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Chapter_214
The atmosphere in the private room of the steakhouse felt almost like a family gathering, with the usual playful tension between Bonnie and Andrew, and Yvette effortlessly maintaining the peace with her calm demeanor. Bonnie, having fully settled into her seat beside Yvette, clearly wasn’t bothered by the others’ presence, her attention entirely on her best friend.
“You have no idea how much I missed you, Yvette,” Bonnie said, a wide grin spreading across her face as she pulled her chair closer, a hint of playfulness in her voice.
Yvette smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear before sipping her milkshake. “It’s good to be back. You’ve been keeping up with your studies, haven’t you?”
Bonnie huffed dramatically. “Well, I would’ve, but apparently Patrick decided to play favorites and gave my scholarship to some other guy. Can you believe it?” She crossed her arms, a mix of frustration and disappointment in her eyes.
Yvette raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. “What happened?”
“Don’t even get me started. I had better grades, better everything, but because of some ‘comprehensive evaluation,’ I lost it. Just like that.” Bonnie snapped her fingers for emphasis. “I’m not even sure why I’m still trying to figure it out. You know how Patrick is—impossible to reason with.”
Jeremiah, who had been silently observing the exchange, took a deliberate sip from his own drink before leaning toward Bonnie with a smirk. “Sounds like a tough break, but maybe it’s for the best. People like Patrick tend to show their true colors eventually.”
Bonnie gave him an almost imperceptible nod, but she quickly turned back to Yvette. “Anyway, I saw Zachary at Seacrity Hospital today… He was being carried out of an ambulance. It didn’t look good. I thought you should know.”
Yvette’s face hardened slightly at the mention of Zachary’s name. She already had her suspicions, but hearing the confirmation from Bonnie brought a new weight to the situation. “I’ll look into it. Thanks for telling me.”
“Of course,” Bonnie said, flashing a soft smile, before taking a deep breath. “Anyway, enough about that. It’s so good to finally see you again. You look… different. Like something changed while you were gone.”
Yvette chuckled, the corners of her mouth curving into a knowing smile. “I’ve had some time to think. Life’s been a little crazy, but that’s nothing new, right?”
Bonnie’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “I bet you have a lot of stories to share. Anything exciting while you were away?”
Before Yvette could respond, Andrew, who had been trying to keep himself entertained by poking fun at Jeremiah and Yvette, cleared his throat loudly to break into the conversation. “So, Bonnie, you’re back to bug me now, huh? What about me? Am I not interesting enough for you?”
Bonnie rolled her eyes but grinned, unbothered by his antics. “You? Interesting? Pfft, I’m good with just Yvette for now. But sure, Andrew, you’re… fascinating,” she said with heavy sarcasm, making the others laugh.
Jeremiah’s lips twitched into a smirk as he leaned back in his chair, clearly amused by the playful banter between the group. He glanced at Yvette, who was savoring the moment of normalcy. “This is why I don’t bring you out with us more often,” he teased.
Yvette raised an eyebrow, her tone playful as she shot him a sideways glance. “Are you saying you don’t enjoy the chaos?”
Jeremiah’s eyes glinted with mischief as he replied dryly, “The chaos, yes. But I don’t need an audience to see it.”
Andrew threw his hands up in mock defeat. “You two are impossible.” He shifted in his seat, clearly trying to change the subject to something more interesting. “So, what’s next, huh? Are we just going to sit here, or are we actually going to make something happen?”
Yvette looked at him, her expression unreadable, before she leaned back and spoke casually. “We’ll make something happen when the time’s right, Andrew. Right now, we’re just having dinner.” She took another sip of her milkshake and let the moment hang, a comfortable silence falling over the table for a few seconds.
Bonnie, still feeling a little miffed about the scholarship situation, broke the silence with a sigh. “So, are we going to do anything about Patrick? I mean, someone needs to put him in his place.”
Yvette looked up at Bonnie, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. “You can’t always force things, Bonnie. Sometimes, patience gets you further.”
“I know, I know.” Bonnie slouched in her chair, rolling her eyes. “It’s just frustrating.”
Andrew, who had been listening in, suddenly perked up. “Hey, wait. I have an idea. We could always sabotage his car. That’d get him to pay attention, right?” He said it half-jokingly, but the mischief in his tone hinted that he might be serious.
Zane, who had been quiet for the most part, raised an eyebrow. “You’re seriously considering that? I think we’ve got bigger problems than Patrick right now.”
Yvette nodded, her expression firm. “Exactly. And we’ll handle things the right way, not with petty revenge.”
Jeremiah, sensing the conversation was starting to drift in a direction he wasn’t comfortable with, nudged the subject back to something lighter. “Well, as much as I enjoy planning devious schemes, I’m more interested in enjoying a quiet meal for once.”
Yvette glanced at him, and her lips curled into a small, knowing smile. “Fair enough. Let’s eat.”
As they dug into their meals, the air between them lightened, the earlier tension slowly dissipating. Even in the midst of all the turmoil surrounding their lives, moments like this—small, fleeting moments of peace—were something they all appreciated.
But as always, the calm was temporary. There were bigger forces at play, and sooner or later, they would all be drawn back into the chaos.
