming doesn’t harm.”       “I would've had taken it if you hadn’t taken the break and had kept working every day.”       “When the case is about my close people, I can think of nothing else. To do a good job, I must get all the thoughts out of my mind.”       “It mainly has to do with me, Edward, our parents, and Natalia. And you’re involved in much less.”       “So, as I’m a part of this, I do care about this case,” Raquelle replies confidently. “And I must be with my close people to support them.”       “Just like for you, family and friendship are my most appreciated treasure.”       “I know.”       “But…” Terrence glances at Raquelle. “The most beautiful treasure of mine is now sitting in the passenger seat of my car. And smiling at me cutely.”       “Oh, damn!” Raquelle laughs shyly and closes her face with a hand for two seconds. “Don’t make me repeat it! I don’t wanna be a parrot!”       “Sorry…” Terrence pouts her lips. “I thought I’d hear the same words from you…”       “Too great honor! You must not hear too many compliments. Or you start to get lost and praise yourself to the skies.”       “You’re hurting me, baby…”       “Hey, don’t get hurt, but watch the road! Otherwise, you’ll have to pay a great amount to get this car fixed again.”       “Don’t worry, babe, it’s gonna be okay! Did you forget that I’m a perfect driver, who has the skill of driving in any situation?”       “Starting to praise yourself again?” Raquelle laughs shyly.       “Telling the truth.” Terrence presses the gas pedal a little stronger, hearing how the car makes a quiet growl. “Hear, my girl agrees with me!”       “I think your girl says she won’t forgive you for the brain damage that you gave her the last time.”       “She forgave me. I paid a lot of money, so good people could wake her up. Now my beauty is like new.”       “Yeah, if only this beauty didn’t crush somewhere on the road.”       “Don’t take a bad example from my friends and brother.”       “They’re not afraid to tell you all the truth.”       “Alright, stop saying stupid things!” Terrence exclaims confidently. “The perfect driver is about to reach the home of his buddy.”       “Don’t miss the turn, perfect driver. Or you’ll explain to Perkins where you were hanging around while everybody went to his home.”       “I remember, don’t worry.”       Some time later, Terrence turns the car to the left, looking forward to the moment when his band and he play something good along with his band for the first time in a while.       

***

      Ten minutes later, Terrence and Raquelle come to Daniel's house. After leaving the car in front of the house, none of them rushes to leave. And at some moment, Terrence thinks about something and breaks the silence, keeping a hand on the steering wheel with his head proudly raised:       “So, what about praising me a little?”       “Damn, here you go again?” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “Why don’t people wanna pay me back when I give them tons of compliments? Spend just one minute making me happy with a good word.”       “I did say you must not hear too many compliments because you start to get arrogant.”       “But you know how much I love it.”       “It’s okay, you’ll take it.”       “C’mon, beauty, don’t be so nasty.” Terrence puts his hand softly on Raquelle’s lap and caresses it tenderly, while she looks into his eyes with a sly smile. “You haven’t told me that I’m perfect, handsome, beloved, brave, and masculine today…”       “I will not. Don’t even hope.”       “Really?” Terrence asks in a quiet, low voice, moving his hand to the inside of Raquelle’s thigh and starting to caress it tenderly. “So, don’t you wanna it at all?”       “Move your hand off.”       “Tell me something nice, and I’ll move it off.” Terrence brings his face to the curve of Raquelle’s neck and just breathes on it with hot air. “Or you’ll ask for trouble.”       “Go to hell! Someone’s waiting for us, but you decided to feel me up. Come on, leave the car!”       When Raquelle wants to open the passenger door and leave the car, Terrence grabs her by the nape of her neck softly but tightly.       “Sh-h-h, don’t rush, babe, don’t rush,” Terrence purrs quietly with a sly smile. “Until I get what I want, you will go nowhere.”       “You want Daniel to see your car and get you out of it? I can call him right now and ask him to come!”       “Don’t avoid the answer. I’m waiting.” Terrence closely runs his lips over Raquelle’s ear and leaves a kiss on the area behind it, smiling widely when he feels she gets quite tense and exhales very quietly. “Otherwise, you’re gonna bear a very long torture… If you ask me to be crueler and faster, I’ll be soft and very slow.”       “You won’t do this now…” Raquelle replies in a little hoarse voice.       “Oh, I will do it,” Terrence promises confidently and runs his open mouth slowly over a curve of the neck of Raquelle, who closes her eyes with a sensual sigh and rolls them then. “You know me. I will get what I want…”       “Gosh, MacClife, stop asking for compliments,” Raquelle laughs shyly and, giving in under the influence of such a strong charm from Terrence, starts moaning quietly after every single shot and tender kiss of the man on her neck. “Oh… You know that you’ll always be perfect for me…”       “Keep going…”       “I’ve said many times how I admire your bravery, courage, and loyalty. Your care conquered me completely. I’m madly lucky to have such a wonderful man… Who… Oh… Does incredible things to me…”       “Good girl!” Terrence exclaims with a wide smile, carefully moves a strand of Raquelle’s hair off her eyes, and caresses her cheek tenderly, while she looks at him like charmed. “You see, only one minute – and you made one man unbelievably happy.”       “Actually, you made me say it.”       “That’s why I say it’s always easy for me to get what I want.” Terrence runs his fingers over the dark strands of Raquelle’s hair and caresses her head. “And you can’t resist me at all. You’d show off a little and give yourself to me.”       “You’ve lately been too insolent and self-confident.”       “I’m gonna think you said you love me very much.” Terrence runs her fingertips slowly over the curve of Raquelle’s neck, barely touching her tender and velvety skin, while she feels that her heart stops for a moment. “Say it as often as possible. And I’ll be happy to answer you back and give you all my love.”       “M-m-m, you speak so beautifully and sweetly…” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Just like your brother, as my friend says. That sentimental romantic may tell her what makes her forget everything.”       “You know, baby, you’re guilty of me saying it,” Terrence replies in a low voice with a shy smile, running his fingertips over the skin on Raquelle’s head. “You shouldn’t be too perfect and charm me with your spells that make me lose my mind.”       “Huh, I’d bet who’s charming.”       “We are both just too perfect to resist each other.” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s cheek tenderly, making her smile much wider. “And I wanna notice that all our close people think so. They see that we’ve got affection. Well, that’s clear… We’re literally made for each other.”       “Your friends would cut off your wings quickly,” Raquelle laughs shyly.       “They can do it. Although they laugh at me, I know that they’re as happy for me as I am for them. They like you, and I like the girls that those guys chose.”       “You won’t probably believe them, and you will say you’re unique and indispensable.”       “Nobody will dare to argue with it.” Terrence runs his hand through Raquelle’s hair, gets his fingers through her dark strands, and grabs her by the neck softly but tightly. “Right, beautiful? Or will you start being a bad girl and saying it’s not the truth again?”       “Well…” Raquelle rolls her eyes with a mysterious smile.       “Okay, say nothing. I know everything well.” Terrence leaves a short, tender kiss on the curve of Raquelle’s neck and runs his lips over it and the front of this one. “We don’t need to ask for each other’s opinion, ‘cause we know what every one of us thinks about.”       “It’s… Hard to deny. Because I sometimes think we really have some connection, thanks to which we feel each other so well.”       “We just found our soulmates, whose thoughts are literally on our hands.”       “Right…” Raquelle slowly brings her face to Terrence’s face and looks into his eyes with a sly smile, playing with a zipper on the man’s jacket, caressing his shoulders or cheeks, or running her hand over his chest. “And judging by your smug smile and your playful mood, you’re happy now.”       “Guessed,” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds, looking into Raquelle’s eyes with a slight smile. “And judging by your sly smile, you want me to do something.”       “Well, if you’re so smart, try to guess what I want and do it right now. I give you a little hint: it’s not gonna be hard for you. It will give pleasure to both of us.”       Terrence looks at Raquelle with a sly smile for two seconds, examining every single feature of her face or trying to read the girl’s mind. But then the man gets closer to her and slowly but confidently enough gets her involved in a sweet kiss, grabbing his fiancée’s face with one hand and caressing her cheek tenderly, while his second hand runs through the brunette’s long, wavy hair that he strokes with a special pleasure. The girl answers the kiss, putting her hand on the top of the man’s head and starting to pull his hair tenderly, and moans from pleasure quietly.       But a few seconds later, Terrence and Raquelle break the kiss slowly, not stopping to look at each other with tenderness and smiling shyly. At some moment, the man succumbs to the temptation to leave a couple of short kisses on the curve of the girl’s neck that make her close her eyes with a feeling of the nice warmth in her whole body. And some time later, MacClife, Sr., decides to break the silence, still caressing her cheek with both hands:       “So what? I guessed?”       “Hit the bullseye!” Raquelle replies with a smile.       “I didn’t doubt it.”       “I'm sorry that we can’t stay here longer. That I can’t undress you and give all my love.”       “I’m afraid Daniel got my car caught and is waiting for us. And I don’t doubt that he wouldn’t miss a chance to tell me a bad joke when he understands we decided to play a little.”       “Well, deal with it by yourself, honey. I can’t help you.”       “Don’t worry, baby, I won’t give him the pleasure of getting off it,” Terrence chuckles quietly. “I’m gonna kick him so hard that he will think better before messing up with me.”       “But don't go too far, please,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Otherwise, we’ll have to reconcile you two.”       “Don’t worry, honey, it’s gonna be okay. I promise.”       “Okay, believe you.”       Terrence smiles slightly and softly kisses Raquelle on her temple, holding her by the back of her head, and then he steps back from her and strokes his hair down.       “Oh, okay…” Terrence coughs quietly. “Let’s go. Before someone comes here and gets us outta the car by force.”       “That’s right,” Raquelle laughs shyly.       Terrence and Raquelle open the doors of the car and leave it after the man takes the keys from it, and the girl takes her purse from the backseat. When he locks it and hears the sound of a block, the lovers quietly go to the hall door of Daniel’s house and want to ring the doorbell. But when they barely come very close to it, the door suddenly opens, and Daniel smiling slyly shows up on the doorstep and greets the visitors with his hands raised up, while Terrence and Raquelle look at each other questioningly:       “Oh, wow! What people! Such important visitors are finally here!”       “Oh, Perkins in his usual form,” Terrence laughs shyly. “Showing off, puffing his tail.”       “Listen, MacClife, why did it take too long? I started to be worried and think that something had happened.”       “Oh, you wouldn’t run to help me,” Terrence laughs shyly. “I don’t really doubt it.”       “Hurting, Terrence, hurting…” Daniel shakes his head.       “But as you can see, I’ve come without problems and brought this cutie with me.”       “Cuties are always welcomed.” Daniel throws his hands up. “Welcome to my modest place! Even if you’ve been here about hundreds of times.”       “Hey, hey, our shy boy,” Terrence replies with a laugh.       Daniel and Terrence shake each other by the hand and hug each other amicably, sharing a slight clap on the back. A few seconds later, they step away, and the hazel-eyed man glances at Raquelle smiling shyly.       “Hey, Raquelle!” Daniel greets amicably with a slight smile. “Glad to see you.”       “Hi, Daniel,” Raquelle answers back. “I’m happy, too.”       Daniel and Raquelle take each other in an amicable hug.       “You look incredible,” Daniel notices with a slight smile. “As always, you’re a beauty.”       “Thanks, buddy,” Raquelle thanks shyly. “Nice to hear it.”       “Don’t ya wanna make a compliment for me?” Terrence smiles slyly, raising his head proudly. “How couldn’t you say something good to this man?”       “With great pleasure,” Daniel chuckles. “You’re more insolent and confident than ever today. And your tail became much puffier.”       “Nice, as well. Counted.”       “Everything for you, buddy.”       “Hey, where’s Anna?” Raquelle asks. “She left nowhere?”       “No, no, Anna is here,” Daniel shakes her head. “She’s in the living room. Just completed her makeover and went down.”       “Oh, did we come first?”       “Yup. Well, okay, sweet couple, come into the house. So, we don’t talk on the doorstep.”       “Thanks,” Terrence thanks. “You could invite us to come in first.”       Daniel teases Terrence’s mimic and steps back to let him and Raquelle come into the house. While the man closes the hall door, the lovers go to the living room, where Anna is really sitting. When they barely show up, the girl glances at them and gets up from the sofa with a slight smile on her face.       “Oh, hey, Raquelle, Terrence!” Anna greets amicably.       “Hey, Anna,” Terrence and Raquelle reply with slight smiles.       “You came first. Daniel and I are waiting for everybody.”       “If I’d come here last, your boyfriend would’ve done a bad thing to me,” Terrence says quietly with a laugh. “He’s lately been too arrogant.”       Anna laughs shyly and greets Terrence, whom she hugs amicably, getting a slight clap on the back. After this, the girl hugs Raquelle and shares an amicable kiss with her.       “Oh, Terrence, I see you and Daniel have lately loved annoying each other,” Anna says with a laugh.       “He is hurting me,” Terrence shows sadness on his face. “Why does that guy annoy me and want to say a bad joke about me?”       “Ah, MacClife, don’t pretend to be an innocent angel,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously. “We know well that you’re a hooligan that doesn’t miss a chance to mock his friends.”       “C’mon, Raquelle,” Anna smiles slightly. “Perkins is also far from being an innocent boy and loves asking for trouble.”       “These two just must not stay alone, ‘cause they may do very much.”       “Yeah, our boys got along.”       “Oh, c’mon, girls!” Terrence says, embracing Raquelle around the shoulders. “Why are you so worried? As the oldest one in our company, I must educate my friends and brother sometimes, so they know the limits.”       “Ah, MacClife, your younger friends may easily educate you,” Anna laughs shyly. “You might play a daddy so hard that you wouldn’t notice how someone would make you their ‘child’.”       “No, friend, don’t even dream! It won’t happen! None of those idiots will steal my place on the throne.”       “Oh, gosh, you’re unbearable…” Raquelle moans tiredly.       Terrence chuckles quietly with his head proudly raised. And a few seconds later, Daniel enters the living room, looking funny and cheerful enough.       “Hey, guys, we thought Edward and Natalia would come with you,” Daniel says thoughtfully, pulling his jeans up and slightly fixing his black shirt, two top buttons of which are open. “Or did those two get into something again?”       “Thank God, no,” Raquelle replies.       “Raquelle and I just talked and decided to give them a chance to stay alone,” Terrence adds with a sly smile. “They would’ve hardly done their business on the backseat of my baby.”       “Yeah, your old thing is a very bad place to make love,” Daniel laughs shyly. “It would crush at the time of culmination.”       “The root of this house would rather fall over your head than my girl would crush.”       “Yes, yes, I shall see how you’ll be laughing when that rust bucket really crushes.”       “And actually, Raquelle and I are the only ones to make love in my car. Nobody else has this right.”       “Ah, that’s why you made Edward and Natalia come here on their feet. You just don’t want them to sit on the backseat of your tin can and start to snuggle passionately.”       “Oh, c’mon, they’ll have a good time,” Terrence waves a hand. “The lovebirds will walk hand in hand, share some kisses, and enjoy the beauty of nature. Edward will say tons of beautiful words to Rochester, and she’ll be purring and rolling her eyes like a cat.”       “However, true,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I never saw them so happy.”       “I’m happy for them,” Anna smiles widely. “Natalia finally found the happiness that she deserves.”       “I have the one to give my little brother off if I’m sick of him,” Terrence laughs shyly. “If Natalia wanted to be with Edward, may she have a deal with him.”       “Trust me, Terrence, she’ll be happy to take that creature,” Daniel replies confidently. “Moreover, they look very cute together.”       “So, may they give each other some attention.”       “I bet you two wanted to stay alone, too.”       “Oh…” Terrence chuckles quietly. “Did you hire a detective and make a whole investigation? To know what we wanted to do? When! How!”       “Ah, dude… I don’t need to have non-ordinary skills to understand it. And I do know that you were doing something very interesting with Raquelle in the car.”       “What, what?”       “Don’t pretend to be an idiot, our gorgeous peacock. You didn’t leave your old thing and spent some time in it along with your beauty.”       “Oh, yay!” Terrence claps his hands with a wide smile. “I did know you were spying on us! My ass did feel that someone was watching me!”       “I didn’t even try, buddy,” Daniel shakes his head with an innocent smile. “I just decided to look through the window and saw your car in front of me. So, I watched and waited for you to please Anna and me with your appearance.”       “Sorry, guys,” Anna apologizes shyly. “I told him to step away from the window. But this handsome guy kept standing until you came to the door. He quickly ran to open it.”       “Yeah, this handsome guy must get a slap on his nose,” Terrence chuckles quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.       “Don’t grumble, Terrence,” Daniel replies with a sly chuckle. “Of course, I have a good vision, but it’s not so good to see what you do to Raquelle a few meters away. However, I did know you had something. You usually leave the car as fast as a bullet, but this time, you stayed a few minutes longer. Honestly, I started to be worried and wanted to come to save you.”       “If you’d shown up near my car, I would’ve kicked your ass,” Terrence replies with a sly smile.       “I would’ve found a moment to push you in the cold pool. Now it’s not time to swim and tan, and the water got cold. But I think it would be good for you. I heard that winter swimming is cool.”       “We’ll swim together. You won’t get off me easily.”       “You’re asking for trouble.”       “I can say the same about you.”       “Oh, stop it,” Raquelle moans tiredly. “You’re like children, honestly.”       “Yeah, it’s amazing how an adult, smart man may instantly turn into a little stupid child that must be under control,” Anna laughs shyly.       “That’s right.”       “Listen, Raquelle, let’s leave them for two minutes. I wanna show you something!”       “So, beauties, are you gonna talk about us?” Daniel asks with a sly smile. “Or do you have more interesting things to discuss?”       “It’s girls’ secrets, my darling!” Anna softly caresses Daniel’s cheek, looking into his eyes with a slight smile. “And you don’t have to do with them.”       Raquelle takes off her outside coat and puts it on the back of the sofa. Then she starts going upstairs along with Anna, who leads her after herself, holding her hand. Terrence and Daniel watch their girls, look at each other, and just shrug.       “Oh, these girls…” Daniel shakes his head with a slight smile. “They probably went to talk about you and me, clothes, hairstyles, and other things. Anna recently bought something and wanted to tell the girls about it.”       “Well, we’ll also find something to talk about,” Terrence replies.       “Eat something now, or wait for our gang to come all together?”       “I’ll better wait. Or you all will attack me again and call me a glutton.”       “Wonderful then. Sit down on the sofa. And take off the coat. It’s warm at my home.”       While Daniel comes to the sofa and sits on it, Terrence takes off his coat, puts it near the one that belongs to Raquelle, and joins his friend.       “But still…” Daniel pronounces thoughtfully. “Where did you and Raquelle forget Edward and Natalia? Or didn’t you plan to take them with you?”       “Hey, I said that Raquelle and I decided to give them a chance to be together,” Terrence replies confidently, leaning on the back of the sofa. “The guys can’t separate from each other. So, we would’ve bothered them with our pretense.”       “Yeah, sure, I believed you,” Daniel nods energetically with a sly smile. “I do know you. When Raquelle is one mile away from you, you can’t hold yourself down and get absolutely ready.”       “Listen, chocolate head, since when have you been curious?” Terrence frowns slightly. “I don’t ask you what you were doing to your red-haired beauty before the arrival of Raquelle and me. Though, I know you can’t resist her and are ready to kiss her everywhere.”       “Anna is my girlfriend, and I have the right to kiss her as much as I want. She only belongs to me. She will always belong.”       “Ah, yeah, you’ve officially become her boyfriend and got permission to sleep with her.”       “Even if I have sex with her, you shouldn’t care about it. If my girlfriend doesn’t pretend to be hard to reach, why not. I feel good, and she discovers very much.”       “I hope you know when you can do it not to make a baby and be surrounded by swaddling clothes and diapers. Otherwise, you would feed and put a little, cheeky creature to sleep.”       “If I have a child, I’ll have time for them and the band.”       “Hey, about the band!” Terrence gets sharply straight. “What about our instruments?”       “It’s great. We may go to the garage and play right now. We’re only missing the blond.”       “Not alone, but with his friend.”       “Oh, I can’t wait to introduce her to the girls.”       “Listen, Dan, I’d like to ask… Didn’t Anna ask you to tell her something about Helene?”       “Erm…” Daniel nods. “Yeah, Anna asked me about it. She’s asked why you, Peter, and I never talked about Helene with the girls’ pretense many times.”       “Raquelle asked me the same! On the way to here.”       “And you said something to her?”       “She asked me which city that girl was from, and what she was doing. So, I told her what Helene told us. And you?”       “Nope, I’ve said nothing yet. But Anna shows a great curiosity.”       “Are they jealous of us and Pete’s friend?”       “Jealous? No, I don’t think so! The girls know that we’re loyal to them.”       “Such a great interest in that girl makes me believe that jealousy is walking up inside our beauties.”       “Don’t forget, we really told them nothing about Helene. They know only that she exists.”       “Yeah, you’re right…” Terrence runs his hand over his hair with a thoughtful face. “Though, I want the girls to get on well with her. If Helene becomes Rose’s girlfriend, she’ll be a part of our company.”       “I think they’ll get on well. In my opinion, Helene is a very sweet and kind girl. And how she takes care of Peter. Fate sent him a wonderful girl!”       “I also find that girl good and sweet.”       “Besides, girls always treat familiar girls or friends of their men with suspicion. Men also get nervous when seeing someone near their girls. If nobody knows that someone is just a friend of your second half, they won’t be treated well.”       “I do wanna say it. It’s gonna be very hard to make Anna and Raquelle sure that Helene is not their opponent. Until they see that she cares only about Peter, they won’t calm down.”       “C’mon, Terrence! Raquelle knows that you can’t live without her. And Anna completely understands that I need only her and wouldn’t change her for another girl.”       “But as you noticed, girls might treat friends of their men badly. They would smile at Helene, but treat her with suspicion for some time.”       “Don’t think about it! I’m sure they’ll get on well. Our girls are very friendly and talkative.”       “I dunno, Daniel, I’m sure that we are all gonna feel embarrassed because of Raquelle and Anna’s suspicions.”       “Hey, but Peter and I got on well with Raquelle and Natalia when we met them. And Edward got on well with Anna. He will probably like Helene, too.”       “Anyway, I warned you.”       “Oh, MacClife…”       A few seconds later, Raquelle and Anna go downstairs to the living room, getting the attention of Daniel and Terrence immediately.       “So, beauties, did you talk about all your secrets?” Terrence smiles slyly.       “And did you, Anna, show Raquelle everything you bought?” Daniel asks.       “So, boys, we’ve gotta talk,” Raquelle replies confidently. “And you will not avoid it.”       “Yeah, lads, don’t you know if Peter is gonna bring his mysterious friend here?” Anna asks.       “Sure, he is going,” Daniel confirms. “I told you Peter would come with her and introduce her to you and your friends.”       “And why do we still know nothing about her?” Raquelle asks and sits on the sofa in front of Terrence and Daniel.       “Exactly!” Anna exclaims and joins Raquelle, sitting next to her. “Why has none of you told us about that girl?”       “Oh, no, again…” Daniel moans quietly, rolling his eyes.       “Hey, don’t roll your eyes. Maybe, you tell us something about that girl that you’re waiting for so badly?”       “And be pleased to explain, why did we never run into her in the hospital, even if we were there many times?” Raquelle wonders. “She never visited Peter with our pretense.”       “It happened,” Terrence throws his hands up.       “Yes, she’s working and should take care of her grandmother,” Daniel adds. “That girl couldn’t stay with Peter and make him have fun all the time.”       “Good, but why are you so secret?” Anna wonders. “Why do we know only the fact that she exists?”       “Yeah, it seems like we’d be shocked if we knew who she is,” Raquelle notices.       “Hey, are you jealous of us and that girl?” Terrence wonders and laughs shyly. “Gosh, what silly girls you are! You’ve got no reason to worry, beauties! We’ll not leave you!”       “I dunno…” Anna rolls her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest.       “Listen, Anna, Raquelle, we understand that you might consider her your opponent and fear that she might seduce us. But your fears are groundless. You know well that we won’t prefer anyone else over you.”       “A new person we don’t know,” Raquelle says. “You’d also be nervous if a man joined our company. You’d be afraid that he’d seduce one of us and love to steal. So, we’re nervous, as well.”       “And agree, it’s kind of suspicious that you tell us nothing about her,” Anna adds thoughtfully. “It makes us have some… Suspicions… Makes us ask ourselves if that girl is dangerous for us.”       Daniel frowns slightly and bends to Terrence before he whispers to him quietly:       “Terrence, it seems like you’re right. Jealousy is close.”       “What I told you, fool!” Terrence whispers.       “And what do we do? We should please them! Make them stop thinking we have an eye on Peter’s friend!”       “I have an idea,” Terrence smiles slyly. “What do men do when trying to calm their girls down and prove their love?”       “Tell them tons of compliments and kiss?”       “Good boy. We’ll tell them a couple of nice words and kiss them, for example, on the neck, and they’ll calm down. In case of the second attack, we’ll do the same.”       “Hey, man, I like the way you think,” Daniel whispers with a wide smile, pushing Terrence slightly on the hip. “Let’s take them to different sides and…”       While Daniel and Terrence whisper and work with their hands actively, Anna and Raquelle are keeping their arms crossed over their chests and staring gloomily at the men, who are definitely going to do something.       “So, what do these two wanna do?” Raquelle asks. “What kind of bad thing do they wanna do?”       “I don’t care,” Anna shrugs. “But whatever that is, I’m not a part of their tricks.”       “As well as I.”       “Wonderful! May these handsome guys go to hell.”       “Yes. We’ll look at that mysterious friend of Peter and find out why they were hiding her from us so hard.”       Raquelle and Anna get up from the sofa and go to different sides: the dark-haired girl goes to the side of the bathroom, and the red-haired lady goes to the side of the kitchen. While Daniel runs to his sweetheart, Terrence comes to his fiancée and hugs her tightly from behind, putting his arms around her waist. Although the girl does not hide her smile, she is not going to forget about her suspicions.       “Are you rebelling again, beautiful?” Terrence purrs quietly, running his open mouth over Raquelle’s ear. “You want me to kick you again?”       “Calm down, pale-faced, your things won’t work this time,” Raquelle replies confidently and harshly. “Do what you want, but it won’t help you.”       “Don’t make me take measures.” Terrence runs his lips slowly over the curve of Raquelle’s neck, while his hands are placed on her belly and caresses it tenderly. “Otherwise, I’ll give a fuck that we aren’t home and do what you deserve.”       “So, what do you want from me? Can’t you control your ‘pal’ that wanna get out again?”       “Tell me you aren’t jealous of Peter’s friend and me,” Terrence says with a quiet but very nice voice. “That you don’t think I wanna leave such a sexy baby and let someone else caress and kiss her.”       “I’m jealous?” Raquelle laughs nervously. “How silly you are, MacClife! Why do you think so?”       “You and your friend just let us know it.” Terrence moves some strands of Raquelle’s hair off her eyes and puts his hand on her cheek tenderly. “Dared to doubt our loyalty and honesty.”       “Huh, I am not jealous of you. I’m used to the fact that every second girl wants to hang on your neck and glances of admiration at you.”       “What if you think better?” Terrence asks in a low, velvety voice, moving one hand to Raquelle’s thigh and leaving a tender, long kiss on the area behind her ear.       “Hey, don’t try to make me say what you need. You’ve already forced me to tell you compliments when we were in the car.”       “I forced nobody to do anything. You told me the clean truth after you relaxed in my strong arms.”       “What if I said it for you to get off me?”       “M-m-m, you decided to play a bad girl?” Terrence moves Raquelle’s hair aside with one movement and covers the nape of her neck with tender kisses. “Okay, baby, keep going. I know how to get you cool.”       “It won’t work, MacClife, don’t waste your strength,” Raquelle shows indifference but understands that she shakes, closing her eyes or rolling them sometimes. “You’re gonna play with the band…”       “Who are you trying to lie to?” Terrence chuckles and grabs Raquelle by the throat tightly but tenderly and caresses the front of it with his fingertips, not hiding his wide smile when hearing the heavy breath of the girl. “Look how you’re shaking and nervous. When will you, silly girl, understand that I know your body too well and know what to touch to make you tense?”       “You think so because you want it to happen.”       “Ah, my beauty…” Terrence moves his hand off Raquelle’s throat and moves it to her collarbones, feeling the fast heartbeat of the girl. “Or you’re pretending to be stupid or really forget who you messed up with.”       “Better go to your buddy and think about what to do for us to know nothing about the friend of another pal of you.”       “Don’t be jealous, babe, you have no reason,” Terrence purrs quietly and runs his open lips over the curve of Raquelle’s neck, feeling the incredible smell of her skin and floral perfume. “Don’t forget, I need nobody but you. There is only one sexy hellcat that easily drives me crazy.”       “Oh, please, Terrence, let me go,” Raquelle exhales slowly with closed eyes. “Let me go, I say. Otherwise, I’ll lose control of myself again.”       “Lose control. Lose!” Terrence leaves a couple of kisses on the area of Raquelle’s ear and the curve of her neck, feeling that she starts shaking and breathing deeply enough. “It would be good for me.”       “You’re a bastard… An insolent bastard that… I hate…”       “Really? What about this…” Terrence kisses Raquelle on the front of her neck, squeezes her breast tenderly, and moves another hand to her abdomen, while her body gets strongly tense, and she moans quietly with closed eyes.       “A-a-a, hate…” Raquelle moans quietly. “Just hate… You’re an asshole…”       “It sounds so sexy from your gorgeous mouth,” Terrence says in a low voice with a wide, smug smile, and caresses Raquelle’s belly tenderly after getting it underneath her red silk blouse. “Damn, how attractive you are… I feel unbelievably proud that I became the only lucky man to get such a magnificent reward.”       “Calm down, handsome, it won’t…” Raquelle sighs sensually, not being able to stop shaking after Terrence kisses her tenderly in the hole in the throat. “Damn, stop it now… Stop, I say!”       “I will stop, promise. Just tell me what I wanna hear.”       “Sorry, but we’ll make love tonight.”       “I don’t mean it, baby.” Terrence softly grabs Raquelle by the throat and leans her head back slightly. “You know what I want to hear.”       “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”       “Okay…” Terrence smiles slyly, turns Raquelle’s head slightly aside, and starts covering the curve of her neck with tender, slow kisses. “Maybe, it would refresh your memory… And until you remember, I’ll torture you.”       “You know that I consider you an irresistibly handsome guy and go crazy over you.”       “Very good answer, but wrong.” Terrence reaches another curve of Raquelle’s neck, moves her dark hair aside, starts to squeeze her breast with one hand tenderly, and caresses the girl’s belly with another, while she gets her thighs tense with a quiet moan. “Keep going, babe, I don’t rush. I can keep punishing you ‘till the evening.”       “Oh, gosh, okay, okay,” Raquelle moans tiredly. “I’m not jealous of you, silly. I'm not. Calm down. Alright, you got it. Again.”       “You dared to doubt me?” Terrence chuckles and goes back to the nape of Raquelle’s neck that he does not leave without kisses. “When will you understand that fighting with me is worthless? I would do what I want.”       “You’d hardly do this if you had your hands and legs tied up. If you had no chance to feel me up, you’d get nothing.”       “Even in this case, you’d obey me. I can seduce with just one look.”       “What if I tie your eyes? And tape your mouth?”       “In this case, you’d be conquered by the look at my gorgeous body. If I was undressed, you wouldn’t resist… Because when you look at this, you get obsessed with a wish to caress and kiss it.”       “I have the right to it. Because you’re mine and belong only to me. You’ll belong to me documentary and spiritually soon.”       “I like it,” Terrence replies in a lower voice, and kisses Raquelle cutely on the cheek. “Good girl.”       “So, will you finally let me go? Or prove that you’re super insolent by undressing me and fucking me at someone’s house?”       “Let you go? I don’t even know…” Terrence runs his lips over Raquelle’s auricle and smoothly moves from the area behind the ear to the curve of the neck. “Let such a gorgeous and sexy cutie go…”       “You promised you’d let me go!”       “Me?”       “MacClife!”       “Quiet, quiet, babe, quiet, don’t be so nervous,” Terrence whispers, while his hands slide over Raquelle’s belly or massage her breasts, and his lips cover her neck with kisses. “Sh-h-h… Sh-h-h… It’s okay…”       “Fucking asshole! I’m taking my words back! About you being unique and irresistible, and about me being jealous of you! It all was…”       Terrence makes Raquelle fall into silence with a sly smile, tightly grabbing her by the throat and giving her an assertive, hot, and continuous kiss on the lips. He does not care about her attempts to resist and prevents every single one, sharply pulling the girl down and taking her much tighter with a free arm. The brunette resists for a few seconds and beats the man on his arms with quiet moans, but then she relaxes slowly and literally starts to melt in the arms of MacClife, Sr., Who smiles smugly and keeps caressing the tender, little puffy lips of the lady with pleasure.       When Terrence came to Raquelle, Daniel caught Anna and hugged her from behind, putting his arms around her waist and pressing his cheek to her temple. Because they are now standing behind the bulkhead between the kitchen and the living room, nobody sees what’s happening in the living room.       “M-m-m, what is this?” Daniel purrs tenderly with a wide smile. “Who decided to be jealous?”       “You’re giving a reason…” Anna replies softly.       “I give? C’mon, beautiful!” Daniel kisses Anna cutely on the cheek, hugging her much tighter. “How could you think so?”       “Hey, sweetie, I’m not participating in your games. Whatever you wanna do, I’m not gonna succumb to you.”       “Come on?” Daniel moves a little strand of hair off Anna’s eyes, holding the girl by the waist with one arm. “I don’t think so! And I am sure you’d be delighted by what I wanna do.”       “Dreaming is not bad.”       “Don’t be bad, princess. You know that I’d get what I want.”       “Not this time.”       When Anna wants to step away softly and go aside, Daniel tightly presses her to himself and hugs her around the shoulders with a second arm.       “We haven’t ended this talk,” Daniel notices in a soft, low voice, and runs his lips slowly over the curve of Anna’s neck. “I mean, we just started it, and I haven’t told you what I want to say.”       “Don’t say anything,” Anna replies quietly. “I know everything.”       “No, baby, you know nothing yet.” Daniel leaves a tender kiss on the area behind Anna’s ear, over which he runs his, lips while his hands softly caress her shoulders. “Nothing…”       “As for the mysterious friend of the blond that you’re hiding from us so hard, nothing.”       “You’ll meet her soon, and she’ll tell you about herself. Your curiosity will be absolutely satisfied.”       “Moreover, how could the guys and you make us sure that you wouldn’t wish to leave us for that girl?”       “I can’t believe you doubt me,” Daniel whispers in Anna’s ear, while his fingertips tenderly caress the curve and the front of her neck. “And decided to get jealous of the other girl and me.”       “Call at least one reason why I shouldn’t be jealous.”       “Ah, my silly girl… Could you think I’d betray such a wonderful girl, without whom I can’t imagine my life? That I would be quiet at the thought that someone else could be next to her!”       “What if you meet a girl that would be more beautiful than me?”       “No, there is nobody to be more beautiful than my red-haired beauty.” Daniel smiles widely and leaves a few tender kisses on the curve of Anna’s neck, while she closes her eyes with the feeling of the nice warmth in her whole body. “Nobody more attractive… Nobody cuter and more caring.”       “You think I’d believe you and calm down if you swing me?”       “I’m speaking the truth.” Daniel moves his hands over the curves of Anna’s waist and leaves them on her thighs, as he keeps covering her neck with tender kisses, understanding that she shakes slightly. “I would never be greedy for nice words for my beauty, whom I love with all my heart.”       “I hope Peter’s friend isn't so beautiful that you won't resist her and will forget everything you told me.”       “She’s cute, but I treat her as a friend,” Daniel replies in a low, nice voice, moves Anna’s puffy ponytail aside, and moves to the nape of her neck, which he also covers with kisses. “Moreover, I’d never steal a girl from my best friend. Who was hiding his sympathy for her for too long. But I want him to be happy and date a good girl.”       “Ah, Perkins, how beautifully you speak…” Anna smiles shyly and sighs sensually with her eyes rolled. “Very beautifully…”       “I say what I think,” Daniel kisses Anna cutely on the cheek, rubs the tip of his nose against it, and breathes in the smell of her hair. “Oh, I’m delighted by the smell of your skin. The smell of your soft hair. I can’t resist my wish to hug tightly and press my little, frigid girl to me. And I just love kissing her gorgeous neck…”       “Damn, stop driving me crazy…” Anna makes a sensual moan, feeling a slight shake in her body and a nice easiness in her head. “Please… Not now…”       “When you have no doubt about my love, I’ll probably stop,” Daniel replies in a hoarse voice with a sly smile and leaves a few slight kisses on the curve of Anna’s neck, leaning her head back slightly and doing the same to the front of the gracious and attractive part of the feminine body. “Ah, beauty… My princess… You’re so stunning, babe…”       “You’ll have to prove your loyalty for me to stop doubting it,” Anna says in a little hoarse voice with a sly smile, looking at Daniel from down to up.”       “I’m proving.” Daniel, holding Anna by the throat, bites her ear slightly and kisses the area behind it, while his hand slowly slides over her belly and caresses her small and tough breasts confidently. “And I’ll get what I want.”       “And what will you do? You think I’d do anything for you if you felt my breasts up and kissed my whole neck?”       “Until you say you aren’t jealous of Peter’s friend and me, I will not let you go.”       “I am jealous! Terribly jealous!”       “Don’t be, beauty. I do love you and wouldn’t prefer anyone over you. Nobody would take care of such a sweet and good boy like me better than you. You’re the only one to know how to give me pleasure and make me feel incredible.”       “Your caress and kiss don’t impact me,” Anna smiles slyly and closes her eyes with a feeling of slight dizziness. “Leave your attempts to get what you want.”       “Only when I hear what I want,” Daniel says confidently, still kissing Anna’s neck, running his lips over the tender skin on it at times.       “I ain’t gonna lie.”       “Don’t be a bad girl.” Daniel caresses the front of Anna’s neck with his fingertips and strokes the lady’s collarbones with another hand, feeling how fast the girl’s heart is beating. “Or do you want me to caress your gorgeous body until the night?”       “You’d get tired,” Anna chuckles shyly.       “I’ll be doing it as long as I need.” Daniel squeezes Anna’s throat a little tighter with a sly smile, runs his free hand over her belly, and caresses her thighs tenderly, which she tenses strongly. “Or have you lately liked the spice in our relationships? You got sick of tenderness?”       “If you put your hand underneath my underwear right here, you’ll regret it,” Anna threatens in a low, quiet voice, looking into Daniel’s eyes with a sly smile.       “Oh, baby, I can easily undress you if you want it.” Daniel squeezes Anna’s breasts with both hands and stimulates her nipples with his thumbs, while she shakes strongly and does not hold down her quiet, sensual moan. “I don’t mind looking at the beautiful feminine body and caressing it. Moreover, I have the right to do it. You’re my girlfriend and belong only to me.”       “Damn, why did I fall in love with a pervert?” Anna wonders with a heavy breath. “An insolent and shameless but freaking attractive guy!”       “M-m-m, you haven’t met perverts yet,” Daniel replies confidently in a little hoarse voice and moves his hand up, gets them underneath Anna’s white blouse, and caresses her abdomen tenderly, while his lips slowly slide over the curve of the lady’s long, thin neck. “But if you like it, I can show what that is.”       “You better just let me go.”       “I said when I’d do it.”       “Stop hoping I’ll lie to you by saying I didn’t get obsessed with jealousy.”       “Okay, if you don’t wanna be a good girl, I’ll be a bad boy,” Daniel smiles slyly. “And after this, you will not be able to resist me.”       Daniel grabs Anna by the throat and connects his lips with her lips, giving the girl an exciting, hot kiss. The girl resists for only two seconds but relaxes sharply with a quiet moan and literally melts in the strong arms of the man, who confirms he has the perfect skill of kissing and can drive her crazy for a few seconds. His hands confidently slide over the top of her body, which the man presses tightly to himself. At some moment, Daniel kisses Anna cutely on the cheeks two times and slowly slides down to her neck, which he covers with tender kisses. The red-haired girl cannot hide quiet moans of enjoyment and understands that she is strongly shaking from the nice excitement and the warmth that is spreading all over her tense body, being less able to resist every new second.       But a little later, Daniel leaves the neck of Anna breathing heavily alone, and kisses her cutely on the temple with a shy smile, while the girl being nicely dumbfounded presses herself to her boyfriend, who spreads something very warm and madly nice.       “You’re so cunning, Perkins,” Anna says in a little hoarse voice, not hiding her wide smile. “Very insolent, shameless, and self-confident…”       “And after I proved that nobody could resist my kisses, will you dare to say you didn’t like it?” Daniel purrs quietly, rubbing his cheek against Anna’s cheek.       “I’ll never dare to deny it. You’re incredibly talented at this.”       “I know, baby.” Daniel caresses the front of Anna’s neck with his fingertips and caresses her lips with his lips tenderly, making the girl make a quiet moan. “And I’ve never doubted I could call myself a perfect lover.”       “Oh, yeah, after your tricks, I can barely stand. I feel dizzy, and my heart is about to jump out of my chest.”       “I’d do anything for my beloved girl,” Daniel says in a soft, quiet voice, and caresses Anna’s cheek tenderly. “So, beauty, did you make sure that I needed only one girl?”       “Okay, I’ll believe you.” Anna turns on Daniel slowly, seeing that he got a little blushed and is now breathing heavily enough. “But I’m watching you.”       “You’ve got no reason.” Daniel caresses Anna’s face with both hands and kisses her cutely on the forehead. “I love only you and nobody else.”       “Say it often. It’s so nice to hear it.”       “With great pleasure.”       Anna smiles widely and gives Daniel a tender, long kiss on the lips, keeping her hands lowered at first and then grabbing his face, while he puts his hand on the curve of her waist and another hand on her buttocks that he tenderly caresses. A few seconds later, the girl steps back, kisses the man on the tip of his nose, and slightly rubs her nose against it, making him smile shyly. And after sharing a tender gaze and a slight smile, the lovers hear a quiet laugh from the living room. The red-haired girl leaves the hideaway in the kitchen and stops her eyes on Terrence and Raquelle rubbing the tips of their noses against one another and saying something to each other with wide smiles on their faces.       “Hey, Daniel, look at that couple,” Anna says, pushing Daniel slightly on the hip when he comes to her.       Daniel glances at Terrence and Raquelle and smiles shyly, understanding that their plan to weaken the jealousy of the girl has been successfully completed.       “I’d have the pleasure to stop this idyll,” Daniel confesses. “To make MacClife angry.”       “No, I wanna watch them flirting,” Anna smiles shyly and hugs Daniel tightly, putting her arms around his waist. “Watch one of the sexiest couples in the show business.”       “Oh, yeah, this couple is full of passion.” Daniel chuckles quietly. “If only these lovebirds didn’t undress and have sex right at our house.”       “Aha. Or Edward and Natalia might watch them and repeat it.”       “I think they’re repeating everything after them.”       “Maybe. Those cuties don’t hide their feelings and are shy about nobody. If they want a hug, they do it. Kiss – no problem! They looked so cute when we were visiting Peter at the hospital.”       “But now it’s clear that everything is more than just fine with Natalia and Edward…” Daniel laughs shyly.       “Thank God,” Anna caresses Daniel’s arm softly and puts her hand on his chest. “They only need to survive the trial. So their lives get much better.”       “We don’t better remind them.”       “I ain’t gonna do it.”       Daniel and Anna keep standing near the bulkhead that separates the kitchen and the living room and hugging each other. But a few seconds later, Terrence and Raquelle decide to move their eyes to the lovers after saying something to each other and laughing at something.       “Hey, hey, I do feel that spies are close,” Terrence says funnily, tightly hugging Raquelle, while she keeps her hands pressed to his chest. “How long have you been watching us?”       “It’s been one minute,” Daniel smiles innocently and comes to Terrence and Raquelle along with Anna. “I didn’t wanna watch you ‘cause I had more interesting things…”       “And we saw what you were doing,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously. “How cutely you hugged my friend.”       “And what?” Anna shrugs and caresses Daniel’s cheek tenderly. “Daniel and I don’t hide our emotions. We don’t mind someone watching us.”       “Well, we don’t also mind our friends watching us,” Terrence replies thoughtfully.       “Oh!” Daniel exclaims, steps back from Anna, and crosses his arms over his chest. “When did you stop having something against it? We never got you and Raquelle caught on something interesting, but now it often happens.”       “Actually, we’ve never hidden our relationship,” Raquelle says confidently. “I don’t know why you thought we didn’t show love for each other.”       “At least, we never saw you being cute to each other,” Anna notices thoughtfully.       “Oh, even if we hide it, we’d get caught anyway,” Terrence laughs shyly and shrugs. “So, I see no meaning to hide.”       “Everything’s written on your face, dude!” Daniel says confidently with a sly smile. “You can say nothing, but I would know what happens in your gorgeous head.”       “I know, I know,” Terrence raises his hands in front of himself. “Don’t continue.”       Raquelle and Anna look at each other, glance at Terrence and Daniel secretly, and step aside to talk about something. While the men come close to each other with sly smiles on their faces.       “So, buddy, our plan has worked,” Daniel says confidently.       “Worked excellently,” Terrence says proudly with a wide smile. “Of course, Raquelle showed up a little, but I quickly found a way to get her cool. Two minutes later, she stopped thinking of stupid things.”       “And Anna calmed down quickly. She’s too sensitive for my kisses and caresses and can’t resist them. So, I completed this mission, as well.”       “I believe we’ve solved this question for some time.”       “But it doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t start talking about jealousy of Peter’s friend again.”       “Don’t worry, bro! If the girls start talking about it, we’ll easily repeat it. It would be good for me, ‘cause it’s a wonderful chance to caress the lady’s beautiful body and kiss it.”       “Anyway, you and I did a good job.”       “Absolutely agree.”       Daniel and Terrence give each other a five with a sly smile and hit the chuckles of their fingers slightly, not hiding their pride and having a good mood after a short foreplay with their beloved girls, who sit down on the sofa.       “Hey, when are Natalia and Edward supposed to come?” Anna asks.       “Honestly, I dunno,” Raquelle shrugs. “But I think they’ll show up soon.”       “I can’t wait for everybody to come here. I wanna hear the guys for the first time in a while.”       “Soon, friend, soon. I’ve also dreamed of it for ages.”       “It’s gonna be amazing.”       Raquelle smiles slightly, and then she and Anna move their eyes to Terrence standing aside and fixing the quarter sleeves of his gray shirt and Daniel coming slowly to the window and starting to watch what is happening behind the house. And after standing in front of the window for a few seconds, the man sees something that makes him smile shyly.       “Oh, guys, come here!” Daniel exclaims happily. “Look, who is coming here!”       “Who’s there?” Terrence asks and instantly runs to the window.       “It seems like MacClife, Jr., is coming here.”       “Be happy, girls!” Terrence turns on Raquelle and Anna sitting on the sofa for a second. “The light and happiness that my little brother and his beloved girlfriend are gonna bring are coming to us.”       Raquelle and Anna look at each other, get up from the sofa, and come to Terrence and Daniel. Edward and Natalia are really coming here, looking happy and funny. The man keeps an arm around the girl’s neck and holds her by the shoulder, often snuggling his nose in her cheek, against which he rubs it. The blonde herself presses herself to her sweetheart as closely as possible, holding him by the back with one hand and keeping another hand lowered. The lovers talk about something and laugh often, not knowing that Daniel, Terrence, Raquelle, and Anna are watching them with interest.       “So, the walking happiness has shown up,” Terrence says funnily.       “Gosh, why can’t I stop smiling when looking at them?” Anna asks with a wide smile. “Why are those two so cute? Even when they just look at each other!”       “That’s right, I automatically start to smile when seeing them together,” Raquelle replies confidently. “I can do nothing to me! They spread such good energy that life gets better.”       “I mean the same.”       “Listen, did Edward finally decide to buy some new clothes?” Daniel asks with a chuckle, closely looking at the open platted shirt with gray and white cells with half-rolled sleeves that Edward is wearing above a simple white t-shirt but underneath a beige coat, light blue jeans, black shoes, and a pendant on his neck. “Or did his brother feel sorry for him and give him some of his oldest shorts and jeans?”       “Ha, come on!” Terrence chuckles loudly. “Edward is too insolent, and I should give him my clothes. Huh! The fact that he steals my food when we eat together is enough for me.”       “As if you, handsome guy, don’t do it,” Anna laughs shyly.       “Aha, he does wait for someone to eat and leave a big piece,” Daniel adds. “No matter how much Terrence is fed, he’s always hungry.”       “I hope you put on a big locker on the refrigerator,” Raquelle replies funnily.       “Sure, my dear. I won’t let your fiancé eat my one-month stocks.”       Terrence says nothing and just rolls his eyes, while the others laugh shyly and keep watching Natalia and Edward come to the house. Some time later, the girl notices that four pairs of eyes are watching her and her boyfriend. The blonde says it to the laughing MacClife, Jr., clapping him on the hand slightly and pointing at the window of Daniel’s house. He glances at it and smiles shyly when seeing his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law and friends in there.”       “Oops, we’ve been caught,” Raquelle says.       Natalia waves her hand at everybody with a slight smile, looking through the window. Then Edward does the same at first, and then Terrence, Raquelle, Anna, and Daniel answer their greeting.       “Okay, I’ll go to meet that couple,” Daniel shrugs.       Daniel goes to the hall door to open it. When he does it, he sees the happy Edward and Natalia on the doorstep.       “Oh, hey, lovebirds!” Daniel greets amicably. “You brought happiness and light to my sweet house!”       “Hey, Daniel,” Edward and Natalia reply by one.       “As we understand, the MacClifes are here,” Natalia says with a slight smile.       “That’s correct!” Daniel exclaims. “Our sexy couple is here.”       “I see you decided to spy on us,” Edward says with a sly smile.       “It happened!” Daniel throws his hands up with an innocent smile. “I just saw you coming here and called the others.”       “Okay, we got it.”       Daniel shares a handshake with Edward and takes him in an amicable hug, and then hugs Natalia with a slight smile.       “So, come in,” Daniel invites amicably. “You can take off your coats. It’s warm at my home.”       Daniel steps back from the door and lets Natalia and Edward come in. At first, the girl enters the house, and then the man does it. While Perkins closes the door, the lovers come to the living room, where they meet Terrence, Raquelle, and Anna, who make a happy whoop at the same time.       “Hi, everybody!” Edward greets happily with a slight smile.       “Oh, finally, happiness has come to us!” Terrence exclaims cheerfully and loudly.       “Here’s the other part of the gang that was spying on us,” Natalia says with a mysterious smile.       “We don’t have to do with it,” Raquelle smiles innocently. “Daniel called us to the window, asking us to see who was coming.”       “And as he got excited when he saw you, we had no doubt about who came here,” Anna adds.       “As if you feel us in the distance,” Edward laughs shyly.       “Huh, I’d feel your pretense thousands of miles away,” Terrence chuckles. “Thanks to the smelly smell of your old clothes.”       Edward says nothing and just shakes his head. Then he comes to Terrence and greets him, giving him a five, hugging him tightly, and sharing a slight clap on the back. Natalia hugs Raquelle and Anna and shares an amicable kiss on the cheek. When everybody greets each other, Daniel comes to the living room and looks at everybody.       “So, we only have to wait for one person,” Daniel says thoughtfully. “I mean, two. Peter is gonna come here with his friend.”       “Oh, yeah, the blond is kind of late,” Terrence smiles mysteriously. “Where does he go with that girl?”       “If only they didn’t forget us. What if the lovebirds don’t remember that someone’s waiting for them.”       “We don’t rush. We didn’t agree on a specific time. We were told to come by two o'clock, and we did it.”       “Okay, we’ll wait then. And if they don’t come in one hour, we’ll start annoying them with calls.”       “I can’t wait for them to come here,” Natalia says confidently. “I’d like to see the mysterious friend of Peter, about whom you said nothing.”       “Oh, damn, Natalia, you, too?” Terrence moans tiredly.       “What’s wrong? Shouldn’t the girls and I be surprised that we know only the fact that she does exist?”       “Don’t worry, girls, we’ll introduce her to you now.”       “Sorry, Terrence, but we think it’s weird that you, Daniel, and Peter told us nothing about that girl.”       “Don’t say you’re jealous, either.”       “Hey, I’m asking you not to get me involved!” Edward exclaims. “I don’t know that girl and know nothing about her! None of you wanted to tell me that great secret.”       “Ah, Edward, don’t ya know girls? They’d be jealous of you and anyone you don’t know if a talk was about her.”       “Well, as you’re hiding her personality so hard, it definitely makes us suspicious,” Natalia notices with a sly smile.       “Calm down, friends!” Daniel meddles, hugging Anna and putting his hand on her thigh. “That girl will come here, and you’ll ask her anything you wanna know. Don’t worry!”       “I can't wait,” Raquelle pronounces. “I can’t wait to know if she deserves to be Peter’s girlfriend.”       “Be sure, girls, Pete’s friend is very good. We’re sure that you’d like her. And you, Edward. You all will approve of her candidacy for a sweetheart of the blond, as well as Terrence and me.”       “So, we’ll see who reached the bottom of the blond’s heart and got it melted,” Edward smiles mysteriously.       “Sure!” Daniel replies confidently. “And now… Edward and Natalia, tell us why you came here later than Terrence and Raquelle? We thought you’d come here all together like a big, friendly family. But no, these lovebirds came alone.”       “It’s easy, Daniel,” Natalia replies with a slight smile. “This passionate couple didn’t actually take us with them, so they had a chance to stay alone.”       “Aha, what if my brother wanted to snuggle his beauty, and the blonde and I would’ve been sitting in the backseat of his old thing,” Edward adds funnily.       “And they used it,” Daniel smiles mysteriously. “They had been in the car for ten minutes before they were pleased to get out.”       “Well, if you saw it, why do you ask why we came later?” Natalia wonders. “Isn’t it clear that they didn’t even plan to take us with them?”       “Otherwise, my beloved bro and his fiancée would’ve had the pleasure to invite us to go with them,” Edward adds confidently. “But this time, they planned to play without our pretense.”       “Besides, Raquelle’s free for a while. She worked like crazy for almost two weeks and then got a lot of free time. It would be a sin not to use a moment.”       “Protest!” Terrence raises a hand. “First, nobody wanted to get off you. And second, Raquelle and I didn’t invite you to go with us because we wanted to give you a chance to stay alone. You two don’t separate when you’re together. So, we thought you’d love to snuggle. Well, as I don’t want you to make love in the backseat of my car, it’s another reason.”       “Ah yeah, sorry, bro, I forgot that your old thing wouldn’t bear two couples,” Edward laughs shyly. “And knowing you’re wide and crazy in this case, Natalia and I wouldn’t have had a place in it.”       “I do say, that clunker would crush after this love marathon,” Daniel chuckles.       “Oh, alright, the birdies hit it off!” Terrence exhales sharply. “If Rose starts mocking my baby, too, I don’t know what I’ll do to you.”       “Okay, guys, sorry about not inviting you,” Raquelle apologizes with a slight smile. “We really wanted to give you a chance to stay alone. And MacClife wouldn’t have let you relax.”       “Okay,” Edward raises his hands. “Apologies are accepted. Let’s think you got off it.”       “That’s cool!”       “Yeah…” Edward hugs Natalia by the waist with a sly smile. “However, Natalia and I are even grateful to you. Because we spent a great time together.”       “Oh, who would doubt it,” Terrence clicks his fingers.       “I’m truly grateful to you for not being with us and not sticking your nose in what you didn’t have to do with.”       “I must notice that you use every single moment,” Daniel notices cheerfully.       “We’re trying, buddy,” Natalia replies with a slight smile, putting her head on Edward’s shoulder for two seconds.       Raquelle, Anna, Daniel, and Terrence smile slightly when seeing Edward cutely hugging Natalia with both arms, and she presses herself to him with pleasure.       “Okay, friends, forget it!” Terrence exclaims cheerfully. “And while we’re expecting the arrival of Peter and his friend, may Edward tell us about how his meeting with George was.”       “Oh, yeah, Edward, tell,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “I can’t wait to know what you decided!”       “What, what?” Daniel frowns strongly. “What meeting of Edward and George? When did it happen? And why?”       “Smith just found a job for my brother,” Terrence replies confidently, “George wants Edward to become a co-songwriter of one or two songs for the band ‘Lost In Time’.”       “‘Lost In Time?’ I’ve never heard about that band!”       “It got in the show business two or three years ago, but they already have the debut album. They’re working on a second one. And because George works with them, he told them about our band and let them listen to one of our demo songs that Edward wrote. So, Gordon and Derek liked it very much. I mean the lyrics. And the guys wanted my bro to write one or two songs for our band to sell the rights to that song. But they mainly want to work with the kid ‘cause George praises him so much that the guys wanna check it out.”       “Huh, great!” Daniel hums, crossing his arms over his chest. “And why didn’t I know it?”       “Because when I talked to George, you decided to go to the cafeteria.”       “So, you talked to him at the hospital?”       “Yup. George came to me and told me about the videos of Edward rocking on and ‘Lost In Time’s offer.”       “And why didn’t you tell me about it?”       “Think it’s my little revenge for annoying me so badly,” Terrence smiles slyly. “And after reconciling with Peter, you made him mock me.”       “The blond just also understands that you may be brought back to the earth at times. Because in the opposite case, you forget everything and become arrogant.”       “Listen, Perkins, when will you, Rose, and this little brat understand that great self-confidence about awesomeness and talents doesn’t say that a person is egoistic and doesn’t care about people? And you also make the girls think so!”       “We’re just trying to teach you to be a little shyer,” Edward replies. “Otherwise, this thing might play a bad joke on you.”       “The one that must be educated is you. You pretend to be a shy and cute boy, but you’re actually a devil that might do something bad and annoy someone very much.”       “Give your brother a good example,” Daniel says. “What’s amazing that you’re insolent and shameless but tell him to be shy?”       “I never give a bad example. Some people just don’t understand what I want to tell them.”       “They aren’t just so blind and do see that you suffer from narcissism.”       “If I were a narcissus, I doubt I’d have real friends. I’d give a fuck about everyone, piss those I dislike off, get a benefit from some people, and wouldn’t be able to feel sorry for someone else.”       “But as any narcissus, you want everybody to praise you,” Edward notices.       “Any man wants to be praised. And you, buddy, aren’t the exclusion. I’m sure that your little pathetic tail becomes big and puffy immediately when your beloved Blondie tells you compliments and admires you.”       “You say I have an answer for everything. Though, you never get lost, and you know what to say.”       “I have a wonderful teacher.”       Edward shakes his head with a sly laugh, while Raquelle, Anna, and Natalia look at each other and chuckle.       “He irritates me sometimes,” Edward addresses the girls quietly.       “Judging by the fact that you can’t live without jokes, you always irritate each other,” Anna replies with a slight smile.       “It’s okay, it’s good for Terrence to be brought back to the earth,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “And let him know that he wouldn’t get off it and mock everybody, staying unpunished.”       “My brother thinks he educates me, but I actually educate him,” Edward replies with his head proudly raised. “Moreover, I have the help of Rose and Perkins, who also don't let him relax.”       “But be careful, ‘cause this duo might play against you,” Natalia replies. “Now, when Daniel and Peter reconciled, they became the same piece again.”       “So, don’t count on their help,” Anna agrees. “And get ready to be instead of your brother if he is not near you, and you stand in their way.”       “Don’t worry, beauties, I shall fix it,” Edward says confidently. “I’m gonna let nobody relax. Especially, Terrence.”       “Ah, Terrence…” Natalia shakes her head with a slight smile. “I’m so sorry for you… You’re gonna get a triple hit…”       “But for a little piece of chocolate, I can help my brother a little and let him know that he can get my support.”       “Oh, hold on then, girls!” Anna replies funnily. “We’re done with the two idiots, and now Rose and MacClife, Jr., are gonna join Perkins and MacClife, Sr.”       “Calm down, girls, nothing will happen to your handsome guys. They’re gonna be safe and sound.”       “But you don’t give up on them so easily,” Natalia says.       “They won’t catch me,” Edward replies confidently, hugging Natalia around the shoulders.       The girls smile slightly at Edward and look at each other. And two seconds later, Daniel breaks the silence, laughing along with Terrence, as they see that MacClife, Jr., definitely feels confident in this wonderful company.       “So, Edward, are you showing off for our beauties?” Daniel chuckles kindly.       “Don’t I have a right to talk to them?” Edward wonders. “Or do you have something against it, buddy?”       “You kind of blossomed when you got surrounded by so many girls,” Terrence laughs shyly. “You smiled, got blushed…”       “I’d look at you when you’d be surrounded by lots of young and beautiful girls. And when they give you compliments, you start purring like a cat that ate too much sour cream or cottage cheese. Or which is caressed and scratched.”       “C’mon, you and your bro will mock each other later,” Daniel waves a hand. “You better tell us about the collaboration with George’s band. How was it?”       “Yes, sweetie, speak out,” Natalia encourages. “We won’t get off you until you tell us how everything happened.”       “Everything happened well,” Edward replies with a slight smile. “George and I talked a little and agreed to meet with that band the next day. The guys are funny and treated me amicably. And Smith isn’t such a horrible and dangerous devil, as the lads said.”       “Okay, you’ll give everybody compliments later,” Terrence says confidently. “You better tell us what you decided.”       “Well, George, Derek, Gordon and I talked about everything and made a decision to try to work together. We agreed on all the claims that they gave me, and I agreed with everything.”       “So, will you work together?” Natalia smiles widely.       “The guys and I will try to write one or two songs. And if it’s easy for us to work together, we’ll write two more. But I think it’s gonna be easy ‘cause the guys are not arrogant. They’re young, full of energy, and not deprived of talent. I recently listened to some of their songs from their debut album and really liked them. If someone works with them seriously, the guys may have lots of fans.”       “That’s awesome!” Raquelle exclaims happily with a wide smile. “I’m so glad you agreed to try. It’s your chance to show your talent for writing songs. I’m sure that you can write a real hit.”       “And if the cool music is created for these lyrics, your song is surely gonna be a hit,” Anna adds with enthusiasm.       “Who knows, maybe, I’ll help them with it a little,” Edward shrugs. “Of course, there are people, who create music, but still…”       “You can do this,” Natalia says confidently. “And we’re very glad you agreed to work. You’d get pleasure and earn some money. Maybe, you’d keep getting something if a song was successful after the release.”       “I agreed to that for interest. Of course, money is cool, but I like the opportunity to work with what I like. I’m a little nervous ‘cause I don’t know if I can write something, but the guys are gonna work with me and tell me more about their tastes and styles they work with.”       “Oh, man, don’t be shy!” Daniel smiles slyly. “Every single song of yours might be a hit! Even Terrence, Peter, and I can’t write songs as brilliantly as you do.”       “Yes, bro, you really write songs better than all of us,” Terrence says confidently. “I’d like to joke, but I can’t. Because you’re really talented at it.”       “Wow, I deserved a compliment from Terrence MacClife himself,” Edward laughs shyly. “What an honor!”       “Oh, c’mon, stop joking! You better show everything you can. We believe in you and know you’ll make people talk about you again.”       “Nice to hear it… My parents also say it and believe I can do it.”       “That’s what loving parents should do,” Daniele says confidently. “If you reach success, your mother and mother will be really proud of you.”       “I know, Daniel. And I’m gonna do my best to do it.”       “Hey, did you tell them you’d be working with George and his band?” Terrence asks.       “Yup, they know it and are terribly happy.”       “It couldn’t be otherwise.”       “And yeah, Mom and Dad still wanna meet your band and listen to all of you singing.”       “We’d do it with pleasure,” Daniel shrugs with a shy smile. “The guys and I would show everything we could do. I’d be happy to meet those people.”       “I’ll also be madly happy if they come to listen to us,” Terrence replies with a slight smile. “My mother really wants to hear my band singing, and Father recently heard me and Edward singing for the first time.”       “I hope you are all ready to surprise us,” Edward wonders.       “We are!” Daniel exclaims. “But let’s wait for Peter and introduce the girls and his friend to each other.”       While Daniel, Edward, and Terrence keep talking, Raquelle, Anna, and Natalia go aside. The blonde takes off her short light blue coat and puts it near those that are put on the back of the sofa as well as her purse, wearing only skinny dark blue jeans and a transparent black blouse with a couple of top buttons open, through which a black tube top with stripes is seen.       “Hey, girls, didn’t you find out anything about Peter’s friend?” Natalia asks, fixing her straight hair, which is perfectly done.       “No, almost nothing,” Raquelle shakes her head. “But on the way here, Terrence said that Peter met that girl thanks to his only friend from his school, and that she was born not in New York. She was kind of born in a small city.”       “Just like we were,” Anna notices thoughtfully. “We were born in Kingston. And that city is so small…”       “Didn’t Terrence tell you which city that girl came from?” Natalia asks.       “No, he didn’t,” Raquelle shrugs. “I found out nothing more.”       “These stubborn donkeys wanna say nothing,” Anna resents, crossing her arms over her chest. “When Raquelle and I gave a reason to be jealous, Daniel and Terrence ran to us and started kissing and feeling us up, with the thought that we’d forget about that girl.”       “At least, Edward knows nothing about her,” Natalia smiles shyly. “Otherwise, I’d be nervous, as well.”       “And even Peter is silent!” Raquelle exclaims.       “These handsome guys are hiding something,” Anna smiles slyly. “I do feel that they’re doing this for a reason. As if we’d get shocked if we knew who Peter’s friend is.”       “Agree.”       “Oh, okay, girls,” Natalia smiles slightly and hugs Anna and Raquelle around the shoulders. “Let’s not think about it. If Peter promised to bring that girl here, we’ll now find out if she’s special.”       “I can’t wait! I’m dying of curiosity.”       “Don’t worry, our men won’t leave us. They’re totally in love with us and won’t prefer any other gals over us.”       “You’re right,” Anna smiles slightly. “The guys are really totally in love with us.”       “Gosh, girls, how they can resist!” Raquelle laughs shyly. “We’re such beauties, and beautiful, young girls are men’s strong weakness. When our men just stand near us, they already drool.”       “M-m-m, and how excited they’d get if we dressed up for them and put on something attractive when they didn’t have a chance to do anything to us,” Anna smiles mysteriously.       “Oh, yeah, if you walk in a gorgeous bikini in front of them, they start to panic,” Natalia notices confidently.       Anna, Raquelle, and Natalia laugh shyly and decide to keep talking at the back of the house. Terrence, Daniel, and Edward notice their girls are leaving and chuckle quietly when hearing the shy laugh.       “I bet they went to guess why we told them nothing about Helene,” Terrence chuckles quietly. “Raquelle and Anna are gonna complain to Natalia that we, such bad guys, say nothing about Peter’s friend and give them a reason to be nervous and jealous.”       “Or discuss some girls’ secrets, as Anna said,” Daniel assumes with a smile. “Clothes, hairstyles, cosmetics… Something like that.”       “So, guys, did the girls have a jealousy attack?” Edward asks funnily, taking off his coat and leaving it on the back of the sofa.       “Oh, yeah!” Terrence nods energetically. “At first, Raquelle asked me to tell something about Peter’s friend on the way. But some time before your arrival, she and Anna began to annoy Daniel and me.”       “Exactly!” Daniel confirms. “Anna also dinged into my ears about Helene. And the girls have shown a great interest in that over the past two weeks.”       “Helene?” Edward frowns. “Is it the name of Peter’s friend?”       “Yup, Helene,” Terrence replies quietly.       “Okay…” Edward comes to Terrence and Daniel. “But why are you hiding her personality so hard? Why don’t you tell the girls about Helene? Are you afraid that Raquelle and Anna would consider her an opponent and get jealous?”       “No, Edward,” Daniel shakes his head with a laugh. “Terrence and I aren’t afraid.”       “I believe they started. And I advise you to get ready, ‘cause they might kick your asses.”       “Don’t worry, Edward, Daniel and I know how to calm the girls down for a few seconds,” Terrence says confidently with his head proudly raised, crossing his arms over his chest. “We have a secret weapon!”       “Ah!” Edward nods with a sly smile, looking at Terrence and Daniel. “I get it, lads, I get it…”       “M-m-m, the kid gets it!” Daniel smiles mysteriously. “Not an ignoramus!”       “I think it’s not a secret that if you tell a girl a lot of compliments and kiss her a lot, she quickly forgets everything she said a few minutes ago.”       “The important thing is not to forget to kiss her on the neck – girls do love it,” Terrence adds confidently.       “Oh, yeah, kisses on the neck are cool,” Edward smiles mysteriously. “It’s awesome to give them and get them.”       “Agree, that’s really cool,” Daniel agrees with a wide smile.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Daniel, Edward, and Terrence just smile shyly.       “But still, why don’t you tell Anna and Raquelle anything about Peter’s friend?” Edward asks. “Is there something about that girl that might get them shocked?”       “Well, to be serious, I forgot about her,” Terrence confesses quietly. “Moreover, I was busy with different things and didn’t think it would be great to tell Raquelle more about Helene.”       “Honestly, me too,” Daniel says thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head. “I only had the thought of what would happen to the band. And I always forgot about Peter’s friends. Yes, we had to meet and speak to them often. But we started to get closer only after we found out that Peter and Helene were in love with each other.”       “Yes, I didn’t also think we’d have to meet them often. We were just together for Peter’s salvation. I would’ve never thought Helene would become a part of our gang.”       “But I didn’t understand: are they dating or not?” Edward wonders. “The confession of love happened, but I haven’t personally heard Peter and Helene pronounce themselves a couple.”       “We haven’t done it, either,” Daniel replies. “But those guys flirt like they started dating.”       “It would be cool if he was lucky. He wouldn’t deprive himself of a chance to marry and make babies.”       “I doubt it,” Terrence says confidently. “Helene wouldn’t do what that insolent and shameless queen of the school did to Peter.”       “And you know, guys, I won’t be surprised if Peter and Helene come here and say they started dating,” Daniel confesses. “After these confessions, there must be only one way – the birth of a new couple.”       “Well, if their feelings are mutual, it will surely happen.”       “Hey, what do you think of Helene?” Edward frowns slightly, putting his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. “What is she? Good?”       “I think she’s very sweet,” Daniel smiles slightly. “It’s clear that she’s smart, educated, and decent… And as loyal as a doggy. Ready to do anything for Rose.”       “She doesn’t make me feel anything bad,” Terrence confesses. “A good girl without unreal wishes. Shy enough and very amicable. She was always nice to Daniel and me.”       “That’s good,” Edward smiles slightly. “What about her appearance?”       “Very sympathetic girl. Short height and dark hair. Rose said he liked short girls.”       “I think she’s even lower than our girls,” Daniel adds. “Well, maybe, almost the same as Anna is, but a little lower.”       “I see…” Edward replies thoughtfully. “So… Let’s hope that she’s really very good. That Peter would be lucky with her, and girls would calm down and get on well with her.”       “Look, bro, your girlfriend might get as excited as our beauties,” Terrence notices.       “And I, Terrence, have the edge over you two. I don’t know Helene or anything about her yet. So, it would be stupid if Natalia was jealous of me and the one I’m gonna see for the first time.”       “Oh, don’t ya know girls?” Daniel chuckles. “Sometimes they might get so jealous over inanimate objects if you looked at them.”       “Not in my case. And your beauties will calm down when they meet that girl.”       “Okay, we warned you,” Terrence smiles slyly. “Don’t complain if the blonde goes too far.”       “May Raquelle be nervous. You’re always surrounded by young and beautiful girls that get attracted to you like gum. Your cutie might not bear this competition.”       “I don’t care about it. Because I’d always find a way to that hellcat. I do know all of her weaknesses and can use them.”       “M-m-m, I’ll see how you’ll talk to Cameron if she’s seriously jealous.”       “Calm down, MacClife,” Daniel says confidently. “Our girls will stop even thinking about it soon. I’m sure that they’d get on well with the one, who we all owe.”       “You know… I’m already grateful to her. Even if I don’t know her personally.”       “Terrence and I are personally grateful to her as well as Peter and I will always be grateful to Raquelle for breathing into your bro and keeping being the sexy hellcat that he dreamed about.”       “Yes, yes, I’m aware,” Edward smiles mysteriously. “Without that girl, my brother won’t live. Raquelle is his salvation, light, and happiness. And the way to keep himself in the good shape.”       “And you’ve got a girl that gives you a chance to feel like a hero,” Terrence replies. “Since you and Natalia reconciled, you’ve been so happy and funny.”       “Why shouldn’t I be?” Edward shrugs with a shy smile. “I have family, friends, and a girlfriend… And I got a chance to work with what I love. Of course, I’ve gotta solve some problems, but the important thing is that many of them have been solved.”       “I’m sure the other problems will be solved, as well,” Daniel replies confidently. “You must believe in the best.”       “That’s right,” Terrence agrees. “But now we shouldn’t talk about bad things and should be happy.”       “I want it much less now,” Edward replies thoughtfully, twirling a thin black bandage on his wrist.       A few seconds later, Edward, Daniel, and Terrence hear a sudden ring on the doorbell and move their eyes to the door.       “Oh, it seems like the blond has finally brought his cutie here,” Daniel assumes cheerfully.       While Edward leans on the back of the sofa with his buttocks, and Terrence stands in front of him with a slight smile on his face and his arms crossed over his chest, Daniel goes to the hall door, opens it quickly, and sees Peter and Helene hugging each other and smiling much wider when they see the brunet.       “Oh, hey, guys, we’ve been waiting for ya!” Daniel exclaims cheerfully.       “Hey,” Peter and Helene greet amicably.       “M-m-m, I do feel that the table is served, and delicious food gets us attracted and makes us succumb to the temptation to eat it,” Peter says funnily, hugging Helene around the shoulders, while she keeps a hand on his back and holds a belt of her back purse with another hand. “How would you please us, generous owner of this wonderful house?”       “Yeah, Rose, I see you got well if you started to joke,” Daniel shakes his head with a quiet laugh.       “He was doing this on the whole way,” Helene laughs shyly. “And I supported him with pleasure.”       “That’s excellent! People come into my house in a good mood with a wish to have fun and joke.”       “We have it,” Peter replies cheerfully.       “Then you pass my check.”       Peter and Daniel welcome each other with a homie handshake and take each other in an amicable hug, sharing a clap on the shoulder or the back. Then Perkins greets Helene, amicably hugging her. Then he steps aside and makes an inviting gesture, saying:       “Come in. Peter, show Helene where the living room is. I’ll close the door and come.”       Holding each other’s hands, Helene and Peter come into the house. And then the man leads the girl after himself to show her where to go. Marshall looks around with interest, feeling comfortable in this house that she likes more and more. And a few seconds later, they end up in the living room, where Terrence and Edward are talking about something but move their eyes to them.       “Oh, hiya, Peter!” Terrence greets amicably. “Hey, Helene!”       “Hey, Terrence,” Peter and Helene pronounce at a different time with slight smiles.       “We’ve been waiting for you.”       “Perkins said,” Peter chuckles quietly.       Terrence laughs shyly, hugs Peter amicably, and shares a slight slap on the back. And while MacClife, Sr., greets Helene, the blond glances at Edward and comes to him.       “Hi, Edward!” Peter greets cheerfully. “Standing aside again?”       “Hey, Peter,” Edward greets amicably. “Just waiting for my bro to get your attention.”       “Hey!” Peter looks at Edward from head to foot quickly. “Did ya decide to buy some new clothes?”       “Aha, on what?” Edward chuckles. “I’m a beggar without money and a home! I wore old things and do it now!”       “But you didn’t wear anything like this.”       “I saved it for a special case.”       Peter greets Edward with a homie handshake and takes him in a tight, amicable hug with a slight smile. Then he steps back and takes off his outside coat, wearing only a gray t-shirt, blue jeans, and a black open waistcoat. The man’s wheat-blond hair is a little disheveled, his wrists are tightly bandaged, and a few bracelets in black and gray gamma cover it. And a few seconds later, Daniel returns to the living room and looks at the three men and one girl.       “So, that’s better!” Daniel exclaims with enthusiasm. “Everybody’s here!”       “And the girls?” Helene asks shyly. “You said your girls would be with us, as well.”       “They went to talk at the back of the house,” Terrence replies. “Our girls love some secrets.”       “I think it’s time to call them,” Edward says. “The beauties kind of disappeared…”       “Yes, Helene, they wanted to meet you so badly,” Daniel says confidently. “They asked us to show them Peter’s friend.”       “Really?” Helene smiles slightly.       “Oh, yeah!” Terrence exclaims. “And when they found out that something happened between you and Peter, they started to show a greater interest in you.”       “Wow…”       “And while the girls are left…” Peter takes a word confidently, glances at Helene, and points at Edward. “Helene, let me introduce Edward MacClife. He’s a younger brother of Terrence and my good friend.”       “Younger brother?” Helene rounds her eyes.       “Yes,” Peter glances at Edward, taking Helene by the shoulders. “Edward, let me introduce Helene Marshall. My girlfriend.”       “Nice to meet you,” Edward nods with a slight smile.       “Me too,” Helene replies shyly and shakes Edward by the hand.       “I didn’t know much about you, but the guys have told me a lot over the past two weeks.”       “Sadly, I can’t say the same and say I know about you. Terrence never said he had a younger brother.”       “But it’s true. Terrence is my sibling.”       “You look very similar.”       “Hey, I’m sorry about not telling you about this little creature,” Terrence apologizes shyly.       “It’s okay, you shouldn’t have said it,” Helene smiles shyly. “Anyway, I'm glad to meet another person.”       “I hope we’ll get on well,” Edward expresses hope.       “I love meeting new people.”       Edward says nothing and smiles slightly.       “Hey, second, I didn’t get…” Daniel frowns slightly and looks at Peter questioningly. “Peter, you said, ‘my girlfriend?’”       “Yup,” Peter smiles mysteriously. “What’s wrong?”       “Well, erm… You’re kind of friends… Or… Not?”       “Oh, yeah, Pete!” Terrence exclaims. “Why did you call Helene your girlfriend?”       “Don’t be surprised, guys, it’s true,” Peter replies confidently. “Helene and I are pronouncing ourselves lovers. Two days ago, we decided to start dating.”       “At least, we’ll try,” Helene adds with a shy smile. “We don’t know what’s gonna happen, but it would be wrong not to give each other a chance.”       “So, we’re ready to accept congratulations!” Peter puts his hands aside. “But don’t attack us with hugs and other cute things all together! By one, please!”       “Come on?” Terrence, Daniel, and Edward wonder loudly.       “Hey, what I told you!” Daniel exclaims, clapping Edward and Terrence on the shoulder. “I was sure these lovebirds would come here with this piece of news.”       “Yeah, Perkins, you saw through that,” Edward laughs shyly.       “So, Peter, we can congratulate you now,” Terrence says cheerfully with a wide smile.       “Damn, that’s cool!” Daniel exclaims happily. “We’ve finally given you to a good person!”       “Hey, I ain’t gonna marry yet, and I just started to date a girl,” Peter chuckles.       “And what? We’ve found a very good girl for you and completely approve of your affair!”       “Don’t make someone’s success yours, Dan. I personally found Helene. And my happiness is my merit.”       “Actually, Jessica found you for me,” Helene laughs shyly. “So, thank her for bringing us together.”       “Oh, Jessica, Daniel, or someone else – it doesn’t matter!” Terrence waves a hand. “The important thing is that you’re together! And I’m madly happy for you! When I saw you together, I understood that you’d be a very cool couple.”       “Yay, Rose, you’ve finally left the list of single men,” Daniel says cheerfully.       “Yeah, you wanted to know it first – you did it,” Peter notices. “Alongside Mr. Marshall, Helene’s grandmother, you became the first ones, to whom we told this cool piece of news.”       “Wonderful then!” Daniel claps Peter on the shoulder. “Think you gave the duty to MacClife and me.”       “You wouldn’t have gotten away from me if I hadn’t said it. So, I made my hit and told you about it.”       “We wouldn’t have done it. Anyway, we’re really happy for you. Seriously, blond, I congratulate you and Helene with all my heart.”       “Yes, buddy, I congratulate you, too,” Terrence congratulates with a slight smile.       “And I’m joining you,” Edward says amicably. “Good luck to you and Helene. My bro is right – you really look so nice.”       “Thanks a lot,” Peter thanks truly with a wide smile. “Daniel… Terrence… Edward…”       Edward, Daniel, and Terrence take Peter in an amicable hug by one, clapping him on the back or the shoulder. And they do not also forget about Helene, who accepts their congratulations with pleasure.       “Thanks, guys,” Helene thanks with a slight smile. “We knew you’d be happy for us.”       “It could be otherwise,” Daniel replies amicably. “The guys and I were waiting for this for too long. We wanted you to make us happy with this piece of news. And it finally happened.”       “But I still can't believe it’s happening to me,” Peter confesses shyly. “Two years ago, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be so lucky.”       “It’s okay, you’ll get used,” Terrence replies confidently. “Getting used to good things happens quickly. It happened to me when I started to date my first girlfriend. I couldn’t get used to the fact that I had a relationship with someone.”       “And then you wonder how you lived without that,” Daniel adds.       “I support!” Edward agrees cheerfully. “Loving is cool! If you find the right person, this feeling will always give us only happiness.”       “Let’s hope it will give you only positive emotions,” Helene expresses hope with a slight smile, pressing herself closely close to Peter, who is hugging her around the shoulders.       “Look, Helene, we completely trust you,” Daniel says confidently. “Don’t hurt our Peter.”       “Don’t worry, lads, I won’t betray you and disappoint your friend.”       Everybody shares a slight smile, and silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Terrence, Daniel, and Edward watch Helene and Peter hugging cutely and looking at each other. And then the girl looks around and breaks the pause shyly:       “Erm… So, what’s next? What’s the plan for fun?”       “Hey, why haven’t the girls still come back?” Terrence asks. “Where are they? Did they decide to leave us and get out of here?”       “They got so busy with a talk that they forgot about us,” Edward laughs shyly.       “Calm down, guys, I’ll call them now,” Daniel says confidently. “Let’s introduce our beauties to the blond’s girlfriend.”       Daniel quickly comes to the door leading to the back of the house, opens it, and cries loudly:       “Girls! Come here! Peter and his girlfriend are here!” Daniel comes to the others. “Yes, they’re coming.”       A few seconds later, Raquelle, Natalia, and Anna return to the living room, laughing shyly and definitely having a wonderful mood. Meanwhile, Helene goes aside to put her purse on the sofa as well as her coat, which she takes off and fixes quickly her loose hair, the quarter sleeves of her shirt with black and white lines, and shakes something off her white skinny pants.       “Here we are!” Anna exclaims cheerfully.       “Sorry, we got busy with a talk,” Raquelle says with a shy laugh.       “I see you haven’t destroyed the whole house and kicked each other’s asses,” Natalia adds funnily.       “Wait, friend!” Daniel exclaims. “We’ve just come together! Your boyfriend and buddy will definitely start a little fight.”       “Oh, yeah, our MacClife brothers must not stay alone,” Natalia laughs shyly, glances at Peter, and smiles at him cutely. “Oh! Peter, hi!”       “Hi, Peter!” Raquelle and Anna greet with a slight smile.       “We’re happy to see you healthy,” Anna says amicably.       “Hi, girls,” Peter smiles shyly. “I’m glad to see you, too.”       Peter greets Raquelle, Natalia, and Anna with pleasure, taking every one of them in an amicable hug with a slight smile on his face. And nobody notices that Helene standing aside opens her eyes widely after she hears the girls’ voices and gets quite nervous, being afraid to turn around and look at them.       “Listen, you look better,” Raquelle notices confidently. “Much better than two weeks ago.”       “Yeah, the recovery takes amazingly little time,” Peter replies thoughtfully. “Of course, it’s still a little hard for me to walk and work with my hands. But everything isn’t so bad.”       “And can you play now?” Natalia asks. “The guys are determined to play something for us!”       “Oh, now I’m gonna play anyway! With broken arms and legs, with a high fever, and stuffy nose!”       “Of course, we don’t need these sacrifices… But we’re glad you’re with us again and didn’t leave the band.”       “I’m never gonna leave.”       “Hey, Pete, where’s your friend that the guys told us so much about?” Anna asks with a sly smile. “Maybe, you introduce the one, who you were all hiding from us so hard?”       “Here is she,” Peter replies confidently, glances at Helene, and makes a calling gesture. “Helene, come here.”       The little pale Helene turns on Raquelle, Anna, and Natalia slowly and hesitantly, and rounds her eyes when she looks at the girls much better.       “Hey, it’s okay!” Peter wonders. “Don’t be scared, the girls don’t bite.”       But Helene does not move and keeps looking at Anna, Natalia, and Raquelle with widely open eyes, while they get a little surprised by this reaction of the unfamiliar girl. Peter frowns slightly and comes to the scared girl, who is literally afraid to move.       “What’s wrong, sweetie?” Peter wonders, hugging Helene around the shoulders. “I just wanna introduce you to the men’s girls.”       “With t-them?” Helene asks hesitantly in a little shaking voice. “T-that’s… That’s t-them?”       “Yes, them. Come on, don’t be shy.”       But Helene keeps standing in the same place, starting to breathe a little heavily and making the girls confused and the men surprised.       “Helene, what’s up?” Peter wonders. “What’s happening to you?”       “No…” Helene shakes her head with dumbfounded, widely open eyes and closes her mouth with a hand. “No, no… It can’t be the truth… It can’t…”       “Why can’t it be? Why did you get nervous? And why did you get so white?”       “Excuse me…” Natalia frowns slightly. “What’s wrong? Do we… Look bad? Something is not right with us?”       Helene comes to Natalia, Anna, and Raquelle closer very slowly and hesitantly and starts looking at them better.       “No, I can’t believe it…” Helene shakes her head sharply and closes her mouth with a hand. “I refuse to believe it! My gosh, why is it you?”       At this moment, Daniel, Terrence, Edward, and Peter look at each other questioningly, being surprised by Helene's reaction.       “I don’t get…” Edward frowns slightly. “Why did Helene react to the appearance of Natalia, Raquelle, and Anna like this?”       “If I knew it,” Peter replies.       “She got so white when she saw them,” Daniel notices thoughtfully.       “Anyway, it will give us nothing good,” Terrence assumes. “And our plans to befriend the girls are gonna be ruined to the fuck…”       The surprised and confused Raquelle, Natalia, and Anna also wonder what’s happening. But at some moment, they start to look at Helene better and realize that this girl seems very familiar to them a few seconds later.       “No, girls, it can’t be the truth,” Raquelle pronounces in a whisper. “It can’t be the truth…”       “Gosh, how could it happen?” Natalia wonders. “I can’t believe that’s her.”       Two seconds later, Helene finds the courage to say just something, starting to shake from horror and a fear that she got obsessed with:       “Raquelle? Natalia? Anna? Is that you?”       Raquelle and Natalia look at each other and move their dumbfounded eyes to Helene, pronouncing surprisingly:       “Helene Marshall?”       “Oh, God…” Anna pronounces with horror in her eyes and closes her mouth with both hands. “Marshall? Helene?”       While Anna, Raquelle, and Natalia stare at Helene amazingly and cannot believe what’s happening, Terrence, Edward, Daniel, and Peter round their eyes and look at each other again.       “I didn’t get…” Terrence pronounces surprisingly. “What’s going on? They’re familiar!”       “Wow!” Edward wonders. “You didn’t say the girls knew her!”       “Damn, but how do they know her?” Peter wonders. “As long as I’ve known Helene, she’s never mentioned their names!”       “What a fucking twist,” Daniel pronounces thoughtfully. “The girls definitely know each other…”       “Not for the first day…” Edward assumes. “Look, they all got white and overwhelmed…”       “Yeah…” Terrence pronounces quietly. “As if one of them did something bad…”       “Oh, I’m starting to dislike all of this…” Peter confesses with anxiety. “It’s gonna be cool if they say they didn’t get on well or were actually enemies.”       While the guys keep being afraid that this meeting might ruin all of their plans, Raquelle, Anna, Helene, and Helene find the courage to speak, still being shocked.       “But how?” Helene wonders with widely open eyes full of horror. “How did it happen? How did it happen that you were the sweethearts of Terrence, Daniel, and Edward?”       “We’re really their sweethearts,” Anna says hesitantly.       “How? Why is that you?”       “But why are you surprised? Didn’t the guys tell you about us?”       “No, they didn’t… Terrence and Daniel never mentioned you…”       “And…” Natalia pronounces hesitantly. “You too…”       “I mean… I knew that Terrence and Daniel had sweethearts… I knew one was engaged to a famous model, and another had lived with his girlfriend. But… They never mentioned your names…”       “Yeah, I’m living here with Daniel,” Anna shrugs.       “Oh, gosh…” Helene closes her mouth with a hand, shaking her head. “So, Terrence is engaged…”       “To me,” Raquelle pronounces quietly. “I am the model you just talked about.”       “You?” Helene wonders loudly, opening her eyes wider. “No! No, I don’t believe it! That Raquelle was a gray mouse! The gray mouse that nobody noticed!”       “People may change through the years.”       “God… No, no, it’s just a coincidence… You and that Raquelle are absolutely different people!”       “Alas, Helene, we want to get you disappointed, upset, or surprised, but that’s Raquelle,” Natalia says quietly. “The gray mouse that eventually got engaged with the all-favorite Terrence MacClife.”       “I must be dreaming,” Helene shakes her head, putting her hands on her foreheads, and chuckles nervously. “No… It’s just a dream… Just a dream… I’m gonna wake up – and it’s going to be the truth.”       “I believe Raquelle surprised everybody by turning from a homely girl with pigtails to such a beauty and marrying the man, whom all girls in the world are dreaming about,” Anna says thoughtfully.       “I… I don’t know what to say… I wouldn’t have thought just because the name of Terrence’s fiancée was Raquelle Cameron didn’t mean that was…” Helene moves her eyes full of horror to Raquelle. “You…”       “Everyone knows Raquelle’s name,” Natalia says quietly. “It would be strange if you heard about her for the first time.”       “No, no, I… I know there was the model, Raquelle Cameron. Though, I recently learned the name of Terrence MacClife’s fiancée. Erm… I just don’t watch the show business and know almost nothing about it… But I didn’t think I knew that girl… That’s two absolutely different people.”       “I can show you my childhood photos, so you understand that Raquelle from the past and Raquelle from the present are the same people,” Raquelle says confidently.       “My gosh…” Helene looks at Raquelle from head to foot with overwhelmed eyes. “You’ve really changed… Seriously, Cameron… I must admit that you became a real beauty. No hint at the fact that you were a gray mouse that nobody noticed. And you got such a wanted man…”       “But you haven’t almost changed. Maybe, your face got much more mature, and your hair isn’t as short as it was. As far as I remember, you always had shoulder-length hair.”       “I’ve wanted to do something similar, honestly… I got sick of long hair… I want short hair.”       “Gosh, I would’ve never thought that we’d meet. That our men would be friends…”       “Yeah, what a twist…” Natalia agrees.       “Erm…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly. “Girls, sorry for meddling in your talk. But could you explain how you know each other?”       “Yes, girls, what does it all mean?” Peter wonders.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, which Raquelle breaks a little hesitantly, turning on the men and looking at them:       “The case is, Peter, that Natalia, Anna, and I know Helene Marshall. For a long time.”       “But how?” Daniel wonders.       “Helene studied at the same school as Raquelle and I did,” Natalia replies.       “You studied together?” Edward rounds his eyes.       “Yes,” Raquelle replies. “But Anna knows her, as well.”       “My gosh,” Terrence smiles slightly. “Guys, it happened that we date the girls, who have known each other since school?”       “It happened.”       “And if you studied together, you lived in the same small city…” Daniel says hesitantly.       “Yup, we all lived in Kingston when being kids,” Helene says quietly.       “Excellent!” Daniel smiles slightly. “So, we don’t have to worry that you won’t get along. Because you’ve known each other for ages.”       “Yeah, but Helene and we weren’t friends…” Raquelle confesses hesitantly.       “What do you mean?” Peter frowns slightly.       “Helene was one of those, who participated in the bullying of Raquelle,” Anna replies hesitantly. “And… She participated actively…”       “What?” Edward, Daniel, Terrence, and Peter get horrified.       The tense silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which the shocked men shake their heads, close their mouths with a hand or just open their eyes full of horror wider.       “Holy shit…” Daniel pronounces quietly.       “I can’t believe it…” Terrence gets horrified.       “You knew it?” Edward frowns slightly, looking at Daniel, Terrence, and Peter. “You knew this girl was Raquelle’s offender?”       “How did we the fuck know it?” Daniel wonders. “We wouldn’t have thought it would happen!”       “Fuck, I think we shouldn't have planned it…” Peter says with anxiety, running her hand through her hair. “It won’t end with anything good…”       “That’s why…” Anna frowns slightly and glances at Daniel, Terrence, Peter, and Edward. “That’s why you were hiding the personality of Peter’s friend so hard.”       “Right!” Raquelle exclaims. “We knew it was Helene. The girl that was one of those, because of whom I suffered.”       “No, no, girls, it’s not the truth!” Daniel shakes his head with pity in his eyes. “I swear we knew nothing about who Helene actually was.”       “But you hide everything from us and refused to explain something,” Natalia notices gloomily.       “We told you nothing because we forgot it,” Terrence finds excuses. “And now we understand that was our mistake.”       “And I don’t have to do with it!” Edward exclaims. “I knew nothing about Helene. We just met.”       “We believe you, Edward,” Anna says quietly and looks at Terrence and Daniel gloomily. “And you, two, must explain everything.”       “Please, Anna, believe us,” Daniel begs. “If we’d had a little suspicion that you knew Helene, we would’ve asked you about your school years. How could we know that this girl studied with you and bullied Raquelle?”       “Please, girls, don’t be mad,” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes. “We really knew nothing. And we’re sorry about being silent.”       “My gosh, Helene…” Peter pronounces with horror in his rounded eyes. “I… I can’t believe it!”       “I c-can explain it…” Helene says excitedly in a shaking voice.       “Damn, Helene, what does it all mean?” Daniel wonders. “Are the girls telling the truth?”       “Yes, it’s the truth…” Helene inclines her head guiltily. “I really participated in the bullying of Raquelle and Natalia.”       “But why?” Peter wonders. “Why did you dislike Raquelle and Natalia? They’re such good girls and have harmed nobody!”       “And why did the guys dislike the two?” Terrence wonders. “No… We know about Natalia more or less… We know she was bullied because she stopped supporting them. And we don’t know the reason for such hate for Raquelle. How could you dislike such a wonderful person like my fiancée?”       “Please, guys, let me explain everything,” Helene replies with pity in her eyes. “I’m very sorry it happened. Raquelle and Natalia didn’t deserve everything the guys did to them.”       “Yeah, but you bullied them,” Edward notices. “So, you had a reason for hate.”       “I swear, Edward, I never hated them. A herd instinct was the one to blame. There was a girl… Someone like the queen of the school… She ruled literally everything. If someone had dared to go against her, they would’ve regretted it. Or even if that girl had personally disliked someone, they wouldn’t have lived quietly. So, I was a friend of Ashley and did everything she wanted.”       “So, did you befriend her because of a fear of being an outsider?” Peter wonders.       “I was pretending to be the one. She was never my friend. Ashley was always terribly capricious, unbearable, and too egoistic. She got used to the fact that someone always went around her. And she was never shy about showing it. As well as everybody, I was afraid to go against her because she could do something to me. So, I started to pretend that I madly loved her and was loyal to her. But being her friend was super hard. Ashley didn’t care about how someone would do one or another thing for her. You should’ve made her wish come true immediately.”       “Okay, we got it,” Terrence says quietly. “And how didn’t Raquelle please you?”       “Anyhow. She did nothing bad to anyone. But Ashley disliked Raquelle since the first day of school. She was an ordinary gray mouse in old, shabby clothes… Terribly insecure, too quiet… An ugly duckling, in short!”       “Is the appearance a reason to hate someone?” Daniel wonders. “Who cares about how Raquelle looked!”       “My ‘friend’ hated this type. She was a friend of the chosen, cool, confident, and beautiful people… She chose friends by their appearance and what they would be ready for her. And if you hadn’t fit at least one line, your life would’ve turned to hell!”       “Did that girl turn everybody against Raquelle?” Edward wonders. “Including you?”       “Nobody had a strong hate for her, but fellows didn’t mind laughing at her. She was always sitting with books in her hands and never aimed to be beautiful and confident. Raquelle kept wearing old-fashioned clothes that she borrowed from her neighbors, whose children had grown up. Mr. Cameron, her grandfather, and she lived in poverty and couldn’t live in luxury. That’s why she never had trending things, while Ashley always followed the trends. But she was bullied by the order of our capricious queen of the school. It was something like a herd instinct… Everybody does it, and you do it. You know that people don’t like those, who move away and don’t wanna be like everyone, in many cases.”       “And didn’t you try to change the situation?” Daniel wonders. “There were many of you, but she was alone!”       “We were afraid. We got the courage only when we grew up and started to understand that we were idiots.”       “Helene is telling the truth,” Raquelle says quietly with sadness in her eyes. “I did nothing bad, but they disliked me since the first day. I unsuccessfully tried to befriend at least someone… I always followed the advice of Grandpa Frederick, who told me not to answer them back. But it made everything worse. I didn’t have support and protection. Before Natalia came to us from another school.”       “And as far as I know, the guys befriended Natalia quickly,” Edward says thoughtfully.       “Yes, that girl liked Natalia and suggested she be a friend,” Helene replies quietly. “She’s always been a beauty. Tall, thin, fashionable… Everybody admired her long blonde hair… The girls always asked her to tell them all the secrets of her hair routine. And she knew everything about fashion. Even Ashley didn’t know as much as Natalia. But it’s not amazing because her mother and father’s job was related to this thing. And the most important thing is that Natalia was always the life of the party and got along with people easily. She always spread easiness and positivity.”       “And I was also pretending to be her friend,” Natalia confesses. “I liked all the guys except Ashley. She was false, terribly capricious, egoistic, and insolent. Though, she was pretending to be an innocent angel at first. That girl was sweet to new people that she liked, but then started to show her rotted soul. I wouldn’t have befriended her, but the guys warned me about what would’ve happened to those, who refused to ‘serve’ her. So, I had to pretend to be a friend of that girl.”       “And…” Peter pronounces hesitantly. “You bullied Raquelle, as well?”       “No, I never bullied Raquelle openly. I was just standing near and saying nothing, while the others were bullying the poor girl by the order of that madam. And I was sorry for her at heart…”       “Actually, only a fewer people liked Ashley,” Helene confesses. “Only three girls were her real friends – the same shameless and insolent dolls that thought only of clothes and boys. The others were pretending to be her friends. But when Natalia went against them openly, she paid a high cost for that.”       “I just couldn’t take it all and realized that I couldn’t be silent when everybody was bullying such a good girl,” Natalia says with sadness in her eyes. “I wanted to come to her and talk a little. Let her know that she could count on me. But I couldn’t find the courage… I was afraid someone would see me and tell Ashley about it. So, I said nothing… But one day, Raquelle came to me. I was waiting for a school bus…”       “But later, the guys found out that we were friends and told Ashley everything,” Raquelle adds. “And going to school was everyday torture for Natalia and me.”       “It was madly unpleasant for me to take it for nothing. But I got sick of pretending and openly said I’d be by the side of Raquelle. I knew it would be bad for me. But I wasn’t scared. Even if the bullying was so unbearable that Raquelle and I decided to keep studying at home.”       “It’s true,” Helene says quietly. “The guys did many things to Natalia and Raquelle. They’re lucky that they were never beaten and locked in a restroom or a school locker. Nevertheless, they were strongly insulted and humiliated. Nobody believed Cameron would become beautiful… And later, the girls openly started to show hate for Rochester’s beauty. They were jealous that boys from high school paid attention to her. They wanted them to have as many admirers as she had. And the boys from high school gifted her lots of flowers and gifts and suggested walking somewhere. So, all those girls, especially Ashley, broke down. They thought they’d get all the attention, but this cute blonde stole it.”       “I know that story well,” Anna meddles a little hesitantly. “I was aware of what was happening there. But since I didn’t study with them, they didn’t try to get me involved in their intrigues. At first, I met Helene and talked to her sometimes, and then she introduced me to Natalia. I just saw Marshall and came to her when Rochester was with her. And some time later, Natalia introduced me to Raquelle, who had already become her friend. I didn’t speak to Helene closely, but Natalia and Raquelle became very close to me. But sadly, when they started to study at home, I lost contact with them.”       “For a long time,” Natalia adds. “But somewhere three or four years later, Anna contacted me on Facebook, and we started to speak regularly. It had happened some time before Simon Ringer spread the rumors. And Raquelle started to speak with Anna on the day when she found out what they said and posted about her. But Seymour was getting ready for exams at the university and rarely met me and Raquelle, who went to England to visit her aunt.”       “But when Raquelle and Natalia started to study at home, nothing changed,” Helene says with sadness in her eyes. “Ashley showered them with mud so hard that I don’t even wanna remember that. Everybody tolerated her for some time, but one beautiful day, some people broke down, and then others did. And later, I realized I couldn’t take it anymore. We all got sick of that gal. So, we went against her. We weren’t afraid. And we were sure we’d stand up for ourselves and each other. Of course, that princess was furious, and her gang agreed with her and did everything she told them. But we held on. And they all moved to another city one year before graduation from school.”       “So, couldn’t her tender personality take it?” Natalia asks with a quiet chuckle.       “It couldn’t do. But when we studied the last year quietly. And we got really close. We were waiting for Raquelle and Natalia to start going to school again to apologize to them. But we were told Cameron finished her studies one year earlier, and Rochester kept studying at home and didn’t think of going back to school. I know we should’ve washed her brains and shown her that she wasn’t the center of the Universe. But we acted like cowards, let her mock the weak people, and did the same by her order…”       Terrence, Daniel, Edward, and Peter spend a few seconds accepting this information. But then the blond decides to break this awkward pause, putting his hand on his forehead and moaning quietly:       “Oh, shit… Why does almost every school have the one that everybody fears? One serves another because of the fear of being an outsider? Either an egoistic and capricious bitch or an insolent and self-confident boy.”       “I must confess that there’s something similar in the case of you and the case of Raquelle and Natalia,” Terrence notices thoughtfully.       “Agree… In both of the cases, the girl, who thinks she is a star is guilty.”       “Exactly!” Helene exclaims. “Ashley never showed kindness! She just ruined everybody’s life! She even sometimes humiliated her friends, telling them about their shortcomings. And they listened to her, inclining their heads! That bitch adored putting everybody under psychological pressure. It gave her pleasure. She was kind of a masochist.”       “But, Raquelle, Natalia…” Peter pronounces thoughtfully. “Were you also afraid to go against that girl and show her where she belonged?”       “Yes, we were afraid of her,” Raquelle nods. “You heard that if someone had dared to do something to her, they would’ve regretted it.”       “We would’ve regretted it much more,” Natalia adds quietly. “We would've surely been locked in school lockers or dressing rooms. Or actually beaten at school or behind it.”       “Beating girls?” Daniel gets horrified.       “And were you really beaten?” Edward frowns slightly.       “No, no, thank God,” Natalia says confidently. “They just insulted and humiliated us strongly… They could steal something or destroy something. They didn’t let them speak in lessons… No more.”       “Damn, I can't believe it!” Peter exclaims a little louder, starting to walk in circles nervously near the sofa. “Helene, how could you? How could you go too far? I can’t believe you were a part of all of that! It’s okay that the girl went crazy. But why did you the fuck dance attendance upon her and poison the lives of the two innocent girls?”       “Please, Peter, don’t be mad at me,” Helene begs with pity in her eyes, coming closer to Peter and looking into his eyes. “I know I did a disgusting thing and was a real coward.”       “But why were you silent about it? We’ve known each other for three years, and I never heard you were one of those, who bullied one person, who had nobody to get protection from.”       “I was ashamed to talk about it. Grandma Scarlett and Grandpa Roger tried to change my mind many times and let me know that my actions were disgusting, but I didn’t listen to them. But later, I started to understand that it was wrong. That I shouldn’t have treated the girls, who did nothing to me like that.”       “Yeah, where are the guarantees that you wouldn't do that again?” Peter shakes his head. “Fuck, did I make the same mistake and start dating a bad girl? That might easily do that to me!”       “No, no, Peter, please, don’t say that,” Helene begs with tears in her eyes full of pity, taking Peter by the shoulders. “I swear on my grandfather Roger’s grave, it will never happen again. And I won’t especially do it to you. Believe me, I’m different now. I’m no longer what I was before. I am the different Helene. I realized all my mistakes and promised myself not to make them again.”       “After what I heard, I started to doubt your honesty.”       “Peter, please!” Helene exclaims with despair a little louder.       “Sorry, Helene, but I agree with Peter,” Daniel meddles. “That was really disgusting on your side. You were bullying the girls, who did nothing bad to you. Do you really want us to pretend that nothing happened and accept you?”       “Please, guys, trust me. I swear I’ll harm, insult, and humiliate nobody. I’m really very sorry it happened.”       “We did think you were a good and sweet girl,” Terrence shakes his head. “We were happy you started to date Peter. But… He really ran into another girl that could shower him with mud and give a hit on the back.”       “It’s all over now. I don’t want everybody to turn their back on me because of my mistakes of childhood and my teenage age.” Helene looks at Terrence, Daniel, and Edward with pity in her eyes. “As if you didn’t laugh at anyone. At least one of you surely mocked someone and regrets it now.”       “Yeah, but we never provoked the bullying and didn’t listen to one person, who wanted to turn someone’s life into hell,” Daniel says confidently. “In Raquelle’s case, the smartest people were Natalia and Anna. And in Peter’s case, it was Jessica. Only these people dared to go against that herd. And trust me, we wouldn’t also insult and humiliate someone for fear that someone would bully us.”       “Guys, please, don’t turn your back on me. I’m ready to do anything to prove that I’ve changed since that time. I dunno… Ask Grandma to confirm that I really became different… Just tell me.”       “Who else knew what you did?” Peter asks in a low voice. “Did you tell someone else?”       “I told Jessica about it. But she knows only the fact that I participated in the bullying. Somehow, we talked about you, and I said I’d do something good in case you survived. And I added that I wanted to make amends for the mistakes of the past. I said I was a part of the bullying of one person. But I didn’t say who. And I’m grateful to Jess for not judging me.”       “I must admit that it was very mean of you,” Edward says quietly. “It’s unpleasant for me to know that you insulted my brother’s fiancée. And it’s much more unpleasant to know that you made my girlfriend experience the same.”       “I didn’t really want it to happen,” Helene replies quietly. “Please, guys, forgive me… I completely understand that it’s hurtful for you. But I promise I will no longer hurt the girls or anyone else. And especially you, Peter. I’d never do it and betray you the way that bitch did. You all can trust me completely. Please, guys… Give me a chance…”       Peter runs his hands over his face with a slow sigh and starts walking in the living room much slower, not knowing how to keep speaking to Helene. Terrence, Edward, and Daniel look at each other with anxiety, being confused after everything they heard. Raquelle and Natalia recall their school years with sadness in their eyes. Anna hugs both of them around the shoulders and tries to comfort them somehow. And Helene makes quiet sobs and shakes slightly, sometimes wiping off tears under her eyes and being terribly afraid to lose a chance to join a new collective and hear that the blond wants to end their relationship.       “Okay, and what are we gonna do?” Daniel breaks the silence hesitantly. “The situation is hard, I must confess… Everyone’s suggestions?”       “I don’t personally know,” Peter replies in a low voice.       “Girls, what do you think about it?” Edward looks at the girls hesitantly. “It’s your conflict with Helene. The lads and I don’t have to do with it.”       “I’ve never been involved in this conflict,” Anna replies thoughtfully, embracing herself with both arms. “In fact, I don’t also have to do with it. But I can’t stay indifferent and leave the girls without my support.”       “Okay…” Terrence pronounces quietly. “Raquelle, Natalia, what can you say?”       When Natalia wants to take a word, Helene does it hesitantly, moving her ashamed look to the girls:       “Listen, Raquelle, Natalia… Could we talk somewhere alone? Since we met again, it would be great to decide what to do.”       Natalia, Anna, and Raquelle look at each other and shrug silently.       “Well, if you want it, we agree,” Raquelle replies hesitantly.       “Erm, we can go to the back of the house and talk there,” Anna says quietly. “Nobody would bother us…”       “Yeah, we’ll listen to you,” Natalia replies quietly.       “Then…” Helene pronounces shamelessly. “Let’s do it now…”       Raquelle and Natalia nod slightly and slowly go to the door leading to the back of the sofa in a slow step along with Helene. Anna does not rush to follow them and stays in the living room, looking at Terrence, Daniel, Edward, and Peter hesitantly.       “Yeah…” Terrence says thoughtfully. “I didn’t think everything would be so hard.”       “It’s disgusting that bad people choose the weakest people and mock them,” Edward says gloomily, leaning on the back of the sofa with his hands. “And it hurts that you can do nothing with it. It’s always happened and will always do.”       “Raquelle and Natalia weren’t weak,” Peter replies quietly. “Because they were taking those humiliations courageously and didn’t pay attention to them.”       “They weren’t the ones,” Anna says quietly. “They didn’t just wanna get more problems and make that girl and her elite angry.”       “Didn’t they try to stand for themselves somehow?” Daniel wonders. “I don’t believe they silently took all those humiliations and insults?”       “Sometimes they could say something when they broke down, but it never worked. However, Raquelle and Natalia could always stand up for themselves. Fighting with many people never makes sense, ‘cause you’d lose anyway.”       “It’s hurt that nobody showed that girl where she belonged,” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes. “If the guys had united against her, she would’ve closed her mouth.”       “A herd instinct, Terrence. Even Raquelle and Natalia succumbed to it. Succumbed to the fear of getting problems.”       “So, were their teachers as indifferent to them as my teachers to me?” Peter wonders.       “No, no, their teachers treated them well, and Raquelle was always a good girl for them. But sadly, nothing helped them stop the bullying. Until the guys woke up and realized what they did.”       “It seems like I’m starting to understand why Raquelle and Natalia never said why their schoolmates disliked them,” Daniel says thoughtfully.       “They don’t like talking about it,” Anna replies quietly. “They wanted to forget that time like a nightmare. So, they tried to talk about the school years as rarely as possible.”       Daniel exhales sharply and looks around with an indifferent look. Terrence thinks of something with his hand running through his hair, Edward stands near the sofa with his arms crossed over his chest, and Peter nervously walks into the living room and thinks about something bad.       “Okay, guys, stay here,” Anna says hesitantly. “And I’ll come to the girls. We’ll try to solve this question. I don’t know how it would end, but we’ll be very sorry if our plans are ruined.”       Anna turns around slowly and goes to the back of the house, while Edward, Peter, Terrence, and Daniel watch her with sadness in their eyes. At some moment, MacClife, Sr., comes to the sofa in a quick step and sits on it.       “Oh…” Terrence exhales sharply. “What do we expect? Will our plans to have fun be broken to the fuck?”       “Hard to say,” Daniel says with his arms crossed over his chest. “But one thing is clear: the girls’ suspicions weren’t groundless. Saying they knew something was wrong. But they definitely had a presentiment.”       “And they do think we knew who Helene was.”       “They hardly do it now. They saw we were dumbfounded by what we heard.”       “The girls couldn’t know anything ‘cause none of you told them about Helene,” Edward says confidently. “So, saying about it is really stupid.”       “Now it doesn’t matter,” Terrence replies.       “Oh, fuck!” Peter swears quietly, comes to the sofa quickly and nervously, and sits in front of Terrence, leaning on his laps with his elbows. “If I’d known the girls knew Helene, I wouldn’t have brought her here.”       “Don’t blame yourself, Peter, please,” Daniel says confidently. “How could you know Helene would be Raquelle and Natalia’s schoolmate, who participated in the bullying of them?”       “I didn’t know it. But I would’ve quickly realized that something wasn’t right if I’d told her about the girls.”       “But wait, Peter…” Edward pronounces thoughtfully and sits on the sofa next to Terrence. “Did you never tell Helene about who Daniel and Terrence dated?”       “Not even once!”       “And when you met Terrence, you knew he was engaged to Raquelle. And as we know, she’s well known in the show business.”       “Somehow, we talked about Terrence. Helene knew well who he was, ‘cause she loved watching ‘American Love Affair.’ And she told me many times that she admired him. Jessica and she are fans of MacClife.”       “Although Helene says she doesn’t watch the news of the show business, I’m sure she knew Terrence was engaged to Raquelle Cameron,” Daniel assumes confidently. “Even hermits knew about their affair and canceled the breakup ‘cause it was discussed everywhere.”       “Maybe, she did. But I never told her about it.”       “Of course, she knew!” Edward exclaims. “Helene said she heard the name of the model, Raquelle Cameron, but didn’t think that was the girl, with whom she studied. And I think it sounds true. Cameron could change much and become unrecognizable since that time.”       “Listen, Terrence, did you see Raquelle’s childhood photos!” Daniel frowns slightly, stroking his chin. “What if she really was a gray mouse but became a fateful cutie through the years!”       “You’re gonna be surprised, guys, but I’ve never seen her baby photos,” Terrence confesses. “I know how Raquelle looked at the age of seventeen or eighteen when she just started her career. But she was already a beauty. Maybe, she looked a little insecure in photos, but later she showed her potential and became much freer.”       “What if that’s true?” Edward wonders. “As they say, from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan. Children may change much through the years. I know one boy that was uglier than a scarecrow for Halloween in childhood, but he became quite attractive after growing up a little.”       “It happens. And I’m told I haven’t almost changed since the time of the ‘American Love Affair’ era.”       “But you haven’t really changed,” Daniel replies. “Maybe, you just grew into a man, as Helene said. And you accepted it as a compliment and got blushed like a girl after the first kiss.”       “Yeah,” Terrence chuckles quietly. “And you were probably jealous that Helene didn’t tell you a compliment. Probably, because you filmed nowhere and didn’t play the role of a boy that was loved by everyone.”       “Huh, you didn’t have to play ‘cause you’re the image of Mason. He’s the same insolent and arrogant turkey that walked with a naked torso in front of cameras and fucked young girls for half of the screen time. It’s amazing that you didn’t play roles in adult movies. You could’ve built a brilliant career as a porno actor.”       “Don’t be jealous, Perkins, you still have a chance to become the sexual fantasy of a young girl. When our band gets famous, you’ll get lots of fans. Of course, I don’t know what they’re gonna love you for, but be sure, it will happen soon.”       “You never miss a chance to show off and puffy your tail.”       “Exactly!” Peter throws gloomily. “You found a good time to praise the beloved you!”       “What?” Terrence opens his eyes widely. “I’m just trying to make the tense atmosphere easier.”       “Very funny! Nobody knows what’s gonna happen, but you’re happy like a moron.”       “Listen, buddy, we know the situation is hard. But let’s wait for the girls to talk.”       “Honestly, I don’t know how to treat her after what I heard,” Peter confesses and crosses his arms over his chest, pursing his lips. “I thought Helene was a decent girl that wouldn’t hurt a fly. But she was one of those shameless people.”       “Don’t say you’re gonna break up with her,” Daniel says.       “I don’t know, Daniel… But I don’t like it all.” Peter exhales sharply and runs his hands over his face. “Fuck, why did I get into this shit after I felt happy for the first time in a while?”       “Maybe, we shouldn’t judge her for her past actions?” Edward suggests with sadness in his eyes. “Helene is not aggressive, and Raquelle, Natalia, and Anna don't rush to attack her with fists. What if she really changed and realized her mistakes?”       “I also thought that they had nothing against her,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “Yes, they were shocked but didn’t think of showing aggression.”       “I don’t know, guys…” Peter exhales slowly and leans back in the sofa. “I’m starting to regret coming here with Marshall…”       “Stop, Peter, you’re guilty of nothing,” Edward replies quietly. “As Daniel said, we don’t have to do with this conflict. The girls should solve it. And I think they want it. Helene was horrified and timid, and I believe she’s sorry.”       “The kid says it right!” Terrence agrees. “So, lads, let’s not panic earlier. Maybe, it would be okay, and the girls would get on well. Raquelle, Anna, and Natalia aren’t so vindictive. And despite all her mistakes, Helene deserves a second chance. She was with Pete all this time and took care of him. I doubt Marshall would sacrifice her time if she didn’t care about the blond.”       “But I feel embarrassed anyway,” Peter says with anxiety. “I shouldn’t have brought her here…”       “Damn, Pete, stop it already,” Daniel exhales slowly and sits on the sofa next to Peter. “You’re not guilty of what happened. The fault is probably on Terrence and me. We should’ve told Raquelle, Anna, and Natalia about Helene much earlier.”       “They would’ve really given a reason to think,” Terrence adds confidently. “We could’ve solved this problem if the girls had heard each other's names.”       “Agree, you shouldn’t have been silent,” Edward agrees. “Any little thing would’ve made them think of the past.”       “Oh, I should’ve told Helene something about Anna, Natalia, and Raquelle,” Peter says thoughtfully. “But I didn’t think about it…”       “Okay, it’s late to regret it,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “It’s too late to blame ourselves and others. What’s done is done. Let’s wait for them to talk and then decide something.”       “Maybe, we watch them carefully?” Daniel suggests.       “Why?” Edward wonders, staring at Daniel. “They wanted to talk face-to-face! So, may they talk alone.”       “What if our beauties think of something and start a street fight? And we’d prevent it just in time. I don’t want the ruins to be left in my house.”       “No, I don’t think they’ll go so far,” Terrence shakes his head. “Fighting is not about our cuties.”       “Oh, in short, just sit and wait,” Edward says confidently.       “Yes! So, stay here and don’t move. Or you will regret it.”       “Ah, buddy…” Daniel laughs quietly. “The house is actually mine! Do you know I have the right to kick you out? As well as your little brother and this blond!”       “Well, you don’t dare to kick me out,” Peter rolls his eyes with a sly smile.       “Why don’t I? I’m the owner of the house, and I do what I want! I can kick you three out!”       “Maybe, you’re the owner, but I rule everything anyway,” Terrence says confidently. “Daddy Terry would quickly solve everything in this hen house.”       “If you show off, I’ll kick you out.”       “Oh, gosh, I’m so scared!” Terrence chuckles quietly. “Don’t puffy your tail too much. I wouldn’t have enough space.”       “Oh, you wouldn’t fit in this house because of your big crowd on the head and a big tail on your ass,” Edward laughs shyly, crossing his arms over his chest.       “You were much better when you acted like a quiet, obedient boy,” Terrence smiles slyly. “Not now, when you pretend to be a smart genius! A wise man, who's lived a whole life! An alleged joker, whose jokes can’t make you stop laughing and rolling on the floor.”       “You know, you’d be better as a shy guy, too,” Daniel replies confidently. “You know how sweet you were if you acted like an innocent angel or a little coward.”       “Sorry, Perkins, but I can’t be silent about what’s clear.” Terrence raises his head proudly. “Could I hide this awesomeness and not let people discuss it? That’s a crime!”       “A crime is letting you come to the army of your fans that would praise their Apollo and praise him to the skies.”       “As if you’d be indifferent if you were surrounded by your fans and heard them screaming happily, while you walk by in a rooster walk with your nose turned up.”       “Of course, not. It’s always been a pleasure for me to get the attention of young, beautiful girls. And if I have much more fans than you, I’ll be on top of the world.”       “Forget it, it’ll never happen. Nobody will outstand me: neither you and your charming eyes, my brother and his pretty face, nor this blond and his mountain of muscles. Because I have all of this.”       “I can’t remember someone told you about it,” Edward says thoughtfully, rolling his eyes.       “You shouldn’t remember. You just must be silent and listen to your older brother.”       “Aha, maybe, I should bow to you and call you Your Highness?”       “I wouldn’t mind it. You all would let me know that I’m unique, handsome, and very important.”       “Huh, go to the fuck, brother!”       “Oh, holy shit…” Peter moans quietly, leaning back in the sofa and running his hands over his face. “I messed up with three idiots…”       “What’s up, blond?” Daniel wonders. “Why’s your face so gloomy?”       “But you are all happy, I see.”       “Indeed, Rose, relax,” Edward says with a shy laugh. “Now the girls will talk about everything and say they’re ready to reconcile. Don’t worry.”       “Ah, if MacClife didn’t drive a car, we could drink a bottle of beer,” Daniel says cheerfully. “And if the girls weren’t with us. They wouldn’t like to see us drinking.”       “But you’ve got the refrigerator full of food,” Peter smiles mysteriously. “What if Anna kindly cooked something delicious for us?”       “Ah, that’s clear! You could say it earlier – I wanna eat! Instead of sitting here with a gloomy face and saying something under your nose.”       “Well, I don’t also mind eating something,” Terrence says with a sly smile, running his hand over his stomach.       “Oh, you always do wanna eat,” Edward chuckles. “Especially when you go to Mother’s home. We should set up iron lockers on all the lockers and the refrigerator.”       “You better shut up, a vacuum that sucks in any sweet food in its way.”       “It’s true, dude,” Peter smiles innocently. “We don’t have to do a lot to see you eating something. Because you constantly eat. When you’re near a refrigerator.”       “Oh, you’re all like vacuums – you eat everything that’s more or less eatable,” Daniel replies with a chuckle.       “Well, would you find something tasty for me? Huh, buddy? I’m your friend! Your old, beloved friend, to whom you’d give anything.”       “I have nothing. My beauty and I are hungry. So, sorry, Rose, I can’t feed you. Neither you, nor these two gluttons.”       “No, you heard it?” Peter chuckles loudly, moving his eyes to Edward and Terrence. “You just look how much this creature got insolent! He invited us here, but he refuses to feed up! And we call ourselves his friends!”       “Don’t worry, Pete, Anna will now cook something for us,” Edward replies confidently. “That beauty wouldn’t let us die from starvation. She’s our kind, caring, and sweet lady.”       “Aha, we can throw this dude in the cool pool, lock ourselves in the house, and enjoy something delicious,” Terrence smiles slyly. “While he’s gonna be knocking at all the doors and windows and telling us to let him in loudly, being wet, cold, and hungry.”       “Listen, idiots, shut up now,” Daniel moans tiredly. “Otherwise, I’ll kick you three out and never let you come here.”       “Calm down, tough guy. We know you’re a guy with a hot temper, but don’t be too insolent and unbearable.”       “Say it to yourself. You better take an example from your bro. Of course, Edward is a pain in the ass, but he isn’t at least as annoying as you are. And he can be a little shy.”       “Oh, yay, shy,” Terrence laughs shyly. “He’s lately been insolent and just unbearable.”       “Anyone would get sick of you,” Peter chuckles. “Thank Dan, Raquelle, Edward, and me for having such angelic patience and taking your actions and the way you constantly make yourself literally God. Another person would piss you off.”       “Not my beloved bro.” Terrence hugs Edward around the shoulders and claps him on the head slightly. “This is the one I can always count on. He would never leave me alone. I agree, he’s a pain in the ass, but I love him anyway.”       “Well, judging by his face, he doesn’t think so,” Peter crosses his arms over his chest.       “Edward’s just shy.” Terrence slightly grabs Edward by the collar with a sly smile and starts to talk to him much quieter. “Don’t dare to say another thing. Otherwise, I’ll kick your ass.”       “I’d kick the asses of these two for a bar of dark chocolate,” Edward smiles slyly. “I think I don’t ask much.”       “Okay, sweet tooth, you’ll get chocolate.” Terrence claps Edward on the head again and glances at Peter and Daniel. “So, got it? My ally is freaking incredible.”       “Yeah, you bribed him with chocolate,” Peter chuckles. “Otherwise, MacClife wouldn't move a finger for you.”       “C’mon, Peter, it’s not a secret that these two are the same piece,” Daniel laughs.       “We’re brothers, buddy!” Edward recalls proudly and ruffles Terrence’s hair. “How I can leave this dude alone! Of course, our peacock loves showing off and praising himself. But I’d really do anything for my beloved bro.”       “Purr, purr, it’s so nice to hear it,” Terrence rolls his eyes with a smug smile.       “Okay,” Daniel pronounces confidently, clapping his hands on his laps. “Since you agreed, Pete and I will be against you.”       “Oh, as if we didn’t know you hit it off after reconciling,” Edward smiles slyly.       “That was just a little misunderstanding,” Peter replies.       “Aha, everything is still the same,” Daniel says with a sly smile and hugs Peter amicably, clapping him on the shoulder slightly. “Best friends forever.”       “So what, chocolate head, let’s kick the asses of these brothers?” Peter smiles much slier. “If the girls can’t control them, we’ll surely do it.”       “Huh, I am in!” Daniel chuckles. “Moreover, I have such a cool ally. I’m kind of sick of fighting with MacClife, Sr., alone. And I’ve also gotta kick his brother.”       “It’s okay, we’ll deal with the two.”       “So, it’s a deal!”       Daniel and Peter give each other a five with a sly smile, share a hit with their knuckles, and do not miss a chance to ruffle each other’s hair, while Terrence and Edward sitting in front of them shake their heads with quiet chuckles, crossing their arms over the chest.       “Keep laughing, idiots,” Terrence says confidently. “The kid and I will kick your ass as hard as possible.”       “Yeah, we’re as confident as never ever,” Edward smiles slyly, raising his head slightly.       “You keep laughing, beautiful boys!” Daniele exclaims. “You will pay me for everything. Everything…”       “And yeah, don’t forget that you still should buy me a new door to the bathroom,” Peter recalls, glancing at Terrence and Daniel.       “Don’t worry, Rose, we’ll buy a door and even install it,” Terrence promises confidently.       “Aha, but don’t crush anything else. Otherwise, you’ll have to repair my rabbit hole on your account.”       “Holy shit, your claims!” Daniel chuckles loudly. “If you’re so insolent now, I imagine how much we’ll have to pay to buy a new door. I doubt we’d get off you by buying a cheap one.”       “Of course, you will not. But if you don’t screw it, I’ll ask a little. It’s fair: if you crush, you pay.”       “Yeah, Rose, as it turned out, you may be very insolent,” Terrence laughs quietly. “You could forget all our mistakes for our friendship.”       “I could do that, but I prefer taking a bath in a room with a closed door. So, as I didn’t crush it, then, guys, be pleased to pay me damage.”       “Alright, alright, Your Highness!” Daniel raises his hands in front of himself. “You will take a bath in a closed bathroom. Don’t worry.”       “I even made your task a little easier and got a little list of models that I liked.”       “Oh, oh… I’m already scared.”       “It’s in a pocket of my coat… And yeah, I apologize for my little messy handwriting earlier. My hand still works poorly.”       Peter reaches for his coat hanging on the back of the sofa and takes a little piece of paper from the inside pocket that he gives Daniel with a sly smile. The brunet unwraps it with suspicion and views the content quickly, rounding his eyes and opening his mouth.       “Holy shit!” Daniel exclaims loudly. “Why are they so expensive? Two hundred and fifty dollars for a pathetic door?”       “It’s not so much,” Peter strokes his hair down.       “Yay, Rose, you’re really arrogant! Couldn’t you find something at a much lower cost? Somewhere for fifty or one hundred dollars! What if we’ve gotta pay for the installation! In case, we don’t wanna work on it!”       “Lemme look,” Terrence says, takes the piece of paper from Daniel, runs his eyes over it, and closes his face with this one. “Yeah, Rose… Where’s your shyness? Where’s the sweet guy that we knew? You’re like Edward. At first, he pretended to be a sweet and innocent angel, but now he got too wild.”       “He definitely wanna rob us! How do I find so much?”       “Two hundred and three hundred dollars is the average cost of a good door,” Peter smiles innocently. “And since you have money, you’ll find a half and buy it. Of course, I could make you buy a door for five hundred or eight hundred dollars, but I won’t do it. First, you’re my close friends. And second, buying something luxurious in my apartment doesn’t make sense. So, I agree to have the average-costed door.”       “Shouldn’t we buy an apartment, a house, and a car for you?” Terrence and Daniel ask loudly at the same time.       Edward laughs quietly with his arms crossed over his chest, while Peter smiles innocently as if nothing happened. But a few seconds later, the four men smile shyly and start laughing quietly at first and much louder then. At some moment, Daniel pushes the laughing Rose, who ruffles his buddy’s hair, so that the blond falls on the sofa, still thrilling with a laugh. Terrence gets up slightly and slaps the blond on the nose with the piece of paper. And MacClife, Jr., puts his arms on the back of the sofa, spreads his legs, and puts one on another, still watching what’s happening with a chuckle and not even going to meddle in it.       

***

      When Raquelle, Natalia, and Helene end up at the back of the house, they step far from the doors so the men do not hear them, looking quite excited and tense. Nevertheless, the girls are not going to show aggression and are really going to try to solve this situation.       “Hey, where’s Anna?” Natalia wonders, looking around. “I thought she went with us…”       “There she’s coming,” Raquelle replies, pointing at Anna, who just goes to the back of the sofa and closes the door.       A few seconds later, Anna comes to Natalia, Raquelle, and Helene.       “You stayed in the house longer?” Natalia asks.       “Yes, I told the guys to stay in the living room and wait,” Anna replies with a slight smile.       “So, okay then…” Raquelle pronounces and hesitantly glances at Helene being super tense and looking at her, Natalia, and Anna scarily. “So… What do you wanna say, Helene?”       “Yes, you can speak, we’re listening,” Natalia says quietly.       “Erm…” Helene pronounces hesitantly and falls into silence for two seconds, biting her lip slightly. “I actually told you everything I should’ve said… I just… Want to tell you that I’m really very sorry for what happened.”       “Listen, Helene…” Raquelle pronounces quietly.       “Raquelle, Natalia, I know I acted disgustingly towards you,” Helene replies with pity in her eyes. “I know you’re guilty of nothing for me. But I’ve never had a bad thought about you. Yes, I mocked you, but I never felt hate.”       “Did you behave so disgustingly because of your fear of Ashley?” Anna wonders. “You all knew that you were doing a terrible thing to Natalia and Raquelle, but you kept succumbing to her.”       “You know well what Ashley could do if she disliked someone, or someone went against her. Nobody wanted to be bullied regularly. So, we had to play the role of her friends.”       “But that’s stupid, Helene! Very stupid! Don’t you get it? You all acted like cowards. Like people, who had no point of view. That were ready to succumb to someone to call themselves a star!”       “I know… But please, get it… It’s the rule of any collective. If you stand out and go against everyone, you’ll be despised or terribly hated. Everyone is usually dependent on the opinion of most people and thinks that giving up on the leader is good. Ashley was the leader in our case. Everybody pleased her, even if only three people loved her. Yes, nobody chose her as a leader – she pronounced herself a queen. But going against her meant saying goodbye to the quiet life.”       “Did none of you know that you were giving pain to Raquelle and Natalia, who did nothing bad and tried to be nice to everybody?” Anna wonders. “They tried to get on well at least with someone, but they eventually became friends with each other.”       “Honestly, I thought of nothing…” Helene sighs heavily and tucks a strand of hair behind an ear. “Children and teenagers hardly think about it. Moreover, I thought befriending the leader was cool. And as I spoke to Ashley, it meant I had to do everything for her and listen to her evil claims about me and others. You know how much she criticized me! So much that I started to doubt myself at times. But that’s good Grandpa and Grandma taught me not to pay attention to that.”       “You see,” Raquelle shakes her head. “What kind of friend Ashley could be if she criticized everybody and didn’t notice her shortcomings?”       “Now I understand that she was never my friend. I thought that wasn’t the truth. But no… A real critic lets you get better, not start to doubt yourself and forget who you are. It doesn’t insult you or your feelings. It just shows your mistakes and helps you find a way to fix them. I started to understand it when I met Peter’s friend, who became my first real friend. Yes, she’s a little sharp and rude at times, but I've never heard the criticism from her and humiliations.”       “Did you never want to end your friendship with Ashley?” Natalia wonders.       “I did, but I couldn’t find the courage and was afraid that she would make me pay for it.”       “Gosh, you’re a normal girl. I never thought you were a bad person. We had spoken well before all of you got mad at me because of my friendship with Raquelle.”       “I’ve never had anything against you, too,” Raquelle confesses confidently. “Despite nothing. And I can’t be mad at the guys ‘cause they started the bullying because of fear of Ashley. If you’d wanted, I would’ve given you a chance to be my friend. Given it to anyone.”       “I know, girls,” Helene says with pity in her eyes. “I know you’re very good and kind. I’m surprised that you still speak, even if it’s been many years since graduation.”       “Yes, it’s true,” Natalia replies and moves a couple of strands of hair off her eyes. “We’ve never stopped speaking. And we talk on the Internet, even when we’re far.”       “And as you heard, I started to speak to them much later,” Anna adds. “But we’ve never stopped speaking together since that time. And then I got on well with the men. And I love all of them so much.”       “Same about me,” Raquelle says confidently. “Although I know many people I speak and work with, my closest friends are Anna, Natalia, Terrence, Edward, Daniel, and Peter.”       “Lucky…” Helene sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes. “I guess people are right when saying everybody gets what they deserve.”       “I don’t think you’re deprived of something,” Natalia says amicably. “You have a grandmother and a grandmother, good friends…”       “Grandpa died some time later after I met Peter. Three years ago. I have only Grandmother from the family.”       “Sorry. But you’re not alone anyway. You have Mrs. Marshall and Peter.”       “I know. And yeah, if you thought Peter and I were still friends, we started a relationship.”       “We got it,” Anna smiles slightly.       “Yeah, the guys told us you confessed your sympathy for each other,” Raquelle adds.       “It’s true,” Helene confirms with a slight smile. “We confessed it to each other when Peter was in the hospital. And two days ago, we decided to try to date…”       “You see, everything isn’t so bad.” Natalia smiles shyly.       “I’m praying that Peter doesn’t reject me because of the bullying situation. I don’t want him to think I’m still mean and shameless. If he starts to think I wish him evil, I’ll be madly hurt”       “I hope he’ll understand it,” Anna expresses hope. “Maybe, Pete will talk to the lads, and they’ll help him accept it.”       “Ah, girls…” Helene sighs heavily and nervously. “I’m afraid of losing that man so badly… And I wanted him not to die. I really fell in love with him and can’t imagine myself with anyone else. I need only Peter. That man is very important to me, and I’m ready to do anything for him. When I realized that I loved him, I never dreamed of my sympathy being mutual. And the question about becoming a couple could be just my dream.”       “Hey, did the guys know you and Peter started to date?” Anna frowns slightly. “They didn’t say you were the girl he fell in love with and were silent about it!”       “No, no, they knew nothing. Peter and I told them about it when we came here. And the guys were really silent about you.”       “Didn’t they even call names?” Raquelle wonders.       “None of them. I only knew Terrence was engaged, and Daniel dated a girl and lived with her. And they never mentioned Terrence’s younger brother.”       “You mean Edward?” Natalia asks. “Yes, that’s really Terrence’s younger sibling.”       “They’re very similar. I quickly realized those guys were relatives.” Helene smiles slightly. “Yeah, he’s a sympathetic man. Very sympathetic.”       “Yeah, my man is really handsome.” Natalia rolls her eyes with a wide smile. “And he’s very tender, kind, and incredibly warm… Hugging him is a pleasure.”       “But I thought I had seen Edward before. Though, I can’t remember where…”       “I guess you could see him in the reportage,” Raquelle assumes thoughtfully. “Or one of the videos that are very popular on the Internet now.”       “Video? Reportage?” Helene clicks her fingers. “Right! I remembered! I really, recently saw a few videos, in which a young guy was singing somewhere in the city. He sang so well that I watched those videos several times.”       “It’s true, that was Edward,” Anna smiles slightly.       “Gosh, he has a talent! Terrence and he are incredibly talented. I heard him singing along with Peter and Daniel, and that was divine. But I liked Edward, too.”       “The Internet users started to compare them, but they can’t choose the best ‘cause both of them were born to be musicians,” Raquelle notices. “They’re now posting articles and publishing some videos, comparing the MacClife brothers and making their fans confused.”       “Yeah, but I also saw something else…” Helene says thoughtfully, putting a finger on her lips. “I recently saw the reportage, in which Edward MacClife was mentioned.”       “About Michael MacClife?” Natalia asks.       “Yup… Edward was called a nephew of the businessman, who got arrested for fraud and the attempts of murder.”       “Clean truth.”       “And excuse me for the question, but is that true Edward is going to be on trial soon? I didn’t watch the reportage ‘till the end and didn’t find out why.”       “Yes, Edward is really gonna be on the trial,” Natalia replies with sadness in her eyes. “But he’s guilty of nothing and is just the witness to the crime, for which he was charged by mistake. That man killed nobody and would never do that.”       “Really?”       “But please, don’t ask him about it. It’s hurtful for Edward to talk about it. He’s suffering because of this story that got him absolutely exhausted and deprived all his strength.”       “I’m not gonna do it,” Helene shrugs. “Who am I to blame Edward for something? If he’s really innocent, I wish him to prove his innocence. And I know almost nothing about the story of Michael.”       “We’ll tell you everything, but a little later,” Raquelle promises. “Now we wanna relax and have some rest.”       “Yeah, we came here to celebrate the recovery of Peter and listen to the guys,” Anna adds. “And discover the personality of the friend of our sweet blond.”       “Oh, yeah!” Natalia exclaims. “We thought it was strange that the guys told us nothing about you. And we wondered why they were the fuck silent and keeping it secret. We wouldn’t have torn them if they’d told us about the girlfriend of Peter, who we’d definitely have to spend time with!”       “I don’t know,” Helene shakes her head. “But I think they really didn’t care about me. Everybody was worried about Peter, and Terrence had many problems. Because… He had to do with the story of Michael MacClife.”       “And did you never tell them about us?” Raquelle asks.       “No, never. But if they’d told me about you, I would’ve had some guesses.”       “Well, we would’ve also started to wonder if Peter’s friend could be the one, with whom we studied.”       “I wouldn’t have recognized you if I hadn’t known you were here. Really, Raquelle. You’ve really changed. I must confess that you became a real beauty. So confident, attractive… You did great work of you.”       “Thanks to stylists. But they originally dyed my hair black, and after I started to date Terrence, I made it brown.”       “It’s amazing. I’m still overwhelmed by such a radical transformation. I’m sure the guys wouldn’t believe if they knew you’re the Raquelle Cameron, with whom they studied.”       “And how did you realize I was the Raquelle?”       “The voice. I quickly recognized the voices of every one of you when you went to the living room.” Helene glances at Natalia and Anna. “And I recognized Natalia quickly. Because she hasn’t changed since those times. She’s still beautiful, stylish, and confident… Her hair is as gorgeous and glossy as it was… And Anna hasn’t changed at all. She’s always had this cute, baby face that boys always liked. And thanks to such bright hair, anyone could memorize her.”       “And you stayed the same,” Anna smiles slightly. “You did nothing to your face and hair… You still look thin and very cute…”       “And looking at you closer, we realized who you were,” Raquelle adds.       “Yeah, I never thought it’d happen,” Helene chuckles shyly.       “Especially, us.”       “So, now, as I understand, we’re connected not only by the studies at school,” Natalia notices thoughtfully.       “Yes, if Helene is Peter’s girlfriend, she’s becoming a part of our company,” Anna replies confidently. “The blond won’t spend time with us, but without her. It would be kind of unfair…”       “Could we become friends?” Helene asks hesitantly. “Or at least try to establish our relationship for the men?”       “Actually, we didn’t say it couldn’t happen.”       “But I’m not gonna hid that it’s hurtful for me to think about how you humiliated and insulted me,” Raquelle says hesitantly. “Even if you did it because of the fear of becoming the same outsider as Natalia and me. By the order of Ashley Christensen.”       “I swear, Raquelle, I’m really very sorry about doing such a cruel thing to Natalia and you,” Helene says with pity in her eyes. “If I’d had much more bravery, I would’ve stood by your side and wouldn’t have bullied Rochester. You two didn’t deserve that nightmare.”       “I was always surprised by how cruelly you treated them,” Anna says with sadness in her eyes.       “Christensen only manipulated everybody and told us about our shortcomings to praise herself. But we realized it after you started to study at home. And we began to turn our backs on Ashley… We used the same weapon that she used against her. Of course, it didn’t lead to fights, but we always let her know that she was nobody to us. Laughed at her, mocked her, were happy with her failures… We told her about tons of shortcomings… In short, we did our best to annoy that bitch and her hysterical friends.”       “So, did you recognize your mistake?”       “Yes, we did.”       “Well…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully. “As they say, better late than never. That’s good when a person recognizes their fault later, then never does it.”       “I completely understand that you’re insulted. But I’m really ashamed of everything I did to you. I swear, if not for Ashley, I wouldn’t have done it.”       “I let my offenses go through the ages. Yes, I could’ve been mad and hated everybody, but no… I’m mad at nobody, and understand that I would’ve gotten the trust of many guys if not for Ashley. Because… I got on well with my group during my studies at the university… Yes, it’s still unpleasant and hurt – I don’t deny it. But thanks to Grandpa Frederick, I’ve always tried to stay strong and believe that everything would get better, early or late. Friendship with Natalia helped me get freer and become more confident. And the gray mouse with stupid pig tales stayed in the past a long time ago.”       “Aren’t you really mad?”       “It all happened in Kingston, and we’re now in New York. My past life stayed there. Moreover, I’m not such a vindictive prison to be mad because of what happened a few years ago.”       “I quickly realized Raquelle would be a wonderful friend for me,” Natalia confesses. “And I wasn’t wrong. For such an incredible person, I could take any humiliations and insults. It was hurtful that everybody treated me like that. Sometimes I wanted to believe it was the truth. And I’m not gonna hide, there was a time when I started to doubt myself, my beauty, and my talents… Everything! But somehow, I told myself that those people shouldn’t have made me think I was the one and refuse to be friends with Cameron. I got so attracted to her that I gave a damn about Ashley. That egoistic, empty shell with nothing in her head. It all was worth it, ‘cause I got a friend, for whom I could easily give my life.”       “And you made the right choice,” Helene says with a slight smile. “I’m glad you were smarter than all of us.”       “I could’ve also gotten mad at you for bullying my friends,” Anna says quietly. “But since you’re really very sorry, and you’ve never done anything bad personally to me, I’m not mad at you. If the girls aren’t angry, I will not be. Why we should remember the past! We’re living in the present!”       “Glad to hear it,” Helene exhales with relief. “I’m really ashamed… Please, girls, forgive me for acting so terribly and dancing attendance upon Ashley. I’ve never had a bad thought about you. Vice versa! I think you’re good. And I wanted to try to either befriend you or just talk to you. If I hadn’t been afraid to go against many people, everything would’ve been otherwise.”       Raquelle, Natalia, and Anna say nothing for two seconds, looking at each other, and then move their eyes to Helene and smile slightly.       “I think you’ll have a chance to befriend us,” Natalia says confidently. “Even if we don’t become best friends, we can at least get on well. For the men.”       “Yeah, it’s one of the reasons why we should try to befriend,” Raquelle adds amicably. “The guys would hardly be happy if their girls didn’t get on well. Now, it's too early to talk about friendship, but I think we’ll establish our relationship. Although we’ve known each other for many years, there’s so much we don’t know about each other. And we must fix it.”       “Don’t you wanna do it by force?” Helene gets suspicious.       “No, we really want to solve this misunderstanding. If you’ve changed, why we can’t give you a chance.”       “You would’ve hardly taken care of Peter, saved him, and stayed by his side all day long if you had remained bad,” Anna says amicably. “We know you literally wanted to become his nanny for him to be healthy. The guys are thanking you from all their hearts for such a generous thing and calling you Rose’s savior.”       “I couldn’t miss a chance to save Peter. Moreover, I love him so much. My friend laughed at me ‘cause I spent all my time on him. There were kind of many men, who paid attention to me, but I got obsessed with only one. But when she realized that everything was serious between us, she started to say that we looked good together.”       “You really look cute together,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “Peter is our handsome guy. And you’re very sympathetic.”       “Thanks a lot.” Helene falls into silence for two seconds and bites her lip slightly, looking at Raquelle, Anna, and Natalia hesitantly. “So… Can we try to become friends?”       “I’ll be happy if I get a new friend.”       “Me too,” Natalia says amicably. “If it’s okay, we may become a cool gang.”       “So, Marshall, welcome,” Anna shrugs.       “Thanks, girls.” Helene smiles widely.       Raquelle, Natalia, and Anna look at each other, hug each other and get Helene involved in a group hug. A few seconds, they step away, and then Anna, Raquelle, and Anna take Helene in an amicable hug by one, and the brunette answers it with great pleasure.       “Oh, gosh…” Raquelle closes her mouth with a hand. “The guys are in the living room.”       “Oops!” Natalia exclaims and laughs shyly. “I kinda forgot about them.”       “Maybe, we go back to them?” Helene suggests and embraces herself with both arms. “It’s kind of cold outside…”       “Yeah, let’s go back,” Anna says confidently. “Before they do something while we’re out.”       “Goes without saying,” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Either Edward and Terrence, or Terrence and Daniel. These pairs give us much more problems.”       “That’s right,” Natalia agrees. “MacClife, Jr., gets all the kicks.”       “He must show off less. Our handsome guy finds himself the perfection of awesomeness that everybody must bow to.”       “Perkins and he are opponents in this case,” Anna laughs shyly and puts her hands on her waist. “He sometimes must be brought back to the earth, too.”       “And how many times they argued and shared hits with my pretense when we were visiting Peter,” Helene chuckles. “And Rose was laughing instead of calming those idiots down. If not for weakness, he would’ve gotten up and kicked them hard.”       “Oh, as if you do know our guys!” Natalia wonders and moves some strands of hair off her eyes. “Edward wouldn’t calm the three down and would probably wish to mock them.”       “Okay, girls, let’s go to the living room,” Anna suggests. “Or we will be mocking them when they’re cleaning everything up.”       “I wonder, how many minutes they sat quietly after we left,” Raquelle chuckles quietly, pulling her blouse down.       “Not less than one minute!” Natalia replies confidently.       Anna, Natalia, Raquelle, and Helene laugh shyly, turn around, and go to the door leading to the living room, trying to guess what Daniel, Edward, Terrence, and Peter may do without their pretense.