Tea Party Gone Wrong

The once reposeful atmosphere inside the Student Council clubroom seemed to get heavier and heavier as time ticked by.

That's how the ash-haired girl perceived it, at least. Eli just couldn't help but think so, however, especially with how awkward the deafening quietude stretched on. Despite the gratifyingly sweet aroma of the freshly-brewed tea, the cozy and revitalizing ambience, and the presence of four stunning gentlemen, she still couldn't feel at ease no matter how much she wanted to snap out of it.

Gnawing at her lower lip, she then decided to just recall how everything got to this point.

Earlier, back in the hallway of the seventh grade's building, the person who was supposed to come in between suddenly turned out to be a new contender in the banter. It just happened that the Vice President popped out of nowhere when Hal and Zeke were squabbling.

"What's wrong with you people?" Noah muttered with a grim expression.

"Oh, hey Noah! You done already?" Hal greeted, turning away from the fuming heir before sauntering to him.

"Is this guy messing with you, Hal?"

With that, Noah glared daggers at Zeke who just reacted with indignation. The Chairman's son then started pointing an accusing finger at Hal, yapping about how he tried to dirty his upperclassman by banishing the laws of personal space. Amused, the accused didn't back down and only miffed him more, leading to another round of banter. Noah seemed to have taken it too seriously as he suddenly erupted in a fit of pique after Zeke brought up his best friend's flirtatious advances towards Eli.

"You're one slimy dude. Stop getting ahead of yourself!" the young heir bolted out, peeving Noah.

"Don't you dare talk about him like that. Hal isn't as gullible as you, so don't lump him together with her. He's better off with someone with more class!" the blonde hollered back, pushing Hal aside and stomping towards Zeke.

"You're just siding with him! And why does it sound like you're insulting Ms. Claes? Take that back!".

Eli, on the other hand, remained stupefied as she just continued watching from the side. That's until an alarming realization dawned on her - as long as Noah's around, what started out as petty and trivial might grew into something bigger, that is. Nothing good happens when clasing with a person like that.

"H-Hey, guys! We have to go now. Allen's waiting for us," Eli cut in, snapping the two seventh graders out of their tantrums.

"She's right, Noah, and you're supposed to stop us, not take my place," Hal added while nodding and patting the blonde on the back.

With a huff, the two finally settled down and swerved around, turning their backs on each other. The crowd eventually steered clear of them as soon as Noah went back to acting like the usual Vice President. Eli took that chance to invite him to the tea party.

"Uh... Vice President? Are you free right now?" she started, much to his surprise.

"I wanted to ask if you'd like to join us."

Noah was taken aback for a second while Eli just continued staring at him expectantly. He then eventually shook his head, turning her down and reasoning that he had something to do. She didn't seem that disappointed, however, as she only mustered an understanding smile in reply. Going by the young Duke's past with the villainess within her, she knew that getting close to him won't be this easy.

"Umm... Noah, why don't you take a rest for a bit? Besides, we didn't have a tea party for a while now. I'm sure you're waiting for one," Hal chimed in to which Noah only heaved a sigh.

"Thank you for the offer, Hal, but I'm good. Really..." he replied, voice unfeeling.

Despite his words and tone, however, Hal could hear his screams for sweets just by looking at his deflated figure. As he recalled how his friend can be stubborn and childishly prideful when he wants to, just like when they're still younger, he counldn't help but let out a chuckle. He then kept convincing him for a short while after that but to no avail. Since his best friend himself wasn't able to persuade him, he just thought that nothing could change his mind at that point.

"Don't be such a killjoy! Just come with us! The tea might cool your head down for a bit," Zeke insisted while rummaging something inside his denim jacket.

"Are you stupid? The tea's hot so how can it cool my head down? And I already said I don't want to. Why are you so persistent?" Noah retorted, utterly annoyed.

"Ms. Claes came all the way here to invite you, you know!"

"I don't care-"

Zeke didn't let him finish, though. He just suddenly pulled out his golden chain and roped his classmate with it. Dumbfounded, Hal and Eli watched how Noah's face blenched in flummox and mortification while the young heir only stared at him with a cocky grin. At this, the blonde started to boil with anger, face ominously contorting into that of a demon.

"What do you think you're doing?" Noah hissed, voice low and raspy.

Then, without any warning, Zeke made a run for it, boisterously sprinting through the hall and dragging him away like a captured prey. This comical scenario stirred another uproar, catching the other students' attention in the strangest way possible. As Zeke continued hauling him as if walking his dog in a park, Noah just silently schemed his classmate's demise while mustering an unamused face. On the other hand, Hal only made a deadpan look at this while Eli felt like her soul just left her body.

After repeating that scenario inside her head, Eli found herself wondering where she went wrong.

"It's a pleasant surprise to see you here, Noah," Allen started with a strained smile.

"I'm not really pleased, though," the blonde replied, tone impassive.

At this, the temperature in the room dropped. In front of them all, the sulking Student Council Vice President was starting to appear more and more pugnacious by the second. Obviously, he wasn't that happy to be toyed with despite being a prankster himself. This was quite troubling for the event planner, though. Eli thought that if his foul mood continued, the party might get ruined.

"Stop looking all gloomy now. I already said sorry," Zeke blurted out nonchalantly, unfazed by the deadly glare Noah was giving him at the moment.

"Does this always happen?" Hal chimed in, clearly amused.

"Well, yeah. I can't stand this guy as much as I can't stand you."

"I really thought you admire me the first time we met, but then again, that's why you have no friends."

"Shut up! That's only because I didn't know your true colors yet!"

Hal found Zeke and Noah's dynamic somewhat interesting, though. The heir even managed to drag his stubbord classmate all the way here. It wasn't everyday that he'd see his best friend getting annoyed since he's usually the one who's doing the miffing. Compared to Zeke who's a man of impulse, however, Noah was a crafty one in this kind of plays for he always had a deliberate attempt to provoke conflict.

Already satisfied with his musings, Hal decided to check at Eli who's currently brooding from the side. He almost laughed upon finding her sullen expression. Then again, she was looking forward to this event more than anyone else. Rather than regretting the fact that Noah's here, though, she seemed to look more upset by how everything ended up this way.

Then, with that, Hal thought that it's probably time for him to change the air around here.