Chapter 2

Trope Two: The Author Runs Out of Ideas, So He Writes a Time Skip as a Sequel

Bill’s POV

Hey there, it’s your favorite fourth wall-breaking romance novel main character, Bill O’Hare.

The last time we met or you read this book, I was 16. However, a lot has changed since the last time you flipped my page. By a lot, I mean years.

To be exact, this is seven years after the bonus chapter of the previous book. When the author came to me saying they needed a continuation… I had to oblige.

There were lots of questions left unanswered:

Whatever happened to Gabrielle and Helen?

Did Dennis and Rosa remain a couple?

Did I ever find love again?

Where was Kate? Why didn’t she come to see me? Did I ever find her again?

What about Hilda? Did she find love?

So many plot holes and so little time to fill them.

But behold the magical power of the time skip! Where we ignore what had happened in the past and just focus on the current time period and constantly flashback to the period between the seven years whenever we feel the reader wouldn’t get who a certain character was.

I love the time skip, although some stories don’t know how to handle proper time skips. Most forget about the characters we loved in the first book and replace them with shittier and ass-brained characters who we don’t give a fuck about.

Ah, there it is, another favorite part of the time skip.

Forgive my outbursts of curse words; if you remember, this started out as a high school romance story, but five years have passed, bitch! I’m now twenty-one and can freely curse.

Wait, speaking of grown-up… that means we can even have Iccha-Iccha moments in this novel. You… know… adult kisses and stuff and, even better, sex scenes. Hehehehehe.

Author: Actually, there are no sex scenes.

Me: What do you mean there are no sex scenes?

Author: Exactly what I mean… no sex scenes.

Me: But… We’re adults!! I mean, at least I am.

Author: Yeah, but most of the audience are teenagers from book one.

Me: So that means I can’t curse either?

Author: I think cursing is allowed.

Me: Wait, hold up. You said the audience is mostly the teenagers from book one, right?

Author: Yeah?

Me: This is seven years later… Won’t they be much older?

Author: What the hell are you talking about? They’d still be the same age!

Me: Wait, what? How?

Author: Okay, you’ve read time skip novels, right?

Me: Yeah?

Author: So when you read these time skips… do you physically age as long as them?

Me: Well, there was this novel – Can I Eat Your Apple? – The time skip was three years after the first book.

Author: Huh?

Me: Yeah, so technically, the time skip was accurate.

Author: Okay, so get this… I didn’t write the time skip that way. In fact, I wrote this a week after the last chapter of the first book.

Me: Isn’t that lazy?

Author: Just shut up. You don’t know what it’s like to come up with these ideas.

Me: So…. No sex?

Author: No sex.

Me: Hand-holding?

Author: That isn’t sexual. So yeah.

Me: In anime, hand-holding is very sexual.

Author: Ah yes, so is calling someone by their first name.

Me: I honestly don’t get the first name one. Imagine taking 4 episodes to call each other by their first name and another 5 episodes to hold hands intentionally.

Author: That shit annoys me.

Me: But we can’t stop watching now, can we?

Author: It’s anime fam, why would we stop?

Me: Speaking of time skips… What year are you in exactly?

Author: I can’t tell you, but it’s actually further than your time period.

Me: Oh, okay… Is No Game No Life season 2 out?

Author: No.

Me: Dang. Classroom of the Elite?

Author: Yes, but it isn’t as popular as before. I’m just downloading it to watch later.

Me: Well… Damn… So… the sex scenes?

Author: (Sigh) I’ll talk to the higher-ups.

Me: Yes!

Author: It’ll probably be a no, actually.

Me: Fine, what can I get then?

Author: Uh… Adult kisses, hand-holding, teasing, oh, and implied intercourse.

Me: Implied intercourse? You mean that thing where we’d both kiss, and then the chapter ends, and in the following chapter, we’d be reminiscing about what happened the night before?

Author: Yeah, that one.

Me: Jeez… What a cock block. I’ll take it.

Author: Nice chat. So I’ll leave you to the dialogue. Monologue rather.

Me: Alright, see you soon.

There you have it, so it looks like the story would actually have no steamy intercourse, although the characters are all grown up.

So, where do we begin?

I’m sure you’re dying to know what I’ve been up to.

Well, I hate to leave you hanging, so let’s dive in.

Let’s dial four years back… wait or is it five years?

Anyway, it was a month after the sports competition; we hadn’t heard from Kate.

Rosa and Dennis’s relationship was a little strained. Rosa couldn’t help but worry about Kate, and Dennis – bless his little soul – had his hands full, balancing me and Rosa.

I told him not to bother me, and I decided to work on myself a little more. We were still friends… best friends even, but we both realized his girlfriend needed all the attention she could get.

I tried speaking with my uncle to have the local police look out for Kate and her family. He did his best, but the police couldn’t operate outside the town. He turned to my dad, who helped out as well.

I was worried.

Normally, I’d stop bothering about her and get another heroine, but Kate had a latch on my mind.

“You seriously down bad for her,” Dennis sighed.

We were at the diner having a pity party. For me, actually.

“I’m surprised at myself, honestly,” I sighed. “To think I would fall this bad for a woman.”

“Girl,” he corrected.

“What?” I raised a brow.

“She’s underage, so you have to go with a woman,” he said. “Or perhaps a young lady.”

“I thought girls become women when they start seeing their period or something?” I raised a brow.

“Nah, I think it’s when they give birth,” he said as he chewed on some fries.

“Is that so?” I sighed. “Then the girl has probably caused me fatal wounds, considering how hard I’ve fallen for her.”

“You don’t think you need to move on?” he asked.

“I can’t help but wonder if this is that trope where when I move on, she comes back,” I sighed. “I can’t risk it, bro.”

“Damn,” he sighed and took a sip of his soda.

“How’s Rosa doing?” I asked. “The three of them, actually.”

“Maybe Kate was the one unconsciously holding them together,” Dennis said.

“Really? They’ve fallen apart?” I asked.

“No, not really, more like they’ve tried to focus on other things meanwhile,” he explained.

“Other things?”

“Yeah, so Helen has Gabrielle, Rosa has me, and Hilda… Hilda has the arcade, I guess,” he sighed.

“I see,” I turned ahead and took a bite out of my burger.

“Should I recommend girls for you?” he asked.

“What are you now, a girl trafficker?” I retorted.

“Probably yes,” he replied. “So, what do you want? I’ve got them all: track and field girls, debate girls, unpopular but with good body girls. Name your poison.”

“Isn’t it ‘pick your poison’?” I asked.

“What can I say? I’m different,” he said with a smug expression.

I sighed, “Right, right… whatever you say.”

“So, what do you say?” he asked. “Which girl do you want?”

I sighed and took another bite of my burger, drowning it with soda.

“I just want Kate,” I said.

At school, our homeroom teacher asked us to settle down; she had news for us.

“Okay, kids, I have good news and bad news,” she announced. “As is mandatory, I’ll share with you the bad news first.”

There was murmuring and disagreement amongst us.

Well, I didn’t say anything, and neither did Dennis.

We were both focused on what she had to announce; something told me they were actually both bad news and not just good news and bad.

“Well, the news is about Kate Andrews,” she started.

Oh no.

The class turned into an uproar.

“Is she okay?”

I heard Rosa ask.

Helen and Hilda also tried to soothe her with their words.

My hands were shaking and sweaty.

I looked calm, but I wasn’t the least bit calm.

The teacher tried to make the class settle down, but we couldn’t have anything of the sort.

“Dude, dude,” Dennis grabbed my shoulder and shook me. “Breath.”

I stared at his face, which was even more worried than I was, and decided to oblige.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply.

Finally calming myself, I turned to him, “Thanks.”

The teacher had gotten the class under control.

“The bad news is, she was involved in a traffic accident,” she said.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

We hadn’t heard a word… I mean, we actually heard her, but we were too stunned to speak.

There was a thud…

Rosa had collapsed.

Dennis left my side and rushed over to her.

No fair… I was about to faint too.

Rosa hadn’t passed out, but she just laid there… unable to shout… just muttering she was okay.

Come on, teach… What’s the good news?

“The good news is, she survived and only sustained minor injuries,” the teacher said.

There was a sigh of relief.

Everyone was muttering words of relief and thanksgiving.

I was relieved as well, but something bothered me.

“Uh, ma’am?” I raised my hand.

“Yes… Bill?” she pointed.

“When did the accident happen?” I asked.

“A month ago,” she replied.

“I have more questions; I hope you don’t mind?” I requested.

“It’s alright, Bill, ask away,” she said kindly.

“Her parents… how are they?” The question was heavy… I had to ask.

“Her father died, and her mom is currently in the hospital,” she answered.

More murmuring could be heard.

An image of the man who would have been almost my father-in-law flashed across my mind.

I was going to miss him. The man tried everything within his power to make it work…

Damn.

“When did the accident happen?” I asked.

“A month ago, the day after the sports festival, to be exact,” she said.

“Why weren’t we told?” I asked.

“Actually, she had a dislocation on her leg and had to undergo rehabilitation and therapy to overcome it,” she explained. “From what we were told, it took her a whole month to fully recover.”

“When would she be back?” I asked.

“I’m afraid that’s another bad news,” she sighed. “She won’t be coming back. She will be living with her aunt from now on.”

“I see, that’s all, ma’am,” I said as I took my seat. “Thank you.”

“Now I know this is a lot to take in as most of you were friends with her,” she said. “To be honest… I don’t know the right words to say, but the least I can do is… I’m glad she’s okay, and we all should be glad too. This has been a tough period for her, but we should all believe in our Goddess of the Track. There’s nothing she can’t blitz through.”

Everyone murmured in agreement. I seemed to have forgotten, but Kate was somewhat referred to as a deity in our school. We may have lost our goddess, but the least we could do for her was to hope that everything was okay and like our teacher had said… that she’d blitz through it.

After school, news of Kate had spread.

I watched as Gabrielle and Dennis comforted their girlfriends. Who knows, maybe things would have ended differently.

I decided to go home.

“Hey,” Hilda called.

She wore her usual cheerful smile, but if those eyes that seemed sore told me anything, it was that they had spent most of the day crying.

“Hey, Hilda,” I replied with a smile of my own.

“What’s with your face?” she asked. “You look like a dead fish.”

“I don’t think you’re doing any better,” I said. “You got a little snot… dripping.”

“Dang,” she muttered as she wiped her nose while sniffling. “How ungentlemanly of you to point that out.”

“Ungentlemanly? I thought I was doing the right thing?” I asked.

“Well, not every girl would want to be told she has snot by a guy,” she remarked.

“I’ll write that down,” I said. I actually meant it. I put it in my mental note.

“Good,” she said.

She turned her attention to the four behind us.

Dennis stroked Rosa’s hair as he said words.

Gabrielle walked away with Helen with both their hands intertwined.

A very nice thing to look at.

“How are you?” Hilda asked.

“Honestly? I feel like crap,” I admitted.

“You miss her, don’t you?” She asked.

“Is that even a question?” I sighed.

“Just making small talk, Bill guy,” she shrugged.

“I miss her,” I admitted.

“Helen and I met her here,” she said. “We moved into this town, and well, she was there. We were a little worried when she introduced us to Rosa, as Rosa had been with her since they were both kids…. But she welcomed us. I can’t remember if the four of us have actually fought. And now she’s gone…. Alive but gone.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

She looked at me, “Why are you apologizing? You didn’t put them in the accident, did you?”

“No, but it felt like the right thing to say, I guess,” I answered.

“Sigh, I get it,” she shrugged.

I kid you not, she actually said ‘sigh.’

“That seems nice,” she motioned toward the couples.

I turned to look at them. Dennis and Rosa were in an embrace.

“Who’s going to hug us?” she chuckled.

“I could give you a hug,” I offered.

“Well… if you’re offering,” she sighed and opened her hands. “Make it quick.”

“Eh, this seems off,” I remarked.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean, you’re the one with open arms,” I pointed out.

“Yes?” She raised a brow.

“That makes it look like you’re the one offering the hug,” I said.

“Oh. Do I just…” She dropped her arms.

“Yeah, and I just…” I opened mine.

She walked closer to me and opened her arms.

We hugged.

It was awkward, but we both didn’t say anything… at first, that is.

“This is awkward,” I was the first to point it out.

“I know, but it feels a little bit nice, right?” she asked.

“Well… yes,” I admitted.

“Is it okay if I cry again?” she asked.

“Only if you don’t get snot on me,” I said.

“Can’t promise that,” she said.

“Fine…. Go ahead,” I gave in.

She started to cry. It wasn’t wailing… just a quiet sob.

I didn’t cry.

Moments like this required one to be a man.

When she was done sobbing, we headed to the arcade; for her to set new records and for me to beat them.

We continued to play games, trying to forget about stuff. It worked.

“So… What’s your dream for the future?” she asked.

“My dream?” I repeated. “I don’t know, honestly.”

“Well… I want to be a model,” she said.

“A model? I thought you were going to chase a career path in track and field?” I asked.

“Well… Kate kind of inspired me to do so,” she replied.

We were talking about Kate again.

It didn’t seem sad this time.

In fact, it was the release we needed; you know…an opportunity to talk about things. Things that Kate inspired us to do.

“She did? How so?” I was curious.

“You see, she doesn’t plan to follow a career in track and field but plans to do something in business administration,” she explained.

“Did she say why?” I asked.

“No… no, she didn’t,” she sighed. “But I’m sure she had a valid reason.”

“I guess so.”

“So, I was thinking maybe putting my good looks to good use was a better way,” she said.

“I see,” I said.

I walked her home.

At her front porch, she turned to me. “Have you figured out what you want to do?”

“Yes… it’s vague, but it’s something I can work with,” I replied.

“I see; good luck then,” she waved goodbye as she stepped into her house. She stopped and turned to me. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

“I should be thanking you,” I said. “I enjoyed beating your records.”

She shook her head and went in.

As the door shut, I took in a deep breath and exhaled.

My dream, huh?

Kate was alive.

Nothing had happened to her.

There was the chance that she’d unlock the hospital encounter route, where she’d fall in love with someone else who was hospitalized. Well, that wasn’t a bad trope.

Hospital tropes usually involve one of the parties having a terminal illness and dying at the end of the story.

Which was a good thing for me.

Okay, that was terrible to say.

Well, there’s usually a miracle, and the person doesn’t die.

Tch.

Well, there was the off chance that she wanted to wait for me to confess her love.

Maybe the near-death experience would make her realize the importance of love.

But… if that was the case… wouldn’t she want to come back by all means?

The funny thing was that… I was actually trying to distract myself from the fact that she had almost died.

I didn’t care about any tropes… I didn’t care about any cancer survivor trope… I was just so relieved that Kate survived.

My heart actually burst when I heard she was in an accident…. It broke, even more, when I heard she dislocated her legs.

With her dad dead and her mother in critical condition, I couldn’t help but wonder how she was able to endure the rehabilitation period.

The grueling month of pain, sweat, and tears, she was forced to bear it on her own.

I couldn’t help but wonder what had caused the accident.

A drunk driver?

A careless argument?

Anything at all?

The more questions that came, the more the tension built.

I was suffocating…

Struggling for air…

No, that wasn’t it…

I wanted to cry…

I ran as far away as I could before falling to my knees and screaming my lungs out.

I succumbed to the pain and let the tears flow.

I cried.

There was no being a man anymore…

It was just me… a hormone-filled teenage boy crying because he was glad the girl he loved was alright and that he would be forgotten after a while.

A week passed, and things settled down.

We didn’t talk about Kate anymore, but no one had forgotten her.

Hilda was seen around me more often.

It wasn’t a problem, honestly.

“Looks like you’re doing better now,” Dennis said.

“Yeah, I’m good now,” I sighed. “I can’t keep moping around forever.”

“True that,” he replied.

We were quiet.

It was the girls’ practice….

We watched as the girls practiced their stride.

Each person trying to beat any of Kate’s records.

It was a warning thing to look at.

Hilda saw us and waved.

We waved back.

“So?” Dennis asked.

“So?” I repeated.

“You and Hilda,” he said. “Possibility?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted.

“Nothing? No feelings whatsoever?” he asked.

“Well, obviously, there are feelings,” I admitted.

“But?”

“But I just don’t want to,” I sighed.

“Kate?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Here I was thinking you’ve moved on,” he sighed.

“Never said I did,” I replied.

“So… what now?” he asked.

“Hilda asked me something,” I said. “She asked what my dream was.”

“What did you say?” he asked.

“I said I didn’t know,” I replied. “And then she told me Kate’s and I had an idea.”

“What’s Kate’s dream?” he asked.

“She wants to work in a business administration position,” I said, “And that gave me an idea.”

“What, you’re going to study business administration in the hopes of running into her at the same school?” he asked.

“Wait, what?” I was surprised, “I didn’t think about that. It was a good plan.”

“You didn’t? What was your plan then?” He folded his arm.

“Okay, so my dad called last month and asked me to come back home after the school year,” I said, “Maybe I should just work on taking over my father’s business and have her become my staff.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” he remarked.

“Exactly, but now your plan is sounding more viable,” I admitted.

“You could always do both,” he shrugged.

“Interesting, I could always do both,” I admitted, “Dennis, could it be that you’re a genius?”

“The one and only,” he replied with a smug expression.

“It’s settled then,” I said, “At the end of the school year, I’ll go back to my dad and learn how to take over the business. I’ll also go into business administration as a course. If I’m lucky, I’ll see her there.”

“That’s the spirit,” he said.

“What do you plan to do, Dennis?” I asked.

“Why so formal? You never call me by name,” he remarked.

“Was it too formal?” I asked, “I just wanted to make it sound official.”

“Well, it was weird, but I don’t mind it,” he shrugged, “My dream, huh? I have nothing really planned. I wanted to study financial accounting. My dad’s an accountant. The pay isn’t so bad if you get into a good company.”

“You’re right,” I said, “Wait… you could just work at mine.”

“For real?” His eyes lit up.

“Sure, why not?” I smiled, “I wouldn’t be a proper romance novel main character if I didn’t have you when you’ve transformed into a swan.”

He touched his face, “You really think I’m an ugly duckling character?”

“With a face and background like yours, it would be surprising if you weren’t,” I admitted.

“Ouch?” He raised a brow, then sighed, “Well, you’re not good with words. I wonder what I was expecting.”

“You know I love you, man,” I said.

“I love you too, man,” he said.

We hugged each other and gave ourselves a pat on the back.

It felt good to have a brother like him.

I was also very glad to have chosen him as a side character.

“You don’t have to go on this path, you know,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“There’s the Hilda route,” he motioned toward her as she sprinted across the track.

“I see, but it’s not like she has any feelings for me,” I said.

“Well,” he showed me a letter sealed in an envelope. “She asked me to give this to you. But you have two options.”

“Was she the one who suggested the options?” I asked.

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged.

“Let me hear them,” I said, although I swallowed some saliva in anticipation.

“If you accept this envelope and open this letter, you’ll meet her at the location indicated below. In other words, you have chosen the Hilda route; this route would be accessible for a month,” he explained. “If you haven’t accepted the envelope within the month, she won’t say anything. But if you reject the envelope for the entire month… it means you’ve decided to stay on the Kate route.”

“Well, damn, she really thought about this,” I groaned.

“What’s it going to be, big guy?” he asked. “Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Remember, there’s a chance that Kate would have probably moved on before you encounter her again.”

“And there could be a chance she hasn’t,” I said. “I’d like to bet on that chance.”

“Kate’s route it is then,” he said as he returned the envelope to his pocket.

I made a multiverse decision; I just hoped that this novel would talk about what would have happened if I had opened the letter.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked. “‘The unpopular kid gets the popular girl’ had failed… what next?”

“Dennis, it might be time we ventured into the other popular route… the billionaire playboy,” I smirked.

***

And so the years passed…

I left high school a year after and resumed studying in the city. My father groomed me to succeed in his business.

I got into college; unfortunately, it was one of the most prestigious ones, and I had little hope that I’d find Kate there.

To my surprise, however, Dennis made it in; on scholarship, that is. After 2 years apart, I was worried he’d forget about me.

But he didn’t.

The fact he got in gave me little hope that maybe Kate got in as well, maybe a recommendation or something.

But no… I never saw her.

My intuition about Dennis was spot on. By the time he had gotten into college, he had become a hunk, one of those intellectual ones with tight muscles and glasses.

He was still dating Rosa… no breakups at all.

He was probably a romance god of some sort.

College life wasn’t easy for me, my attention was divided between work and school and building my reputation as a playboy millionaire.

It worked, and forming a duo with Dennis worked like magic.

Although Dennis didn’t go far with the ladies because he had Rosa, I, on the other hand, went far.

Surprisingly, I graduated with a second-class upper while Dennis became a first-class student.

With my behavior and performance, my dad and I both expected I’d graduate at a third-class top.

Now… Here the story finally begins: a year after graduating, and I still couldn’t find Kate.

“Seven whole years,” Dennis said as he opened a bottle of wine.

If we were counting from the moment none of us saw Kate again, this was the 7th year anniversary.

After Dennis and I met in college, we started having anniversary celebrations to count how many years I’d waited.

This year we weren’t alone, however.

“I’m honestly impressed,” Rosa said as Dennis poured her a glass.

“Despite being a playboy and billionaire, he still holds his hand out, hoping for true love,” Hilda sighed.

“Thanks for having me,” Gabrielle said.

“No woman at all tickles your fancy, Bill?” Helen asked.

“I’m afraid none, actually,” I sighed. “Maybe I am fated to be alone after all. Spending my weekends on random islands with a cup of coffee in my hand while a strange woman sleeps in my bed.”

“If you’re that lonely, just date me,” Hilda said. “I just broke up with my boyfriend two months ago.”

“Again? What did this one do this time?” Dennis asked.

“The usual married man scandal,” Helen sighed.

“The agency tried to calm me down; I was so ready to sue him,” Hilda said as she gritted her teeth.

“Easy does it, warrior,” I said as I calmed her down.

Let me bring you up to speed.

Hilda became one of the top models.

Rosa pursued a career in track and field and was one of the top athletes, but she had a side business writing romance novels as well.

Gabrielle became a doctor.

Helen was an actress.

Dennis became my personal assistant; he was majorly a financial accountant for my dad’s company.

As for me, I took over my father’s business immediately after I graduated from college.

We were on different paths in life, and just like you’ve observed… our romantic lives differed.

Hilda couldn’t keep a relationship.

I couldn’t start one.

We were the losers.

Gabrielle and Helen were together after breaking and making up.

They were a regular couple.

Dennis and Rosa had remained solid all through.

They were the ideal couple.

In fact, there was a reason we were all gathered together on that day.

“I mean, you should probably settle down soon,” Rosa said to me. “I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but you aren’t getting any younger.”

“It might not even affect me,” I shrugged. “I’m a billionaire playboy, remember? By the laws of romance novels, I’m still viable for marriage until I turn forty.”

“But for the rest of us who aren’t filthy rich billionaires, we don’t really have that lifeline,” Dennis said, then turned to Rosa. “Maybe, it’s time we bounce out of it before it’s too late?”

“Bounce out? How?” she asked.

Dennis placed his hand in his pocket and revealed the ring box, “Seven years ago, you made me the happiest boy in high school, do you mind making me the happiest man in life?”

Rosa stared at the ring with her mouth open, then she turned to the rest of us, “Did you all know about this?”

We nodded.

“You might want to give him an answer; he’s beginning to sweat,” Gabrielle said.

“I do, damn you, Dennis,” she said with a smile.

Dennis wore her the ring, and the rest of us applauded.

“Well, now that Dennis is getting hitched, it would mean I need a new personal assistant,” I announced. “If anyone knows anyone… preferably female… Please kindly recommend. I’ve already put out an ad.”

“I’ll check if any of the models are willing to work with you,” Hilda said.

“Don’t expect from me,” Helen sighed.

“I’d like to help, but doctor,” Gabrielle sighed.

“I appreciate it nonetheless,” I said. “Some people have already applied, so I’ll just go through them first thing tomorrow. Now let’s eat, drink, and fornicate.”

We all cheered with our glasses in the air.

The party continued while I sneaked away to the balcony.

I stared at the city glimmering with lights. I wondered if she was out there amongst the lights.

“Is there another party here?” Hilda asked as she settled right next to me.

“Not really,” I replied. “Why’d you come out?”

“Well, the couples are mouth fornicating,” she shrugged.

“Yikes,” I chuckled.

“You’re still waiting,” she said. “For her.”

“Yeah.”

“Seven whole years.”

“Awfully long time to wait,” I admitted.

She sighed, “So, you’re even aware.”