Broba's POV
Hope, Naomi, Ellie and I were all sitting in the third floor common room — which, conveniently, was also where Naomi and Ellie lived, just a few doors down from us.
We were curled up on the couch chatting, while I sat there pouting with an ice pack pressed to my nose.
Gabriel had actually taken me to the nurse's office and stayed the whole time while she examined me. It wasn't until I basically begged him to go back to football practice that he finally left — but not before giving me a hug.
I know. Swoon.
"So... boooooooyyyyyyyssss," Hope sang, grinning as she poked all of us in the ribs.
I groaned. "Sorry, guys. Once Hope starts, there's no stopping her."
The girls all laughed as Hope rolled her eyes and smiled. "Shut up. Anyway, Naomi, what about you?"
Naomi blushed and looked away. "Well, my boyfriend Matt—"
"Wait — a boyfriend?! What's that even like?" I asked, dramatically placing a hand on my chest. The girls burst into laughter.
Naomi giggled. "Matt's really sweet and funny… and honestly, super adorable. I rejected him a couple times, but he told me he wouldn't give up as long as Pharrell Williams was still alive. He's such a clown."
"Awwwww!" Hope and I squealed at the same time.
"What about you, Ellie?" I asked, turning to her.
"I've got a boyfriend too," she said, smiling. "It took a while before Tommy started acting like, you know, a boyfriend. He didn't really express his feelings at first, but eventually he opened up and tried harder. Now we're better than ever."
"I always knew you two would end up together," Naomi teased, shaking her head. "Alright, your turn, C."
I flushed, fiddling with the ice pack in my hands. "Well… I guess there's this guy I kinda like…"
"Who?!" Naomi and Ellie exclaimed in unison.
"His name's Gabriel. He's really sweet and funny and cute. We met on the first day here."
"You guys should see them together. Absolutely adorable," Hope added with a grin.
"Hey! You have no right to say that when you and Alec are the actual definition of a power couple!" I shot back.
"Who's Alec?" Ellie asked curiously.
Hope turned crimson as she started explaining their whole history, and by the end of it, her face was practically the color of a tomato.
"Hope," Naomi gasped, "you've known Alec longer than any of us have known our guys. And it's so obvious you really like him."
"I love him," Hope mumbled.
"WHAT?!" the three of us gasped.
"Hm?" she said, trying to play it off.
"Girl, don't even try," Ellie shrieked. "You love the dude!"
"And he definitely loves you too!" I chimed in.
She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "You think so?"
"I know so," I said. "We need to get these two together. ASAP. Ellie and Omi, you two talk to your boyfriends about Alec…"
"And you talk to Gabriel," Ellie added with a mischievous eyebrow wiggle.
"Shut up. Operation Halec is officially a go!" I announced dramatically.
"Not the best ship name," Hope mumbled, just as I threw the ice pack at her face.
Gabriel's POV
I was sitting on my bed with my psychology textbook in my lap when I heard a knock on the door.
It was the next day, and I didn't have class until noon.
I got up and opened the door — and there was Broba, standing outside, hugging a few textbooks to her chest.
I blinked, caught off guard. "Oh... h-hey, Broba. How's your nose?"
She gave a little shrug. "Better, I guess. How about you?"
"I'm good. What can I do for you?" I smiled.
She blushed and adjusted her glasses, looking like she was about to head to class too. She wore a navy skirt, a tank top, and a denim jacket — casual, but it looked really nice on her.
"I wanted to talk to you about Hope and Alec," she said shyly. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure." I opened the door wider, stepping aside. Alec had already left, so the room was all mine.
She walked in and sat on the bed. I sat next to her.
"So… what's up?" I asked.
"Well," she began, "we both know there's something going on between Alec and Hope. Romantically, I mean. Hope told us she… loves him. I'm guessing Alec feels the same?"
I nodded.
"Cool. So we want to help them get together, since Hope's unsure of how he feels…"
"And Alec's a wimp," I added without missing a beat.
She laughed — a soft, sweet sound that made me smile.
"If the cap fits," she said with a shrug, and now I was the one laughing.
"Okay, I'm in," I said. "What's the plan?"