While Adagio had returned home to Sonata, Cap had retreated to the city park, which was only a few blocks from Cinnamon Chai's. The lush green grasses and well-tended flowerbeds placated Cap. Whenever a topic weighed heavily on Cap's mind, he walked along the long, winding cobblestone path. In 8th grade, Cap's pet hamster ran away; he had walked up and down the path for two hours. The park was Cap's escape, a way to refocus and reconnect with nature. Now he returned to the park, ready to walk.
Those plans were tossed out two steps through the gate, when Cap saw his best friend leaning on the park's inner wall. Green Cycle's standard green dreadlocks spilled out from under his ratty beanie, and a mellow smile rested on his tanned face.
"Yo, Captain! What's with your shirt?" he drawled, kicking a hackysack lazily.
Cap greeted Green Cycle with a pat on the back and said, "Ah, nothing."
"Bro, it looks like you were in a fruit war," Green pointed out. "Were you hangin' out with Starlight?"
"No way, I've been here at the park the entire time!" The girl in question popped up over the wall. Her lavender pigtails swung as she jumped down and stood next to Cap. Instead of her standard floor-length skirt, Starlight wore a summer-friendly pair of cargos and a pink tank top.
Starlight said, "My strawberries are almost ripe, by the way, so we can totally have a fruit war later this week!"
"I bet it was Adagio!" The next person to appear was Sweet Leaf. Today, her unruly green hair was swept back in a ponytail hidden under her wide-brimmed sunhat.
Cap sighed. There was no escaping Sweet Leaf's perceptions. "Yah, it was Adagio," he said. Sweet Leaf winked.
"What happened?"
Cap jumped when he heard Paisley's voice. She was the quietest girl in their clique, and Cap hadn't even noticed her presence.
"I told her about my upcoming trip to the Amarezon," Cap said. "She got upset and was about to leave. When I went after her to try to calm her down, she threw her drink at me."
"Harsh, dude," Green commented. "So are you two, like, through?"
Before Cap could formulate a response, Sweet Leaf cut in. "You guys can't break up! You're adorable!"
"If she's clingy, you need to let her go," Starlight advised.
Suddenly, everyone was talking, shouting, and arguing about break ups and relationships.
"Everyone hold on!" Cap cried, taking a step back from his rambunctious friends. Surprisingly, they stopped talking and looked at him.
"Adagio and I are not breaking up. At least, I don't think." Cap hesitated. "I think she was just caught off guard."
"As a fellow female," Sweet Leaf declared, "I can confirm that if Green told me he decided he wanted to go to another country without me, I'd be less than thrilled."
"I'd never do that," Green assured her, wrapping an arm around Sweet Leaf. This set off a fit of uncontrollable giggles in the latter.
"Just give her some space," Paisley advised after Sweet Leaf calmed down. "Once she's had time to think it over, you should talk about it with her again."
"You give the best advice, Paisley," Cap told his friend. "I'll try talkin' to her again tonight."
Paisley nodded, smiled, and said nothing more.
The conversation turned to other topics. Ten minutes turned to an hour, an hour turned into three, and before any of the Eco Kids realized it, the sun dipped low into the sky. After farewells, the girls biked home, Green Cycle's mom picked him up, and Cap walked back to his house.
Once he was in his room, Cap peeled off the smoothie-stained shirt and slung it onto the floor with the rest of last week's laundry. He fell back onto the bed and opened his messages. Cap's fingers twiddled over the screen, unsure of what to text Adagio.
After two agonizing minutes, he gave up. "Maybe I should try an indirect approach," he murmured, starting a new conversation with Aria Blaze.
Hey, is Adagio feeling better?
The reply came quick:
r u the boyfriend that made her cry
Cap furrowed his brow. What was that supposed to mean?
well I didn't mean to make her cry. 😕 I need to talk to her about it, but i want to know how she is so i don't upset her anymore
This time, Aria wasn't as hasty to reply. Cap waited for her response.
Suddenly, a video appeared in the conversation. Cap tapped on it. Adagio was sitting at her kitchen table. Beside her sat Sonata; the two girls were eating cookies.
"Hey, Adagio." Aria's voice rang clear in the video. When she had Adagio's attention, she continued, "What do you think of Cap right now?"
Adagio's face crumpled. "I don't want him to go!"
"Hey, don't make her feel bad!" Sonata protested.
Aria swung the camera around so her face was visible.
"She's still feeling pretty crappy," Aria commented. Then the video ended.
Cap rolled his eyes and typed a reply.
Aria really? 😒 So do u think I could text her without making things worse?
Aria's response was immediate.
No
u two should break up if this is what it takes to make her cry
"She's impossible!" Cap complained as he deleted their conversation. "I should've tried Sonata first." He started up a new conversation with Adagio's other housemate.
Sonata, do you think now is a good time to talk to Adagio about earlier?
Sonata wasn't a speedy typist like Aria. Cap had to wait a full minute before her response popped up on screen..
tahnks to aria she is sad again 😠😓
maybe try again 2mrw and tell her its gonna b kk??
After translating Sonata's texts to proper English, Cap texted a reply.
Thanks Sonata, you're really helpful 🤷 Keep looking out for Adagio
Cap sighed and shut his phone off.
"Sonata, who are you texting?" Adagio asked curiously. She rubbed her eyes, red from crying, and tried to peer over Sonata's shoulder.
"No one!" Sonata scooted away, keeping the phone screen out of Adagio's line of vision.
Aria, who was pouring herself a bowl of cereal, rolled her eyes. "Sonata, did he text you, too?"
"If your 'he' is the same as my 'he', then yeah," Sonata responded. "Is your 'he' Cap?"
Aria set down the cereal box and facepalmed. "Seriously, Sonata?"
"Why is Cap texting you and not me?" Adagio asked, her lower lip quivering.
"Maybe because you're acting like a baby?" Aria snapped, folding her arms. "By Celestia, you're acting as childish as Sonata."
"Who says that's a bad thing?" Sonata retorted, folding her arms defensively.
Adagio heaved a long sigh and lay her head on the counter top. "You're right, Aria. It's just easier to be naive and ignore the situation."
"Well snap out of it," Aria commanded her sourly. "I can't deal with two crybabies in this house. I'm going back downstairs to play Call of Duty. Have fun eating cookies." The pigtailed menace grabbed her cereal and descended into the depths of the basement.
Adagio straightened up. "Sonata, I'm being a moron."
"It's just called not knowing how to expressions your emotions," Sonata informed her cheerfully. "It happens to the best of us. Well, not you and Aria. You guys don't have emotions."
"We do, too."
"Anyways, you're Adagio Dazzle! You usually get everything your way. You always get a little disoriented when something unexpected happens." Sonata nibbled another cookie. "Like after the Battle of the Bands, you were a wreck until Sunset and the new Twilight helped us out."
"Well, thank you for your insightful comments on my character," Adagio replied, standing up. "I'm going to put this whole thing out of my mind and go down to the pool." Although it was nearly dark out, late-night swimming was a commonality for three former sirens.
"Can I come?" Sonata asked eagerly. "I have a super cute new bikini I want to show off!"
"Oh, why not?" Adagio forced a smile. Why did Sonata always have the cutest swimsuits?