Battle Of Planets

Chapter 17: Poor Emily!
Tyson returned home after what had been, without a doubt, the weirdest vacation of his life. Something had felt off from the start, but he never could’ve guessed that his brother would end up getting engaged—especially when Alex himself had no clue it was coming.Tyson felt relieved, now there was someone Alex could rely on. He needed someone to look after him and he needs to see the good in people and there is no one better than Seraphina for him.

She was smart and could handle him very well but again when all those old fellas began planning something like this?

”That old man must have planned this the moment he invited us to his farmhouse,” Tyson muttered, staring at the ceiling as he lay sprawled on his bed.

His eyes wandered to the artificially glinting stars he’d painstakingly stuck onto the concrete surface above. They reminded him of the real thing—beautiful, yet distant. Just like how everything seemed to feel lately.

”Anyway, why is she upset with me?” His gaze shifted to his phone, where his unanswered messages stared back at him. He’d sent several since returning, but Nancy had only read them, never replying.

Tyson sighed, frustration bubbling up inside him. Was she mad about something? Was it something he’d said?

”I’ll talk to her tomorrow at school,” he decided, closing his tired eyes, though sleep didn’t come easily.

---

Tyson sprinted as fast as he could, his bag bouncing wildly on his back. He was late—again—but this time, he had a good reason to want to arrive early. He needed to talk to Nancy.

”I’m here!” he shouted as he slid the classroom door open, his voice echoing through the room. All eyes turned to him, a mix of surprise and amusement on their faces.

The teacher, who had been writing on the board, stopped mid-sentence, his expression darkening. ”Tyson! Five laps around the field—now!” he barked, flinging a piece of chalk in Tyson’s direction.

”On it, sir!” Tyson caught the chalk mid-air with a grin, tossing his bag to the girl sitting nearest to the door. As he headed out, he briefly glanced at Nancy, hoping she’d notice. ”Take care of this until I’m back,”

The classroom buzzed with whispers as Tyson disappeared down the hall.

”Oh my gosh,” one girl murmured to her friend, clutching the bag. ”I have his bag!”

”Do you think something is interesting in there? Should we check?” her friend whispered back, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Nancy, sitting quietly in her seat, noticed the growing commotion. The girls giggled as they rummaged through Tyson’s bag, pulling out a small jewelry box.

”Is this...?” one of the girls gasped, holding up the box.

Nancy’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be for me? she wondered, her surprise quickly turning into irritation as the girls continued poking through Tyson’s belongings.

The teacher resumed the lesson, oblivious to the whispered chaos. Nancy, however, couldn’t tear her eyes away from the nosy girls. Finally, she had enough.

Without a word, she stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. The entire class, including the teacher, froze as she strode across the room. Reaching the girls’ desks, Nancy snatched Tyson’s bag and the scattered items with a swift, firm motion.

”Mind your own business,” she said coldly, her voice cutting through the silence.

The girls gawked at her, stunned, as Nancy walked back to her seat with her head held high.

The room remained so quiet you could hear a pin drop, even the teacher momentarily at a loss for words.

Nancy placed Tyson’s bag beside her, her expression unreadable as she focused on the lesson. But deep down, she wondered what exactly Tyson had planned—and whether that little box held the answer.

Nancy ignored Tyson for the entire morning, avoiding even a glance in his direction. Her cold demeanor left him feeling both confused and uncomfortable. By the time the bell rang for the mid-break, he had enough of her silent treatment.

Dragging his chair over to her desk, Tyson plopped down in front of her with a determined expression.

”What’s going on with you?” he asked, motioning around her. ”Why do you suddenly seem so unapproachable?”

”Don’t talk to me,” Nancy said sharply, refusing to meet his eyes.

”Why?”

”Why? How dare you even ask me why?” she snapped, swatting his shoulder. ”First, you made me feel like an idiot, and now—”

She stopped, biting her lip, her voice faltering.

Tyson tilted his head, studying her. ”What are you even talking about?” he asked, genuinely puzzled.

Nancy opened her mouth to respond but quickly shut it again. Truth to be told, she didn’t know why she was this upset. Yes, Tyson was her boyfriend, but the sight of those girls touching his things and Seraphina’s name had stirred something unexpected—a pang of jealousy she wasn’t sure how to handle.

”Just... go to hell!” she blurted, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

”It’s ’go to home,’” Tyson quipped, grinning mischievously. ”Your home. Remember? Your mom invited me over for dinner tonight.”

Nancy’s head snapped toward him, her cheeks instantly flushing a deep pink. ”W-What? She... she did?”

Tyson chuckled. ”You don’t remember? She invited me over a video call. You were there and seem it like she wants us to spend more time together.”

Nancy’s heart raced. She had completely forgotten about her mom’s invitation in the whirlwind of her emotions. Now, the reality of Tyson meeting her mother tonight hit her like a ton of bricks.

”Y-You don’t have to come,” she stammered, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the pages of a notebook. ”I mean, it’s too sudden. You don’t have to feel obligated or anything...”

”You don’t want me to meet your mom?” Tyson asked, leaning forward slightly, his grin widening.

”N-No! I mean, yes! I mean—ugh, I don’t know!” Nancy groaned, burying her face in the notebook.

She couldn’t understand why the thought of Tyson meeting her mom made her feel so flustered. Was it because her mom was already thinking of Tyson as her future son-in-law? Or was it because, deep down, Nancy was starting to see him that way too?

Tyson laughed softly, leaning back in his chair. ”You’re really cute when you’re nervous, you know that?”

Nancy glared at him through her fingers, her face still bright red. ”I’m not nervous!”

”Sure, sure,” Tyson said with a knowing smile. ”Just make sure your mom likes me. First impressions are important, right?”

Nancy groaned again, trying to hide the small smile threatening to break through her flustered expression.

”Hello! There are other people here, you know,” Emily interrupted with a dramatic yawn. She had been watching their exchange with thinly veiled amusement.

Nancy and Tyson both turned to look at her as if suddenly realizing she was there.

”Now that I have your attention,” Emily continued, leaning back in her chair with a grin, ”can we talk about something other than your adorable little drama? I’m starving. Let’s go grab something to eat.”

”Yeah, why not?” Tyson said, standing up and stretching. ”My treat. Let’s go.”

---

Later in the afternoon, the trio walked out of school together, the sun dipping lower in the sky.

Tyson stretched his arms over his head and let out a loud yawn. ”Man, I’m so sleepy,”

Nancy glanced at him worriedly, her thoughts spiraling. The idea of Tyson meeting her mother later kept looping in her mind. How would it go? Would her mom like him? What if something went horribly wrong?

”Nancy?” Emily called out, dragging her cycle alongside her. ”Hello? I’ve been talking to you! Why do you think Tyson gave us a treat earlier?”

Tyson walked ahead of them, chuckling to himself with an air of pride.

Nancy blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. ”Uh... I don’t know,” she mumbled absentmindedly, her mind still preoccupied.

”Ha! See? You two can’t even guess!” Tyson turned back with a smug grin. ”Because Alex got engaged yesterday.”

Nancy’s heart skipped a beat. Alex got engaged? That was so sudden. Her eyes trailed to Tyson, her thoughts shifting to the small box she had seen earlier. And Tyson also brought something with him... Could it be...?

A wave of nervousness crept over her chest, mixing with an unexpected flicker of excitement. Her heart raced as her mind spun with possibilities. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.

Tyson glanced back at Nancy. ”Hey, you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Nancy quickly shook her head, brushing off her overwhelming emotions. ”I’m fine,” she muttered, though the warm flush on her cheeks gave her away.

”Good. Then how about—” Tyson stopped mid-sentence, his eyes shifting to Emily. ”Emily?”

Nancy turned to look and froze. Emily’s carefree demeanor was gone, replaced by an expression neither of them had seen before. Her face was shadowed with pain, her lips trembling as she bit down to hold back tears. Finally, she met Tyson’s gaze, her eyes glistening. ”Did he really?”

Tyson and Nancy exchanged stunned glances. Emily—always the lively, easygoing one—was now on the verge of breaking down. It felt surreal to see her like this.

”You okay, Emily?” Nancy stepped forward,”Talk to me, please.”

Emily shook her head, gripping the handlebars of her cycle tightly. ”Leave me alone. I’ll be fine,” she choked out before turning and running off, dragging her cycle behind her.

”Emily, wait—” Nancy called out, but the girl didn’t stop.

”What just happened?” Tyson asked,

Nancy let out a soft sigh, her gaze fixed in the direction Emily had disappeared. ”I think... she really liked Alex.”

Tyson’s jaw tightened as the realization sank in. ”Alex? I thought she was just... you know, a fangirl.”

Nancy shook her head slowly, ”No, Tyson. I think he meant a lot more to her. He wasn’t just an idol—she must’ve cared about him deeply.”

Tyson rubbed the back of his neck, a heavy wave of guilt washing over him. ”I’m such an idiot. We’ve been friends since middle school, and I had no clue she felt that way.”

Nancy offered a small, understanding smile, hoping to ease his guilt. ”It’s not always easy to see what is someone hiding, even when you’re close to them. Maybe once she had some time to calm down, we can talk to her.”

Tyson nodded with a tinge of frustration on his face. ”Yeah, we should. She deserves that much.”