My name is Lola, I'm ten years old, and my life has become complicated since my older brother Eliot and my younger sister Lilas decided that Jules and I were in love. Jules has been my best friend since first grade, he comes to our house almost every day, and now I can't even look at him without it becoming awkward because of them.

By Wednesday afternoon, I'd really had enough.

Jules had come after school as usual.

We had planned to build a great little cabin in the garden with the cardboard boxes Dad had brought home from work. But of course, Eliot and Lilas weren't going to leave us alone.

"Lola and Jules, in love like in the movies!" Lilas sang, skipping around us in the living room.

"Stop it immediately!" I yelled, glaring at him. My cheeks were already burning, but not because I was in love - just because I was fed up!

Jules, sitting on the sofa with his game console, pretended not to hear anything. He also looked annoyed.

Eliot arrived in the living room with his know-it-all, big-brother air. At twelve years old, he really thinks he's an adult since he started secondary school.

"So, you're going to hold hands in your cabin?" he asked with an unbearable smirk.

"ELIOT! Go bother someone else!" I grabbed the sofa cushion and threw it at him with all my might.

Jules put down his console and stood up. "Seriously, you guys are being a pain. Can't we just be friends?"

"Yeah," I added. "Thomas and Maxime are together all the time and you don't say they're in love!"

Thankfully, Mom intervened from the kitchen: "Kids, that's enough now. Leave Lola and Jules alone. They're just friends. There's nothing wrong with that."

But Lilas wouldn't budge: "Yes, but Mrs. Dupont at school said that boys and girls who always play together, it's because they really like each other!"

"Mrs. Dupont should teach her third-grade students not to repeat just anything," I replied sharply. "Jules is my best friend, just like Clara is my best friend. It's the same thing!"

Jules nodded towards the garden. "Come on, let's go. Let them talk their nonsense."

We both went outside, and I slammed the French doors a little too hard. Behind the glass, I could see Eliot and Lilas still laughing.

In the garage, we started sorting the boxes in silence. The atmosphere was tense, not like usual. Normally, we talk all the time, we laugh, we bicker about who has the best ideas. But this was different, because of this stupid situation.

Jules took the tape and started assembling two large cardboard boxes. After a while, he sighed.

"It's really awful. Before, I used to come to your place and everything was normal. Now, every time, they make their stupid jokes."

"I know," I replied, sitting down on a crate. "Sometimes I feel like not inviting you anymore just so they'll stop."

Jules stopped taping and looked at me, looking worried. "But... you really don't want to see me anymore?"

"No, that's not what I said!" I jumped up. "You're my best friend! It's just... it's complicated. They're ruining everything."

"Yeah, I understand." Jules went back to work on the cabin. "You know what? We should prove them wrong."

"How ?"

"Well, we're still doing exactly what we want. We're building our cabin, playing together, and we don't care about this.""That's what they say. If they see that we don't turn bright red and embarrassed, they'll eventually stop."

I thought about it. Jules was right. The more we reacted, the more they insisted.

"You're right. Let's just pretend nothing happened."

We got back to work, and little by little, the strange atmosphere disappeared. We started discussing our project, arguing amicably about the best way to assemble the boxes, just like before.

The cabin was taking shape. It was great, big enough for both of us to sit inside. I had brought cushions and Jules had put up a string of lights he had found in the garage.

While we were working, Eliot and Lilas went out into the garden to watch us.

"Your love cabin is so beautiful!" exclaimed Lilas.

Without even looking up, Jules calmly replied: "Thank you, that's kind of you. Do you want to help us decorate?"

Lilas was speechless. She hadn't expected that.

"Um... may I?"

"Yeah, go get some markers and colored paper. We're going to make some drawings for the walls."

I understood Jules' strategy and played along. "Eliot, can you hold the boxes for us while we tape them? You're taller, it'll be easier."

My brother hesitated, a little unsettled. Then he shrugged and came to help us.

Finally, the four of us spent the afternoon building and decorating the cabin. Lilas drew pictures of flowers and birds, Eliot helped us reinforce the structure, and Jules and I directed the operations.

When we first sat in it, it was magical. Our secret cabin, made by the four of us.

"This is our headquarters," Jules declared solemnly.

"The headquarters of the fantastic four!" added Lilas, very proudly.

"Yeah, not bad," admitted Eliot, looking around.

That evening, when Mom called Jules for snack time, Lilas came over to me.

"You know Lola, it's true that you're not in love. Lovers want to be alone, and you, you let us play with you."

I smiled. "Well, there you have it! We're just very good friends, that's all."

"Okay. Sorry for making fun of me."

Even Eliot came to see me later. "The cabin is cool. And... sorry about the jokes. It was funny at first, but I realized it was really bothering you."

The next day at school, I told the whole story to Clara, my best friend.

"You see, I was right!" she told me. "You just had to show them that you were really friends, without letting them bother you."

"Yeah. And now we have a great cabin!"

Jules joined us in the courtyard. "Hi! Lola, what are we doing after school today?"

"Could we invite Clara to come and see the cabin?"

"Good idea! And maybe we could start a club?"

"A club of what?"

"I don't know yet, but in our HQ, we have to do some club stuff!"

The three of us laughed, and I thought to myself that, in the end, everything was back to normal. Jules was my best friend, Clara too, and it didn't matter what others thought. Friendship is friendship, period.