*Mason's POV*

"I win!" I exclaim with glee, standing at the entrance of the library, my gaze fixated on Lily. She's panting, brushing her hair with her fingers as she looks at me tiredly.

"Fine... you win. Maybe on Saturday? I just... have to find the right clothes," Lily says, her mind wandering elsewhere. I cross my arms, wondering what she would look like if she dressed in my style. I mean... she's always beautiful in whatever she wears but curiosity has gotten the best of me. And I also get to tease Lily which is an added bonus.

She bites her nails, a frown appearing on her face. What's she thinking so hard about?

"Lily?" I call out and she turns to me, her hands dropping to her side. "Shouldn't we head inside?"

She replies with a nod and we head inside the library. Once we are in, we're stopped by the librarian, collecting a paper with the next riddles.

I give it this time to Lily and skims through the paper. "'A story, they say, can take you to a place far away. But a book still needs a place to stay.'" Lily reads, wrapping an arm around her stomach.

"It's a bookshelf!" I quietly say.

"It is but... is it on the bookshelf for young adult or middle grade books?"

"Middle grade?"

"Yeah. Some middle grade books have romance."

I pause at the thought, shoving a hand in my pocket. "Then... why don't we check both sections?"

A confused look forms on her face, "Wouldn't that take a while?"

"But it'll be thorough," I state with a smirk. She sighs and heads to the middle grade section, checking the sides of each bookshelf. I do the same, until I spot a book, the book I read yesterday in the school's library. Still interested in reading it, I pick it up and continue my search for the right bookshelf, finding it seconds later. There's a paper taped to the bookshelf for young adult books, a riddle written on it.

Lily, noticing I've found the bookshelf, walks up to me, reading the text on as I mutter it to myself.

"'I have a spine but no bones'?" The fuck? Is that meant to be a shark? A sad person with a sad backstory and everything about them is sad? I look around, my gaze moving to the books on the shelf. I start to check the first page of each book, soon finding a piece of paper with a riddle inside one. Honestly, how could I have known it's a book? Am I just so lucky today or... maybe Lily is really my lucky charm?!

I hurry over to her as she stares at the riddle on the bookshelf, seeming to wonder what the answer is. She glances at me when I stop next to her, showing her the next riddle I found in the book.

"'I can take you to places you've never seen, but first, type your password in on my screen.'" She mutters. "Maybe it's a computer?"

I consider the thought then remember the book in my hand. "I'm thinking of borrowing this book and um... would you mind if I go borrow this while you maybe... search the laptops for the next riddle?" I ask. Wait... aren't I troubling her? Would she say no since I'm being annoying? I mean... I've always been annoying but this is completely different! I'm trying to make her not hate me but what if I'm doing the complete opposite? Why am I even deliberately on this so randomly?

"So... Lily," I say. "I'll go do something stupid while you go make your life as useful as always, okay?"

Her eyebrows furrow as she stares at me with a 'what the fuck?' face which is a normal reaction for the random shit I just said.

"Okay. I'll meet you outside then," she replies, heading to the computers. I have a feeling she's too used to my bullshit to care but it's not like I care either. I walk up to the librarian and borrow my book, waiting outside right after.

Stolen novel; please report.

Is... Lily having a good time? I did plan to bring her to this scavenger hunt since it was meant to bring couples closer... I mean... we're friends but... I can't help but worry that she'll avoid me again, and I'm just being paranoid as usual.

I sit on the floor, leaning my back against the door. Pulling out a paper from my pocket and letting out a sigh. I'm honestly so glad I asked the scavenger hunt's host for some advice to make Lily enjoy this little hangout. I mean... he did think we are having some kind of couple drama but I'm glad he still gave me some tips. I reread the first tip, hoping the host was really right.

"Make her laugh, be honest, don't be pushy, be direct with her, have fun and be yourself..." I mutter, stuffing the paper back into my pocket. It's just like I thought when I first wrote this: it's for lovers with drama. But... was bringing her here the right choice? What if she hates me forever? What if I can never hear her voice again? I let out a sigh, ruffling my hair. Maybe if I didn't show my true emotions I wouldn't be so distressed with the thought that I'll lose her. I wouldn't be falling in love with her every time I think of her or see her. Maybe... father really was right.

Suddenly, the door behind me opens, causing me to fall, my back hitting the floor. I look up at the culprit and it's... Lily?

"Hey," I say as she crosses arms.

"What's with the depressed look?"

"What?"

"You're not... nevermind. Why were you leaning on the door anyway?"

I get up, dusting off any dust on me, "I... actually don't know, but what I do know is that there are some things that happen in life that are a mystery."

"You mean like how I met you?"

I chuckle at her words, crossing my arms as I lean against the door frame, "True. It was really hard to convince you to be friends with me. I guess all my hard work wasn't for nothing."

Her eyes widen slightly for a second, her gaze moving to the floor, "Yeah, I guess."

My heart skips a beat and I try not to hyperventilate so I don't sound crazy. Does that mean there's a possibility she likes me? Even as friends, I thought our compability was non-existent but maybe it could grow to something more. Maybe we could be more than just friends... in a million years from now.

"By the way, we're meant to find the next riddle in the mall," Lily states after a few seconds, passing by me and exiting the library.

I close the door of the library and follow after her as we head to the cycle hub to retrieve our bikes. "So... let me guess... Was it the riddle 'I'm the heart of commerce, a maze of shops, where people browse and sometimes stop. What am I?'”

She stares at me in shock, probably outstanded by how brilliant I am. "...For someone who skips class 30% of the time and spends most of their time doing shenanigans, you're actually pretty knowledgeable about riddles," Lily states with a surprised tone, giving me a thumbs up, a monotonous look on her face.

"Is that meant to be a compliment or an insult?"

"...I didn't even mention the time when you stole money from your father's card last year."

"Wow! I didn't expect you to accuse me, Mason, your friend, of such a horrendous act as stealing from my own parent," I countered dramatically, placing a hand on my chest with an offended look.

She raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing me, "Then if you didn't steal it, what did you do?"

"That's an obvious answer Lily. I didn't steal but borrowed the money from my father's card."

"...Then I'm guessing you're returning it?"

I look at her for a few seconds, stunned before laughing, "Lily, in my vocabulary, borrowing something doesn't mean that it's meant to be returned, but maybe I'll return father the money during his funeral, or maybe I just wouldn't give it back. It's either of the two."

"'Maybe'?"

"Maybe," I confirm.

She glances at me blankly before laughing, my heart skipping a beat. I... made her laugh.

"How kind of you," Lily states, a soft smile on her face. She's... so beautiful.

I look at the floor as I felt myself flush red, chuckling at her words, "I know. I'm a generous person who never fails to show kindness to others."

Staring at me, Lily lets out a sigh, definitely used to my sarcastic monologues. Now that I think about it, I don't even know if I can hide my true emotions from Lily since I always feel at home when she's around, and she's my first and only friend.

We soon stop at our bikes, hopping on it and heading to the mall. As we cycle, I notice Lily biting her lips, tapping her finger continuously on the handle of her bike. What is she thinking so hard about again?

"Mason..." she suddenly calls out in a serious tone, looking me in the eye. "...We need to talk."

I gulp nervously but accidentally choke on air, and I make my bike come to a stop. I honestly didn't expect to hear that since I've never been in a relationship but... I hope it isn't about something that'll drive us apart. Something that'll drive us apart. I just... hope that with whatever she asks, I won't mess things up. I really hope so.

———————

Lily's Playlist

• Windy Day by Helios Relaxing Space

• Melancholy by Helios Relaxing Space

• Dandelions by Ruth B

• The Other Side by Hugh Jackman and Zac

Efron

• At My Worst by Pink Sweat$ feat. Kehlani

• N/A

Mason's Playlist

• The Other Side by Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron

• At My Worst by Pink Sweat$ feat. Kehlani

• N/A