W̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞r̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞'s̳̿͟͞ t̳̿͟͞h̳̿͟͞e̳̿͟͞ F̳̿͟͞u̳̿͟͞n̳̿͟͞k̳̿͟͞

Chapter 36

"You went into my room? Without my permission?" the frown on her face tells him that she's not happy about this at all. Instead of him being the angry one here, the tables suddenly turns.

Prince D stands up, "Remember when I told you that I have a surprise for you when you get back?"

"Oh is that it?" Keely stands up with the same furious expression as his.

"Yes. And as it turns out, I'm the one who ends up surprised!"

"His letters to me are none of your business. You shouldn't even be snooping around other's stuff!"

"What? You wanna keep it a secret from me? Your best friend? Oh wait, you do have a new best friend now, and many other friends."

"Does being best friends with you means that I can't be friends with anyone else?!"

"Yes!" Darnell suddenly regrets it as he shakes his head, "Wait--No! I mean--it's not like you can't make other friends--"

"Then what is your point?!"

He was about to make a come back, but seeing her eyes glistening with the tears that threatens to fall, he closes up his lips and turns his head away.

D leans down to cut the string that ties them together and takes a few step away from her. Everything that weighed in his heart, he's going to spill it all right now, seeing that this might be the last time they're ever going to talk to each other, "... For a year, Keely. I waited for you for a year. I waited for you to look at me. To gain your attention. For you to make a bit of interest in talking to me just as I wanted to talk to you.... all these time."

Poppy, Branch, and almost all the trolls hid themselves while eavesdropping on the two. The Queen sees one troll with an open flashlight and urges her to shut it off.

"This is getting pretty bad," Branch whispers to Poppy.

"Acquaintanceship for a year. Friendship for a month after. Bestfriends in weeks.... But he... My brother succeeded in all of those in a week?"

Cooper's mouth slowly hanged open, ears drooping down. He was the reason why they're fighting?

"So you're jealous of him just because he has more guts than you?" that sentence came out with hatred than what she intended to.

Darnell turns his gaze back on her, "Maybe I am! Maybe I'm just too dumb and too insecure of being the Prince of Funk Trolls that I wanted you to not recognize me at all and just.... just look at me."

"And I am! I've looked past all of that!"

"With my orders, Keely. When you found out about it, you wouldn't even look me in the eye. And then you slowly avoided me, just as you've been doing up 'till now. Back then.... it was a mistake when I said we're best friends."

Keely gasps, and so does everyone behind their hiding spots with a much more quieter tone. Poppy became much more of a nervous wreck and immediately unties herself from her partner to jump in between the two before it gets worse. With a goofy smile and hand behind her back, she speaks up to gain Keely and Prince D's attention, "Hey, guys! What are you doing here? You've wandered far off the camp, everybody's waiting."

"Sorry, Queen Poppy, but I think I'm going to turn in for the night a little early. I've got some stuff to do for the morning," his excuse fell smoothly after having that argument, he wouldn't wanna risk a look at how he had broken the girl's spirit from those words. The queen just had to buzz in and cut the tension at a very wrong timing.

"As a matter of fact, I do too, Queen Poppy," Keely recollected herself, giving the most normal smile she could muster with the last of her strength, "Sorry to leave the overnight slumber party so soon."

"N-No, probs! Shall I escort you both back to Vibe... Town?" the pop troll just stared as the two retreated in different directions. That was a bit rude, but she felt sorry for the two that Poppy couldn't bring herself to push it further. Branch and the others steps out once they were almost out of sight, Branch in particular, is already by her side before she could turn around. "I made things worse again, didn't I?" Poppy pulls out a hand made 'love guru' ID and throws it away.

"Hey, hey, Poppy, don't be so glum about it. Look, remember that all of this has to be recognized by themselves. You did helped with that, they needed that talk," Branch picks up the card again and offers it back to her, "All that's left now is for them to settle things on their own."

"I'll go talk to them," Cooper was about to run off, but the troll only blocks his way under split second.

"Nope, you don't need to, Cooper. At least... not yet. Those two need to cool off first, you'll just catch the storm if you ever attempt to go to either one of them right now."

Queen Poppy chuckles to herself, weighing the card on her hand, "You know, Branch, I think you're better suited to be the love guru around here."

"Nah, you're better at it. Since you're pretty much doing something about it. I'm all talk, no action. You deserve that card," he smiles at her.