Aria's impatience prompted her to bang on my door once again, "Clair, it doesn't take ten frickin' minutes to just simply get dressed and open your door. It's just us for Pete's sake."

"I'm coming!" Things never went smooth when I hide things from my sisters. As a further matter, it's the only card up my sleeve. As I finally slipped on my off-the-shoulder shirt, I sauntered towards my apartment door, and opened it.

Aria and Adagio stared fixedly at me, while they held a bag of groceries. They were wondering why I took so long to open the door. Sonata, on the other hand, let out a teething grin, and jumped in for a hug, "Clair! my fourth big sister!"

I held my breath as barely managing Sonata's weight on me, "Sonata!... Oh my Celestia, please let go."

"Oh, sorry!" Sonata cutely chuckled, and liberated herself from her own bear hug.

I let out a gasp of breath, "Wow, Sonata, next time, a simple hug would be fine. Plus, we only live walking-distance from each other."

"If you think forty minutes worth of walking is considered walking-distance, you must be out of your mind." Aria thought out loud, "Can you please move? These groceries are not getting any lighter, Clair."

"Oh, sorry." I moved to the side of the apartment door, and they finally entered.

Aria and Adagio carefully placed the bags on my counter-top, while Sonata helped herself at the living room couch to switch the TV on.

"I need to pee." Aria said in a hasteful tone. She then ran across the living room, towards the bathroom.

"You don't need to announce the whole world, Aria.." Adagio retorted in a loud voice at Aria, while removing all the groceries from the bags. She paused for a second, then smirked at me, "Well now... look who decided to join me in a crazy hairstyle club. Coming from someone who always mocked me for my hair."

My eyes slowly closed to a quizzical squint, "What are you talking about?" I grabbed a hand-held mirror by the kitchen counter-top, and looked at my own reflection. My grimace produced a chuckle from Sonata. Adagio was right, I looked like I walked into a tornado, but survived. Or perhaps became a member of the mile high club. "I'll be right back, lemme just gussy up real quick."

"Please." Adagio requested in a light tone with a grin, then continued removing the rest of the groceries from the bags.

I scampered towards my bedroom, and closed the door slightly, leaving a fissure. I sat by my vanity table, and started combing my hair with acquired effort. I nonchalantly peeked through the fissure of my bedroom door, making sure Adagio wasn't looking at my direction.

I'm in a real sticky situation. If Sandal Wood gets caught hiding under my bed by anyway possible, only Celestia knows what Adagio would think. But I'm sure it won't be any good. Knowing Adagio, she has a strong sense of things, so I have to be careful how I act and what I say. I quietly whispered to Sandal Wood under the bed, "Psst, are you okay?"

Sandal Wood answered in a low voice, "No... Why didn't you tell me before that your sisters were coming?"

"Hey!... If we both had self control, we wouldn't have to be in this mess."

The bathroom door was heard shut, hearing Aria's footsteps towards the kitchen so that she can help Adagio prep for dinner.

Sandal Wood whispered once again, "... How long are they going to stick around?"

I grimaced, "Ummm... Three hours?..."

Sandal Wood snapped back, "I can't stay under here for three hours."

Adagio called out for me, "Clair, you should've fixed your hair before we got here, why don't you help us out."

I replied in a standardized tone from my bedroom, "Be right there." Then whispered to Sandal Wood, "I'll figure something out... I gotta go.."

I got up from my vanity chair, then walked towards the kitchen, ignoring Sandal Wood's loud whisper, "Clair!... Come back here!..."

Once again, as I nonchalantly approached the kitchen with an awkward grin, Adagio was in the middle of heating oil in a pan, and Aria chopped onions on a cutting-board. Sonata, is just in her own world playing a video game in the living room. There was a momentary pause as both Adagio and Aria stared at me vacantly. "Whatcha smilin' about..." As Adagio placed a hand on her hip.

I shook the grin off my face, "Oh ummm, ya know.. Just wond'rin' what you guys cooking."

Aria took the second sweet onion, and began chopping them julienne, "Adagio already told you, Clair. We're having Adagio's famous shepherd's pie."

Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely recall Adagio texting me about it. Since my thoughts were primarily on Sandal Wood, my mind was bouncing around like monkeys playing ping-pong, "Oh that's right! Mmmmm! That sounds delicious, I can't wait, Adagio." I smiled widely with my eyes closed, I sauntered towards the living room couch to join Sonata on her video game.

I'm very terrible with keeping a secret. As I heard what I said, I regretted it, and felt so stupid. I watched Sonata in the middle of her game, seeing Adagio's suspecting expression from my peripheral vision. I know she had already sensed something off about me from my phony attitude. Aria rolled her eyes, feeling the same way.

"...Well... You better be hungry, because Sonata can't eat this pie alone." Adagio had said while placing all the chopped onions in a hot pan.

Sonata, while engrossed with her game, "Yes I can!"

"Shut up, Sonata, we're talking to Clair." Aria snarled, "Just play your stupid little video game."

Sonata humphed, "It's not stupid!"

I took Sonata's side, "Yeah, it's not stupid!"

"Enough!" Adagio halted, "Clair... You're acting a little weird today. Are you okay? Is your gem acting up again?"

I went with the flow because I'm not one to be quick-witted with an answer to cover the truth, "Uhh, Yes?.."

Adagio crossed her arms, and faintly shook her head, "Don't worry Clair... We'll get through this, I can imagine what you're going through. That's why we're here to help."

"Thanks.. It means a lot."

Adagio smiled, then began sautéing the onions in a hot pan. Aria concluded her part of the job with the prepping, therefore helped herself on the living room couch next to Sonata, and snagged the controller from her, "My turn."

"Hey, give it back! I was in the middle of a mission!" Sonata cried as she struggled to take back the controller.

*Text Message Notification*

I quickly took my phone out, seeing a text notification from Sandal Wood. I sighed as I got to the middle of reading the text message, which read:

"Clair, I'm going to climb down the fire escape from your bedroom window. I promise I'll be really quiet."

My eyes widened, and quickly drafted back a text reply:

"NO! We're 3 stories high. It's too dangerous."

What was he thinking, climbing down the fire escape. One little slip on the ladder, game is over.

Adagio reduced the heat from the pan to medium-high, and began adding the ground beef. "So Clair, how's your boyfriend holding up through all this?"

I gulped in fear, "Umm, he seems to be okay. He and I actually met up today at the bakery."

"Oh really now... After what happened, that freak still wants to be with you?" Adagio paused from sautéing the ground beef to prove her point, ".. And I know what that dumb hippie is slingin'."

"Adagio, he's not what you think he is. I already told you."

Adagio's faint chuckle tangled with my words, "You may be right, but we all think you can do better." Adagio smirked, "I mean C'mon... He should at least pull off a decent look with a haircut." I bellowed after a short moment of pause, she continued again, "I'm sorry, honey. I guess we all have our weird tastes in men." Adagio turned her head to Aria with a grin, "Ain't that right, Aria?"

"Aria... Adagio is talking to you.." Sonata snagged the controller back from her.

Aria lowered her eyebrows back at Adagio, then crossed her arms, "I don't wanna talk about it."

Adagio chuckled then continued sautéing the ground beef. "Could I at least share our worse break-up stories to Clair? Only if you're ok with it."

Aria shrugged, "I don't care."

Adagio added minced garlic, black pepper and salt into the pan. The delicious aroma of the food dispersed throughout the room, which made me hungry. Then Adagio began with Aria's break up story. "Aria dated this one guy for half a year, and things were going at the right direction. But one day, he stopped returning her texts and calls. He told her he was having “family trouble” and couldn’t talk. This went on for a few days until she found out the real reason he wasn’t talking to her."

Aria placed a palm on her head, "Oh Celestia, I hate this part.."

Adagio Continued, "He was waiting for his breakup postcard to arrive in our mailbox. That’s right. He broke up with her via postcard. A POSTCARD..."

My eyes widened, and jaw-dropped, "Are you serious?!" Then turned my head to Aria.

Aria sighed, "Can't make this stuff up.."

I sat on the couch beside Aria, and held her hand to soothe her emotion, "I'm sorry Aria. That was a total jerk move on his part."

"Eh... It's alright. That was a long time ago. But I think Adagio's story is the worst."

Adagio giggled, "Quite honestly, I really don't know which is worse. But lemme tell you mine.." She poured a cup of beef stock into the pan, and lowered the heat. "Well, I've been dating this guy for almost a year. We were very serious, until one night. When I was about to jump in the shower, he texted me saying that he’s going to head over early, the night before we made plans to go out. A little while later, he pokes his head in the bathroom to let me know that he was there and that he’d hang out in my room to wait for me. When I got out of the shower, all wrapped in my towel, I opened the door to my room, and there he was, sitting on the edge of my bed with a piece of paper in his hand. I was still in my towel. I was like "You’re breaking up with me aren’t you?" He nodded, “I wrote you a letter. Do you wanna get dressed first?” Then I go, “A LETTER?! YOU’RE BREAKING UP WITH ME IN A LETTER?! WTF?!” then he says “Just read it.” Then I go, “Read it in front of you?!” So yeah... I read it. This jerk didn’t even rewrite the letter. There were words scratched out. Favorite one was

…I don’t love you anymore.

When the original line clearly said,

…I don’t love you as much anymore.

I read the whole two-page letter in my towel while he said absolutely nothing."

The melancholy silence that followed was broken by the sound of Sonata's victorious shout, completing a mission in her video game, "Yes!" Sonata stood up, and did her signature victory dance that made Aria and I frown upon. We raised our single eyebrow expressionlessly, urging her to calm down and that it is only a game. She gazed around us with a grimace, and sat back down on her side of the couch, "Oops... Sorry.."

I cleared my throat, and let out a dolorous look at Adagio with words, "... Oh Adagio... Must've been hell."

Adagio started peeling off the skin from the potatoes with a potato peeler, "Well... Considering that I dedicated my all to him, yes.. It was hell. But hey, I learn from my mistakes all the time." After peeling off the potato skins, she then chopped them into cubes. "That's why I'm telling you now, Clair. Aria and I have gone through the same path as you did. They're always sweet in the beginning, so sweet that you'll fall head over heels. Then when you least expect it..." Adagio suddenly cut the second potato in half clean with force that shocked me and Aria, "That son-of-a-bitch dumps you."

I gulped, "Ummm, what about Sonata?"

"I never had a boyfriend." Sonata retorted.

Aria chuckled, "You never had a boyfriend because you're the worst."

"Shut up!" Sonata growled, irritated by Aria's response.

I had no idea Adagio and Aria went through such terrible break ups. It was an eye-opener for me. But knowing Adagio and Aria, I'm only hearing one side of the story. I'm not implying that anyone deserves to be treated wrongfully, however, many times we complain about situations we allow ourselves to be in, nobody is forcing them to stay with a man who does not value them, they choose to be there women. That being said, I'm willing to give Sandal Wood a chance.

Adagio took all of the chopped potatoes, and placed them into the pan, letting them fry with the rest of the ingredients. "Clair, honey... We'd hate for you to fall in the same trap as we did. All I can say is, be sharp, be smart, and always be careful." She adjusted the heat again, and grinned at me with a sarcastic tone, "By the way, thanks for helping me prep for dinner, Clair..."

I scratched my head with nervous laughter, "Well, I can at least get the table ready..."

Adagio winked, "Thank you."

Half an hour later, when dinner is ready, we enjoyed our time together as family, while watching a movie. Having forgotten the real reason they came to my apartment to begin with: To discuss about my gem.

Hours later, it was already passed seven, and it was time for them to go home. Sonata and Adagio gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek goodnight. Aria, of course, was not one of those who acquire a character for sisterly, lovey dovey stuff, but I managed to get her to at least hug me for the night. Right before they headed out the door, I brought up the subject of my gem. Adagio didn't worry too much about it. She offered me to come over to their apartment sometime this week so that we'll discuss about it, which is mysteriously not like her. Adagio is usually keen about this kind of stuff. She changed, and her new personality has been making me wretched lately. The old Adagio would've been more aggressive and assertive. Unless she has a plan, which I doubt she does. Nevertheless, we waved our goodbyes, and out the door they went.

I ran towards my bedroom to check on my boyfriend, who was still hidden under my bed. I peeked under my bed and caught him playing a game on his cell phone, "Hey babe, they're gone, you can come out now, only if you want." I giggled.

Sandal Wood, with no words of response, he rolled himself out, and stood up. A frown slowly formed across my face as I watched his moody expression. I knew it was wrong of me to have him hide under the bed for hours, but I had no choice. "Sandal Wood, I'm sorry about all this..."

Sandal Wood sighed, and continued fiddling with his cell phone. I raised my voice slightly with irritation, "Sandal Wood, I'm talking to you!.."

"What?!" Sandal Wood snapped.

I shook my head with a quizzical squint, and crossed my arms, "What's wrong with you all of a sudden?.."

Sandal Wood turned his cell phone screen off, and hid it in his pocket. He let out words in a monotone, "..I gotta go, Clair.."

I softly took his hands, "Wait, wait... We don't have any school tomorrow, we still have a couple of days of winter break."

"Yeah?.. So?..."

"So.. Why don't you stay here a little longer."

"I can't."

I was getting perturbed by his short, vague response, "Why do you always act like this when we're together."

Sandal Wood leveled with my temper, "What are you talking about, that was only once."

"Second time today, Sandal Wood." I sat on the edge of my bed, "If there's something bothering you, tell me... I—am—your—girlfriend."

Sandal Wood fixedly gazed at me, and lowered his tone in temperate manner, "I heard Adagio telling you those stories."

With my single nod, I urged him to continue, "Yeah, and?.."

".. And.. That didn't scare you?.. Considering I'm just like any other guys out there?"

I shook my head, "Of course not, you're not like the other guys I've met. I've known you for almost three months now, and I like how things are going in between us... I Love You..." I said as I reached my hand out to him.

His expression slowly formed into a faint smile, then pulled me in closer for a hug, and gave me a peck on the lips. "I love you too." He then gently placed his arms around my waist and kissed my forehead. He whispered, "I love the way you moan too."

With my blushed smile, I playfully hit him on the arm, "Stop it, you're embarrassing me."

He slowly liberated himself from our closeness, pulled out his phone to check the current time, "Babe, I seriously need to go."

I sat back down on the edge of my bed, "Why?"

He slid his phone back in his pocket, "I gotta help my dad early in the morning with yard work. But I'll text or call you to let you know what my status is for tomorrow, whether I get done early or not."

I nodded, "Aw.. Ok, hun."

I walked Sandal Wood towards my apartment door exit, and we finally gave each other a kiss good night.

-------

As Sandal Wood stepped his foot outside the apartment door lobby, he stealthily surveyed his surroundings to make sure no one was around. He took his phone out, and swiped through his contacts to call his friend.

After three rings, his friend finally answered, "Hello?"

Sandal Wood with an abrupt tone, "Hey Trenderhoof, it's me, Sandal Wood."

A huff of laughter was heard from the other side of Sandal Wood's phone, "I know... What's wrong?..."

"Dude, this is bad.. I just left my girl's place, and her sisters were there."

"Cool. Did you guys have some sort of an orgy party or something?"

Sandal Wood with an indignant tone, "No!" A random high-school girl who was just passing by, frightened by his sudden reaction. She started walking away fast. Sandal Wood continued speaking but adjusted his tone in temperate volume, "Why don't you and Zephyr Breeze tell me what really happened on your last break-up with your girlfriends."

"I told you... They weren't anyone special. They were strippers, okay? It had to be done. Besides, what made you bring this up all of a sudden?"

Sandal Wood shook his head, "They're not strippers, idiot." He sighed, "Adagio?.. Aria?... Ring any bells?"

Sandal Wood detected a momentary pause, sensing Trenderhoof's expression on the other side of the phone, "Bruhhh..."

"I can't believe this, you guys lied to me! The girls you guys broke up with, are actually my girlfriend's sisters!" Sandal Wood surveyed his surroundings once again making sure his girlfriend didn't come out unexpectedly this time of the evening, "Listen, Adagio told the story to one of her sisters about the one with the post card, and the stupid written letter?... The same familiar story you told me a couple of months ago. Deja Vu? Much?"

Trenderhoof questioned as Sandal Wood's story was a bit out place, "Told one of her sisters the story? Then where the hell were you during that time?"

Sandal Wood was a little hesitant on his words, "I... I was hiding under the bed."

Trenderhoof laughed hysterically on the other line, "You're joking... Right?"

"This is not a laughing matter!"

Trenderhoof with a short pause, then questioned again, "Ok... But how?.."

"I'll explain more later. But you and Zephyr Breeze better fix this, because apparently, they're not too happy about it."

"You think? It is a break up after all..."

Sandal Wood increased his tone again, "Figure it out, man!" Then hung up the phone.

Sandal Wood leaned his back against a lamp post that lit up through the evening, and took a deep breath. From this moment, Sandal Wood was getting anxious, thinking things out on how to approach me and my sisters about this situation, but nothing came to his mind. If my sisters ever find out that I'm dating a good friend of their ex, it would be a huge red-flag for Sandal Wood, and he knew that offering a simple apology wouldn't fix a difficult break-up.