October 8th, 2015 (11:15PM GMT+10)

  "Dude, that's so not fair!" Jake cries, scowling at the television screen before us. I grin cheekily, happy that I've beaten Jake once again in a racing video game on the PS4. We've been playing the game for nearly an hour already and Jake still hasn't proven his "skill" in the game, as he claims he has.   "Who's the loser now?" I tease with a roar of laughter, extending my hand out for the money he bet on me before we started the game. He scowls as I continue to laugh, and exclaim, "Pay up, Hill!"   He groans in defeat and fishes out his wallet from his dark khaki shorts. He pulls out a fresh $5 bill, slapping it on my hand with a grimace. Grinning like I've just won the lottery, I slip it into my pants pocket.   "Wanna bet again or have you had enough of losing, loser?" I continue to , holding onto one of the console controllers again and nudging him with my elbow. He sticks his bottom lip out as he looks at the screen with a betrayed expression on his face.   "So not fair. I'm telling you, I'm good at this game, okay?" Jake whines, leaning forward onto his knees with his elbows supporting his weight. "One more." He declares, his tone now competitive again. I smirk.   "Same amount?" I ask and he nods firmly.   "Same amount." Jake and I race again, shouting and cursing in between. Jake's mostly the one shouting.   "Yo, guys. There's--"   "Can't talk, Steve. Racing." Jake immediately cuts off the voice, Stephen's voice, coming from behind us. I laugh as Jake's virtual car swerves off the tracks, to the sand, and into a fence. Jake, meanwhile, curses under his breath at his luck.   "My bet's on Su." Stephen says after a moment of silence just watching Jake and I play. Suddenly, the game pauses and Jake looks behind him, towards Stephen.   "Really?! Not me? I'm so hurt." Jake frowns in disappointment. Stephen shrugs his broad shoulders, grinning at me. I return the grin as Jake scoffs in disbelief, murmuring something about 'support from his so-called friends'.   "You were going to say something?" I ask Stephen.   "Oh, I was going to tell you that some of the guys started a barbecue outside. Maybe you wanted some but it looks like you're both busy." Stephen shrugs again. Jake's face quickly lightens up at the mention of food being prepared outside.   "Food?" He repeats then makes a quick dash out the door without a moment's glance at me, the game we were playing already long forgotten. He even takes the wireless controller with him.   "That guy's weird." Stephen comments, pointing his thumb behind him to gesture at Jake. I nod in absolute agreement as I leave my controller on the sofa, turn off the TV, and follow Stephen out to join the barbecue.   Nearly most of the residents of the dormitory building that I live in are outside, enjoying the barbecue being cooked by a few guys who also live at the same dorm compound. As the season is at the halfway point towards spring, the sun is shining brightly and the cool breeze is not too cold; the weather is just right for an unexpected barbecue party.   Jake and I sit on one of the picnic mats placed on the grass outside, eating our delicious pieces of cooked meat. Or, in Jake's case, wolfing them down like no tomorrow. Samithi is also joining us, sipping on her soda as she sits in a mermaid-like fashion next to me. Her friend, Georgia, a short blonde girl with light blue rimmed glasses, sits next to her as she chats away about a book that she recently read.   "You should probably slow down, Jake." I comment as I watch him gobble two sausages in a minute. "