"Next on the list -" Rachel sighed, then paused, "Hey, we've got all the items we need!" she exclaimed happily. "Finally!" Mellisa breathed hard, "I bet it's been a few hours since we got inside here!"


"Actually," Rachel looked at her new Gucci watch, "It's only been an hour, give or take a few minutes," she confirmed. "Really? Well that was fast," Mellisa looked at Rachel incredulously. "Let's pay these stuff and get home." Rachel said excitedly.


"Okay, miss..." Mellisa laughed. She helped Rachel pushed the trolley towards the cashier. They were chatting excitedly when suddenly their trolley crashed on to something. Another trolley.


"Hey, watch your step!" Rachel snapped. Mellisa rolled her eyes, apparently her best friend had not gotten over the milk incident yet. "Oops, sor-" a deep male voice started apologizing, but when he saw whom he had banged onto, he started, "- it's you again!" he accused. Are you thinking what I think you're thinking? If the answer is yes, then you're right: it's Bryan again! What a coincidence, eh?


"YOU!!!" Rachel looked at him, shocked and enraged. "Here we go again," Mellisa muttered, rolling her eyes. Shane, who was standing beside Bryan, smiled sheepishly.


"Why do you always have to ruin my day!" Rachel shouted. A few people turned around, watching Bryan and Rachel quarrel. "Who, me? You're the one that has a short temper!" Bryan retorted.


"Well at least I know how to push a trolley around!" Rachel snorted. "You think I don't?" Bryan asked angrily. "Well, seeing from the way you keep crashing to me," Rachel left the sentence hanging in the air, unfinished. "I don't keep crashing to you! I just accidentally touched the tip of your trolley!" Bryan argued his case. "Yeah, right. Did you hear him, Mel?" Rachel snickered.


Mellisa groaned, "Rachel, people are looking at you. At us," she corrected. "So what? It's my principle that's at risk!" Rachel glared at her friend. "Umm, Bry I think I saw Kian just now. Let's go and say hello to him," Shane tucked the collar of Bryan's jacket and tried to move him away.


"I'm going to give that girl-" Bryan started to roll his sleeve. Rachel dared him by pulling a face. Mellisa put a hand over her forehead and groaned. "Let's go and say hello to him," Shane spoke full of authority now. Bryan looked at him as if he was going to kill him, then he calmed down. He snatched the trolley handle and turned it around, away from Rachel. He gave her a quick glare then turned away.


As soon as Bryan's back was on her, going farther and farther away, Rachel stuck her tongue and made some faces. A curious old man looked at Mellisa questioningly. "I think her name is Rachel but I do not know her. Really, I swear," Mellisa whispered loudly to him.


"Mel, c'mon let's get away from here quickly." Rachel pulled Mellisa away. "I do not know her, I don't know why she's pulling me like this," Mellisa hissed as she saw the old man lifting one of his eyebrows. "Mel c'mon let's get goin'! Don't act so childish, will ya?" Rachel tugged her friend to start queueing in front of the cashier. "Look who's talking," Mellisa gritted her teeth.

***

"Phew, it's so hot out here, huh?" Rachel commented as she fanned her face using a piece of advertisement paper. After she felt satisfied, she crumpled the paper and threw it to the waste basket.


Mellisa and Rachel were walking along the road outside the minimart. They were carrying loads of stuff with them, and they walked slowly and carefully so that they wouldn't get tired.


"I think you should take off that cardigan. It looks kinda warm to me," Mellisa suggested. "Good idea," Rachel took off her long-sleeved cardigan and tied it around her waist, revealing her skimpy white camisole top. "And you know what? I'm goin' to tie my hair in a bun as well," Rachel grinned. Mellisa shook her head amusedly, "That's our Rachel, always full of ideas..." and short tempers... she added silently.


Rachel expertly did her hair in a bun, then fanned her face again, this time using her hand, "My God it's still hot! Let's buy some ice cream first." Rachel suggested.


"Oh, I don't know, Rach," Mellisa teased, "But if you order me a chocolate chip flavour, I might." "You naughty girl!" Rachel scolded Mellisa playfully, "I'd only do that if you order me a banana split sundae!" "It's a deal!" Mellisa laughed.


"I know there's some Swensen along this road," Rachel said, then stopped. In front of the two girls was the restaurant itself. "What did I say?" Rachel shrugged, and Mellisa just grinned.

***

"Hey, look, it's Phoebe!" Bryan cried, pointing at some blonde girl a few feet ahead of him. Shane looked at that direction, and saw that her back was on them, and she was walking with another girl with a dark hair. There was something familiar about the dark-haired girl's hair... It was almost as if he had seen it somewhere some time. Well, anyway, apparently the two girls had just gotten out of some restaurant of some sort.


"Are you sure?" Shane squinted his eyes, but he could not make them out clearly. They were too far away from them. "Yeah, I'd recognise her sexy French bun anywhere!" Bryan laughed and Shane rolled his eyes.


"So why don't you give her some afternoon kiss then?" Shane joked. "I might do just that," Bryan said excitedly, eyeing the back of Phoebe, a girl he had been seeing for a couple of months. "I really need it, especially after that incident with Ms Short Temper."


"I think her name is Rachel," Shane corrected. "Whatever. Wait here," Bryan instructed. "Alright, alright," Shane sighed, "Just don't spend too much time." "It'd take only a few minutes," Bryan grinned at his friend then started to dash towards Phoebe.

***

"Mmm, we should shop for grocery more often," Mellisa said, still reminiscing the taste of her chocolate chip. "You mean we should stop at Swensen more often," Rachel rolled her eyes, laughing. "I thought that was what I said," Mellisa said jokingly.


"But I had to admit though, it's fabulous." Rachel sighed. "Yep. Anyways, have your anger for Mr. Bryan Whatever-His-Last-Name-Is melted away like your split sundae?" Mellisa asked teasingly. Rachel rolled her eyes again, "Mel, that was a corny one! Well," she paused, "Okay, let's just forget about him. I don't wanna see his disgusting face-" she paused, lifting up her hands dramatically, and continued, "-ever again." Suddenly she saw Mellisa got that weird look on her face, "Mel, what's wrong?"


Mellisa pointed to something behind Rachel. "Who-?" Rachel whirled her head around to meet another person's head. It was on her at the speed of light, and the person started kissing her passionately.


"You're so sexy with your hair like that," he breathed, then kissed her again. Rachel was too shocked to pull away at first, but then she frowned, his lips still on hers, and wrenched free.


"Phoebe? What's wrong dear?" the person asked, then he took a good look at Rachel. Bryan's jaws dropped to the ground. Mellisa closed her eyes and covered her face with both hands, anticipating a World War III to break right in front of her.


"I'm not Phoebe or whoever! What's the problem with you?!!!" Rachel screamed in Bryan's ears. "I-" Bryan started to speak, but Rachel cut him. "Arrggh!!! First you steal my milk! Then you crashed your trolley on to mine! Now this??!!! Just shut up you pig!!!" she cursed loudly and gave him a hard slap on his cheek. Rachel walked away, dashing, her face a furious red.


Mellisa opened her eyes again to find her friend walking hurriedly away from her, "Rachel!!!" she thought to go after her, but then she decided not to. There was no way she could left the grocery here, and she knew that Rachel would surely go back home when she felt better.


"What happened here?" a puffing Shane asked. He gasped for air then looked at Mellisa, "Oh, hi again. It's you." he turned to Bryan, "I told you it's not Phoebe." "You didn't!" Bryan cried, his left cheek still burning hot.


"Are you okay?" Mellisa looked at Bryan worriedly. "Yeah," Bryan touched his burning cheek, "I'll be fine." "Umm, sorry for all this." Mellisa started to apologize, but Shane cut her. "No, it's our fault, really." "Well, um, since you're gonna be fine then... I think I better get goin' now." Mellisa gave Shane a smile then heaved the grocery bags up. She started to turn away from them when...


"Wait!" Shane cried. Mellisa stopped, "yeah?" "I'm wondering if you could come to our apartment tonight. I mean, we can have a dinner or something..." Shane invited, "...as an apology, of course." he added quickly. "Oh," Mellisa managed to say, "I'd like to. Except that I don't know where you guys live."


"Here, let me just write it down quickly," Shane reached for his pen, but he found no paper. "You can write here," Mellisa put down her grocery bags again and thrusted her hand to him. "Okay," Shane smiled nervously, then began writing quickly. All this while, Bryan was silent, feeling his red cheek and thinking heaven knows what.


"Can I ask some friends too?" Mellisa asked. "Sure, bring the entire town if you like," Shane grinned. Mellisa smiled at him then picked up her grocery bags and started walking home. "See ya!" she mouthed, whirling her head around one more time. Shane grinned and waved furiously at her.


"If you think I'm going to apologize to Ms. Short Temper, you think wrong mister," Bryan muttered to Shane. "She's pretty," Shane gushed, not hearing what Bryan had just said.


"Are you crazy? That short-tempered girl got into my nerves all the time!" Bryan almost screamed. "Her name is Rachel. And anyways, I was talking about her friend. The girl with butterfly clips..." Shane smiled goofily. "Hmph, I bet she's just like that Rachel girl," Bryan muttered.


Shane looked at Bryan wierdly, hot cheek and all, tapped his shoulder calmly and said, "Don't worry, I won't steal your dream girl Rachel away from you." he gave his friend a smile. Bryan's jaws dropped to the ground once again, "Are you...? What? But it's...? You're...?!!!!" he wanted to say lotsa things at once, he did not know where to begin. So he kept quiet, "Never mind!!!"