Gazing across the endless blue ocean, I inhaled the salty sea air. A ways away a fish jumped high in the air, and a thrill of excitement coursed through me. Not because of the fish, though. I was on my way to Waffle Island, where I would be living for the rest of my life.

"Wow, Pascal, I think I can see why you like sailing so much!" I exclaimed in delight. A wave hit the bow of the old fishing boat and I received a spray of water in the face. Laughing, I wiped the seawater from my cheeks and short pink dress, then re-tucked my short yellow-blonde hair behind my ears again. My purple eyes scanned the horizon and found a mass of land just starting to appear. My heart started beating faster as I realized that must have been our destination.

"I'm glad you like it so much, Starri," the old sailor said with a kind chuckle.

I beamed and pointed to the splotch in the distance. "Is that Waffle Island?"

Pascal came to stand beside me. "It sure is. We should get there within the hour."

I couldn't help a small jump of glee. My companion looked at me. "I thought you liked sailing?"

"Well, yeah, I really do!" I said, feeling flustered. "It's just that I've been waiting to get there for a while now..." I trailed off as I realized that he had been joking; an amused smile lit his wrinkled face. I returned it somewhat sheepishly.

Apparently my mother grew up on Waffle Island. She felt that when I turned eighteen, which I had five days ago, I should move to the island and start a life of my own there. The only reason I hadn't grown up there myself was because of my dad, who my mom had met while he was on a business trip to Waffle Island. I had been born and raised in Flower Bud Village. Which made me good friends with Elli, it turned out, so I was excited to see her.

Like Pascal had said; within the hour we were arriving in port at Waffle Town. Unable to keep a large smile off my face, I gazed at what I could see so far of the town. It looked small but cozy.

I was already leaving the ship before Pascal finished giving me permission to exit. There to meet us on the dock was who I presumed to be the mayor, Hamilton.

"Hello!" I beamed at the short man and dipped my head. "I'm Starri."

He returned my smile. "Good afternoon, Starri. We've been expecting you! Welcome to Waffle Island. I'm sure you'll love it here. Would you like a tour of town?"

I nodded earnestly. "Yes, please!"

The next hour was spent exploring around some of the island with the mayor. I felt infinitely pleased with my new home and couldn't wait to write to my parents to tell them how happy I was. I only met a few people on the tour; the General Store owners, Dr. Jin and Irene and Perry, the girls at the tailor shop, and the guys at On the Hook. Then, of course, I thanked Mayor Hamilton for the tour and went to the Sundae Inn for the night, where I would be staying until I had enough money to buy a house of my own. I met Yolanda, Colleen, Jake, Chase, and Maya there at the Inn. I wasn't so sure about Maya. Either we'd be good friends or big enemies, but I knew I wouldn't find out that night. I tried to calm my excitement and go to sleep in the comfy Inn bed.

Tomorrow I would go meet some more people out of town, then sign up for a job at the Town Hall. I had another friend who lived here and was looking forward to seeing him too, and I heard the Hall was short on staff. I knew I was friendly enough to serve as a clerk or something like that there.

The next day I woke up bright and early to go up to the Maple Lake District and Brownie Ranch to introduce myself. I also stopped by Souffle Farm.

I liked everyone I met yet again. After introducing myself to Renee and her family, I made my way up to the part of the Ranch where they had the barn and coop.

I felt funny as I saw Gray outside working with a horse. When I was much younger, I had a crush on the solemn boy. Of course, the feelings passed over time. I look back on the days I chased him around town, threatening him with my cooties, with a laugh.

"Hey, Gray! Long time no see!" I called over to him as I ran up the hill. His eyes widened as he saw me.

"Oh, Starri, it's you. I heard you were moving here soon," he greeted me. Gray knew I didn't like him so much anymore, and treated me as one of his few friends. Personally, I thought he had enjoyed me chasing him around as a kid.

I smiled widely. "Yeah, I turned eighteen just a few days ago."

"I remember your birthday," Gray said with a nod. "Well, I think you'll like it here. Say hi to Elli for me."

My smile remained as I bowed and then waved, turning to run back down the hill and into Waffle Town once more. I would meet everyone else in the Ganache Mine District tomorrow, I decided.

I got to the Town Hall around eleven. Opening the door, I grinned at the sight of my best friend Elli.

"Elli!" I exclaimed happily, making my way behind the counter to hug her.

"Starri, you're finally here!" Elli gasped in delight, returning my embrace.

Suddenly I remembered something. "Darn it, I missed you yesterday. Here," I stepped back and pulled out a present. "Happy late birthday."

"Oh, thank you!" My friend looked down adoringly at the wrapped gift. Her birthday was Fall first. "I'll open it right when I get home."

I nodded. "Gray says hi, too."

She smiled again. "So, you saw him?"

"Yeah. He looked happy to see me. Anyways," I changed the subject before I possibly forgot. "I came here 'cause I need a job. I heard you guys are short on staff."

"And it would be fun to work with your best friend," Elli pointed out, walking over to a file cabinet on the far left corner of the room. "I'm pretty sure we can fit you in. You'd work from eight to five, Monday thru Saturday."

"Sounds good to me!" I said, excitement building again. "Would you be my only co-worker?"

Elli was scribbling down something on a file she had pulled from the drawer. "No, actually," she started, not looking up. "The mayor's-"

She was cut off by someone entering through the front door.

"I'm back, Elli," a boy's voice said as the door shut. I turned to see someone balancing tow large boxes precariously in his arms. Immediately I went over to help him.

"Here, let me take that," I insisted and took the top box from him. It was heavy, and my arms dropped down under its weight. "Oof," I muttered. A glance into the box told me it was filled with stacks and stacks of paper. Then my eyes were locked with startling blue ones.

He's cute, was my first thought as I took in the guy's appearance. Bleach-blonde hair with a big funny cowlick sticking up off the top of his head made me giggle.

"What?" He sounded irritated at my laugh.

I smiled and turned around to walk towards the counter.

"Who're you, anyways?" he asked when he figured he'd be getting no answer to that question.

"I'm Starri!" I told him cheerfully. "The new resident." I couldn't resist looking back at him for a moment. He was eyeing me scrutinizingly.

"Weird name..." he muttered. My mouth formed a tiny frown. Everyone I had met so far seemed almost overly-friendly. This guy seemed like a jolt back to reality.

"Starri, that's Gill," Elli explained to me once we set out boxes down. She made a disapproving look at the guy. A smile returned to me. And he thought "Starri" was strange...

"Weird name," I remarked with a smirk. Gill's gaze snapped over to me, his blue eyes narrowed.

"I'm Mayor Hamilton's one and only son," he told me carefully, ignoring my last comment.

I just smiled brightly back at him. "And I'm Melissa and James' one and only daughter," I countered, using my parents' real names. I was enjoying this little game. I heard Elli try to smother her laughter.

Gill looked away, exasperated.

"Aw, take a joke, Gilly!" I said, looking sad.

"'Gilly'?" he repeated, twitching. I saw pink tint his cheeks. "Don't call me that."

I scooted closer to him. This guy was fun to mess with! "What's the magic word?"

He gave me a plain weird look. "Please..."

"Thank you. But no promises!"

Elli finally interrupted us. "Well, Starri, Gill's the other co-worker I was about to tell you about."

"What?" Gill looked alarmed. "She's working here?"

I eyed him with a new curiosity. It was obvious he was the mayor's son; he seemed wealthy. He wore a very nice white and dark blue suit, complete with a crisp purple tie.

I could work with it. Gill didn't seem too snobbish.

I tilted my head to the side at him. "If we're going to work together, we might as well be friends," I reasoned.

He just stared back at me, not saying anything, then let out a small huff and turned away.

Okay... Maybe I hadn't gotten off on his good side at our introduction. But he didn't have to be like that! Oh well. Like I said, I could work with it. If I could get Gray soft on me, I was sure I would make friends with Gill. I seemed to have a "way" with people.

"Maybe if you'd stop teasing me," I heard him mutter.

I brightened visibly. "Okay, Fish-man!" I grinned.

He shot me a fierce glare. "Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Come on, let me have a little fun!" I pouted. "It's either Gilly or Fish-man. Your choice. And if you choose, then I promise I won't make any other jokes!"

Gill didn't look happy at all. He scowled. "Both are awful. I don't care."

"Gilly it is, then," I decided contentedly for him. Before anyone could say anything more, the door opened again, this time to reveal Mayor Hamilton.

"Oh, lovely! I take it you met my son, Starri," he said delightedly. "I hope you two can become good friends!"

A large smile lit my face and I laughed. "I'm sure we will, Mr. Mayor!" I trilled innocently.

Gill rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, sighing loudly. Elli giggled, then remembered to pipe up; "Oh, Mayor Hamilton, Starri just applied for a job. I'm assuming it's okay if she works here?"

"Why, of course!" Gill's father's smile widened - if that had even been possible. He seemed very keen on the idea of his son and I becoming friends. I wondered why.

I decided to voice my thoughts to my new co-worker-apparently-new-friend the next day when we were both assigned to organizing books in the library upstairs.

"Well, Father gets... Excited, when he meets new people, I guess," Gill tried to explain, keeping himself occupied with fitting a book into a relatively tightly-packed shelf. I saw his cheeks brighten a little as he talked about his very different father. "I think he views everyone as a potential friend for me. He feels convinced I don't have any friends at all."

"Do you?" I asked immediately. A small, smug part of me was gloating on the inside; I had gotten Gill to open up a little more on only our second day of knowing each other! This was turning out easier than I thought.

Then I noticed Gill was silent. Great, he'd just realized that he had said too much. I guessed I would have to try a different approach...

"You two seem really different. You don't even look much alike..."

He paused fumbling with another book to mutter, "Why am I glad?" It took all I had not to blush and giggle, since those were pretty much my exact thoughts that I would never say aloud.

"Well, you know what they say, guys look more like their moms and girls look more like their dads. Even me; my dad was the one with blonde hair."

A frown had appeared on Gill's usually impassive face. "My mom died a long time ago. I don't remember much about her," he said somewhat bluntly.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry," I murmured, a little flustered. I hadn't meant to probe him in a sore spot. Suddenly I realized part of the reason why he was so weary and unfriendly with new people. He probably felt he had to be different from his dad, but had no motherly figure to help even his feelings out. I felt a little bad for teasing him yesterday.

"Um, I'm done with my pile of books. Do you want any help with yours?" I offered, seeing his remaining stack.

He huffed a sigh and sat back on his heels from where he was kneeling on the ground, then looked up at me with those bright blue eyes. "You know, you don't have to get all sympathetic with me just because you found out I never really knew my mom."

I was taken aback by his sour attitude towards me. "Jeez, touchy much! I wasn't really trying to be sympathetic. Fine then, don't want my help. I was just wanting to be friends."

I saw the realization flash through his eyes, but I was heading downstairs before he could apologize.

Gosh, no wonder he doesn't have any friends! I thought irritably as I set to work on my next task, sorting through old files.

"Starri? You OK? You seem to be in a bad mood... I thought you were fine when you came in this morning." My best friend's voice was full of concern. I turned to smile at her apologetically.

"Sorry, Elli. It's just..." Looking around guiltily, I beckoned her closer so I could speak quieter. "Gilly is so... I don't know - mean." It felt nice to get that out.

Elli blinked, then chuckled. "You're horrible at criticizing people, Starri. Either way, he is a little 'prickly', you could say. But don't let that stop you-" She paused to wink at me. "He's actually a big softie once you get to know him."

My smile turned into a more happier one, widening. "Thanks." I needed a little motivation right then.

She nodded and returned to the counter just in time to greet a golden-haired girl in a country-style outfit. I thought I had seen her before at the Inn.

"Can you make an announcement that the bar will be closed for a while?" she asked Elli, who nodded in reply. I stood up and walked over to talk.

"Hiya! I'm Starri," I introduced myself right away, bowing to the other girl. She smiled back broadly at me.

"Hey, I'm Kathy. I've seen you around the Sundae Inn, haven't I?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm staying there until I can get my own house. I'm working here until I have enough."

"Ah, I'm wondering how Mr. Grouch is handling working with another happy person." A smirk appeared on her face and Elli and I giggled.

"I heard that," Gill said grumpily as if to seal Kathy's comment as he came down the stairs with a large stack of books. Kathy laughed.

Before he knew it, I was next to him, taking the top few books from his wobbly armload. "You need to learn to carry smaller loads so you don't end up dropping everything and hurting yourself!" I scolded him. "Now, where do we put these?"

He looked slightly embarrassed, possibly remembering how he had acted earlier or just because Kathy was here too, but he mumbled, "These are books we don't need anymore, so they go over there." He led me to a bookcase behind the counter. We started organizing the books in it wordlessly.

Kathy and Elli had watched us with interest. "Maybe he'll make a worthwhile friend out of her," the brown-haired girl suggested quietly.

Kathy shrugged. "Who can say?" she murmured. "But they would make an adorable couple."

Elli scoffed and laughed while Kathy looked defensive. "What? They would. Anyways," she continued, raising her voice to normal volume. "Be sure to make that announcement. Take care, guys!"

"Well, she was nice," I chirped cheerfully as I finished with the last of the books. "I hope we can be friends."

Gill didn't say anything, but I could sense he was staring at me. I swear, I could read his thoughts; Do you think that with everyone?

"Wait, Elli," I started, trying to get the urge of looking over at him out of my head. "How're you gonna make that announcement?"

"Oh, over the news," she told me, but the words never really registered in my thoughts as I heard Gill remark quietly, "Oh, look, it's closing time already."

"Ah! Really?" I instinctively looked at my wrist, only to remember I didn't wear a watch anymore. "Well, I guess I'd better get going... Do you need any help closing up?"

"Nope, I think we're good!" Elli smiled. "You can go get your rest."

I nodded and left the Town Hall, feeling pretty good about my first day of work.

Over the course of the next few days, I took a much less direct approach to getting to know Gill better. And it worked! He seemed to have mostly forgiven me for my teasing, but still didn't look too thrilled at me calling him "Gilly". I didn't mind, though. That just made it all the more fun to call him that.

One day I even convinced him to join Elli and I for lunch break! The day after that, I woke up pretty early and was thinking, when I realized I hadn't met everyone in the Ganache Mine District like I had wanted to that one day. Immediately I got up and quietly snuck outside to see Gill hanging out near the stairs that led to Waffle Square.

"Hi!" I piped up happily, catching Gill off-guard from behind and thus scaring him out of his wits.

"S-Starri... Hi. I didn't see you," he said, smoothing out his tux-like shirt. "You're up early."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. I don't really know what woke me up, but-"

Gill's slightly pained expression told me I was babbling. "Sorry," I chuckled. "Well, I just remembered I haven't seen Ganache Mine District yet. Maybe... Would you be willing to show me around there?" I almost caught myself by surprise as the request slipped out of my mouth. But when I thought about it, I liked the idea.

"Ah... Um, well, we have work today, but maybe Sunday afternoon..." I could tell he was making an effort to be kind to me, and I suddenly felt happy about that.

"Yeah, OK! That'll work!" I agreed delightedly as he headed up the stairs. I hastily followed him. "Thank you, Gill. That makes me happy."

He glanced back at me for a split second, probably noticing that I hadn't called him by his pet name. I didn't miss the pink on his cheeks.

Sunday came quickly, and I was standing in front of the Inn, marveling at how I had already been here for a whole week and waiting for Gill to come.

Eep! I suddenly thought, back on the subject of the tour he was going to give me. It's almost like a date. I had never been on a date before... I hoped I hadn't started blushing, because right then I saw Gill coming down the path that I was pretty sure led to the church.

"Hi," he greeted me, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Let's go, hm?" I nodded and we headed up the middle path to the Maple Lake District.

"...I'm guessing my father already showed this all to you on your first day," Gill reasoned. I nodded again, feeling uncharacteristically shy. He gave me a curious side-glance. "Something wrong? You haven't said a word yet."

I shrugged and looked down, smiling a little and scuffling my feet against the thawing path. It was a cold Fall. "I dunno. I guess I'm just feeling... A little shy?"

"Oh," was all he said. Great, I had probably made him feel awkward. My cheeks flushed.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to feel weird..." I rambled mindlessly. "It's just that I've never really been out somewhere with a guy alone before, and..."

Now he was blushing too, but he tried to turn his head away in a failed attempt to hide it. Immediately I clapped my hands over my face. "Oh, I'm so stupid! I didn't mean it like that! I'm sorry..."

"Starri, it's fine." Gill caught me by complete surprise by smiling for the first time I had met him. It was a small, amused smile, but a smile nonetheless. My spirits rose considerably and I felt I had actually gotten somewhere in terms of creating friendship between him and me. I smiled back, brightly this time. "Well, that's a relief," I said airily, then laughed a little.

By then we were in the Ganache Mine District. First place for me to meet people was at the entrance to the mine, where Calvin the adventurer, the general store owners' daughter Phoebe, and a cute young girl named Chloe were about to head into the dark cave. After introductions, Gill seemed unwilling to hang around much longer. I insisted on staying a few more moments, trying to get a glance into the mine. "I'd like to check that out sometime," I told my companion for no real reason. "I like looking for gems."

He just shrugged impatiently and ushered me in to the next building without giving me a chance to ask what his deal was. I was nearly pushed right into a well-muscled guy about my age when we entered.

"Wh-Whoa! I'm sorry!" I apologized for bumping into him. Upon closer inspection, the boy had spiky red hair and a kind face.

"Hey, no problem. Say, you're the new resident here, aren't you? Is that why Gill's with you? Showing you around?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, he is. I'm Starri. Everyone here has been really great! I'm glad I moved here," I told him.

He returned my smile. "Good to know! I'm Owen. I'm sure you'll fit in perfectly here." Owen exited to outside, then glanced back at me before he disappeared as if remembering something. "Oh yeah! If you want, Starri, I have an old hammer I don't use anymore by the rock pile outside. Feel free to have it if you want."

"Thank you!" I said delightedly. He gave me a nod, then walked out of view in the direction of the mine. I caught a side-glance at Gill, who looked exasperated.

"Now that you've taken up half the afternoon, let's go," he said sarcastically. I frowned a little, but kept quiet as we headed into the building. He had seemed so nice earlier, and now... I wondered what was up.

Inside I was introduced to Ramsey and Mira. I tried to keep it short as to not annoy Gill anymore, but my plan was thwarted at the last minute when I was about to introduce myself to the person standing next to Mira. To be honest, I couldn't tell if they were male or female.

"My, who is this beautiful young lady?" It was a boy. He spoke before I could start. I felt color flare up on my face as his remark.

"Um, I-I'm Starri," I stammered, being caught off-guard. I wasn't used to being complemented like that at all. "Pleased to meet you."

"Ah, polite too, I see." He nodded approvingly, his long purple hair bobbing with his head. He brushed it back with a flamboyant sleeve of his frilly coat. "What are you doing with Gill here? He doesn't deserve a girl like you." The strange young man cast a purposeful glance at my companion. My face was surely 100% red now. Gill "doesn't deserve" me? What is this guy talking about? I only met Gill a week ago! No, less than a week ago!

A dart of a glance at Gill showed me he was red in the face too, though doing a slightly better job at hiding it than me. He took a step forward. "What are you talking about? I'm just showing her around!" I nodded vigorously, but I knew I wasn't doing anything but convincing the guy he was right.

"I'm sure you are, I'm sure you are," he said with a knowing smile. "Now, off with you two. Gill, if you don't do anything with her than I just might have to steal Starri away from you!" He waved his finger at Gill, who was stiff as a stone.

Oh gosh, my mind squeaked. Did he just say what I think he said?

He gave me a lavish bow, raising his red eyes to meet mine and blowing a kiss. I wasn't quite sure whether to feel flattered or plain weirded out. "I'm Julius, by the way. And Starri is an absolutely lovely name."

I probably would've stood there embarrassed and confused forever if Gill hadn't yanked on my arm, jarring me to my senses and out the door.

He was furious. Outside he crossed his arms and paced, trying to blow off some steam. "Don't listen to him. Julius is full of it. I don't know why people tolerate him."

I was silent, still in a bit of a daze. Then out of nowhere I giggled. Gill looked at me like I had gone insane.

"Sorry," I said, still giggling. "Waffle Island has a lot of interesting people, is all. I really like it here."

He blinked, his gaze softening. "Well, I'm glad you do. Not many people view the island like that nowadays." And with that he turned back to the path, gesturing for me to follow. Smiling, I had a skip to my step as I went after him, pausing to snatch the hammer Owen had mentioned by the rock pile.

Soon we were approaching what I assumed was the carpenter shop. As we got closer, a younger boy who had just been chopping away at a tree turned and spotted us. He came over and gave a polite bow. "Hi! You must be the new resident." The statement was directed at me.

"Yes, I'm Starri." I returned the bow.

"Well, I'm Bo. Nice to meet you. Hi, Gill," he added, seeming to remember at the last moment the mayor's son was here too. "That's nice of you to show her around." Bo's voice hinted that it was a little out of character for Gill to be so considerate.

"We're just here so she can meet Luke and Dale, then we'll go." Gill ignored Bo's comment. The younger boy sighed and gestured for us to follow him up to the door of the building, then let us in.

Inside it smelled strongly of sawdust. There was a large, gruff-looking man behind a cash register on the far side of the room and a figure wearing a flame-patterned bandana working away at a saw table.

"Hello, boys," the man greeted Gill and Bo as we walked up to the counter. "Who is this?"

"I'm Starri," I introduced myself. I had now said those words more times than I could count in the past week. "The new resident."

"Ah, yeah, I heard there was a new person around! Glad to have finally met you." He stretched out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Dale, in case you're wondering. Head carpenter here. Luke!" Dale surprised me when he suddenly bellowed the name. "Come on over here."

The boy at the table saw whipped around, startled by Dale's loud voice. He put a fingerless-gloved hand to the top of his head as if to pull back his bandana, then made his way over. His yellow eyes were curious and on me. I made a guess that he was Dale's son, judging by the way Dale called him over and how they had the same navy-blue hair.

"Yo," Luke greeted, his mouth breaking into a large grin. "I'm Luke, obviously."

I smiled in return. "Starri, if you didn't hear earlier."

Luke nodded, then his bright eyes trailed over to Gill. "Hey Gill, what're you doing here?"

"I'm with Starri," Gill replied. Was that a defensive note in his voice? I couldn't be sure. "And now that she's met you, we'll be on our way."

I'm still here, I thought exasperatedly, but kept my mouth shut. Gill turned towards the door without so much as a goodbye, and I shrugged helplessly at Luke and Dale and Bo. "It was really nice to meet you," I said weakly as I had no choice but to follow Gill. Outside, I suddenly felt irritated at him.

"Are you in a hurry or something?" I asked, trying to keep a reasonable tone in my voice.

"Uh-" Gill was obviously caught off-guard by my question.

"If you are, that's OK," I continued. "But you could've told me beforehand, so I'd know to keep it short with people."

Gill suddenly looked defeated. "I... I don't know. I just don't really like it up here. Sorry."

Somehow I didn't think he was telling the truth. My mouth quirked downward, but I went along with his excuse. Maybe when I got to know him better he'd open up. Gill was just a tough nut to crack.

"OK then, let's go." I started down the path again to see it forked, one side going up a small slope and the other a sharp corner around the fence of Dale's Carpentry.

"Up there is Praline Forest," Gill told me when he saw me standing at the fork, trying to make a decision on which way to go.

"Oh, then the other way must be the way back!" I concluded, then took off around the corner before Gill could interrupt. I skidded to a halt just in time to avoid a humongous root blocking the path. "Holy cow, that's big!" I exclaimed, reaching out to touch it.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Gill said from behind me. "You could've waited up, you know."

"Sorry," I said, looking back with a sheepish grin. All irritated feelings were forgotten. "Why is it here in the middle of the path?"

"It's a root of the Mother Tree." He came to stand beside me and also rest his hand on the smooth wood. He looked sentimental.

"Oh, I think I remember my mom mentioning something about that." My head tilted to the side.

Gill nodded. "The Mother Tree used to bring the island a lot of happiness and prosperity. It was where the Harvest Goddess lived. Then, when people started taking it for granted, it died."

"That's so sad!"

"Because it died is why people have been leaving the island. Your mom must have been one of them."

"No! My mom left when she met my dad," I told him defensively.

"Well, either way, something good must be happening, because people are coming back. Like you." When he turned to look at me, I saw a rare bright expression on his face. "It makes me really hopeful for the island's future."

I smiled. It was nice to know Gill really cared about something good like that.

Oh yeah, he was going to be the next mayor, wasn't he? I realized. It was... a strange thought.

"Where does this path lead to?" I asked, slightly changing the subject.

The bright expression vanished. I was disappointed, to tell the truth. "To the Caramel River District. I'd better talk to Dale about getting it removed. When you get enough money to get a house, you'll probably end up in that district, and I'm assuming you'd want a shortcut to Ganache Mine District available?"

I blinked. "How do you know I'm saving up for a house?"

He stared back. "I'm the mayor's son. I know these things. Plus, you told me to meet you at the Sundae Inn today, where you're staying."

"Oh, yeah, duh." I felt a little stupid, but I smiled. Gill just shook his head and headed back up the path, expecting me to follow. I set off after him with a renewed determination. I would crack the shell.

Over the next few days I steadily tried to get stubborn Gill to open up a little more, a little more...

"Oh wow, I didn't know there was a schoolroom here!" I exclaimed one day when I stumbled across the side room of the library.

"You're telling me you've never seen that room before," Gill said in his exasperated tone, which I was getting used to lately.

"Well, no, I knew there was a room here, I just didn't know what it was for until now," I replied indignantly. "When do the kids come for school?"

Gill stood up from where he was yet again sorting books and walked over. "It's not being used right now. There's only three young children on the island right now. Not much point in teaching just three. They're homeschooled."

"Oh, that's too bad. Who would the teacher be if school was in session?"

He placed his hands on his hips, as if anticipating a reaction from me. "Probably me."

I put a hand to my mouth in a futile attempt at smothering giggles. Gill being a teacher was almost stranger than him being mayor!

Now he was frowning deeper than his usual scowl. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, Gilly, nothing!" I said gleefully.

"Don't call me that!"

"Ah-ah-ah! That was our deal, remember? Either Fish-man or Gilly!"

"I chose neither."

"But that wasn't an option. So I chose Gilly for you!"

He just glowered at me. Laughing, I fled downstairs to see Elli. She looked up at me with wide brown eyes as I thundered down. "Gill causing you trouble?" she asked, concerned.

"Nah," I panted, grinning. "More of the other way around. This job is fun!"

My best friend laughed. "I'm glad you're having so much fun." She glanced at the wall clock, then said, "Oh, it's time to record the news. I'd better get started with that."

News...? I thought. Then it clicked. "Elli, you're on TV?" I gasped.

Elli looked a little confused. "Um, yeah, I am... You didn't notice before? Is that so wonderful? I guess I'm used to it. It's not like Waffle Island is the biggest place on Earth, either." She shrugged.

I didn't listen to her uncaring tone. "Oh, I've always wanted to be on TV! Please, Elli-" I walked closer to her and clasped my hands together, eyes shining. "Can I do the news today? Just this once, I swear!"

She didn't seem bothered by my request. "Sure. It'll be nice to take a break. For all I care, do it every day!"

I was too excited to reply. Ever since I was young I'd wanted to be on screen at least once in my life. I don't know why; I'd just always had a knack for publicity.

Then, of course, Gill came down the stairs. He'd heard part of our conversation. "What? You're letting Starri do the news?"

Elli wasn't concerned. "Why not? I already do the weather, and I'm sure people are tired of seeing my face every day."

"Yeah, why does it matter so much to you, anyway?" I asked.

"Because... Because you're so new here," Gill came up with lamely. "You don't have any special training."

I snorted. I was pretty sure Gill just wanted to get back at me for teasing him again.

Not paying any more heed to his protests, I was led into the room where they recorded the TV shows.

I thought I did pretty well. There wasn't much to report, but I thoroughly enjoyed the cameras on me. I was never one for stage fright.

Elli, however, was convinced I was born for the screen. The rest of the day at work was spent in denial listening to her gush about what a great actress I would be or trying not to snicker at Gill's begrudging looks.

When I returned to the Sundae Inn, I was surprised when Maya came up to me. "Starri, you were great on the news!" she said admiringly.

I blinked, then rubbed the back of my head, suddenly feeling bashful. "Not really... I didn't do much."

"Well, everyone loved it. You should be on more often."

"Maybe, but I dunno." I felt both embarrassed and pleased at the praise. "Wait, you have your own show, don't you?"

"Yes, the cooking show, but it's mostly reruns nowadays," Maya said a little remorsefully. "Maybe since Chase is back I'll be able to do a few more recipes, though."

"You should ask him sometime," I said encouragingly. I hadn't come across the knowledge that Maya was possibly the worst cook on the island quite yet, so I thought nothing much of her having a cooking show and was puzzled and sorry for her when Chase got a doubtful, pained look on on his face when she told him she wanted to do more episodes.

I'll have to see if I can watch her show, I mused to myself as I made my way upstairs. Up in my room I wondered why Gill was so opposed of me doing anything. He seemed to he the only person who wasn't thrilled at my performance on TV - which, now that I thought about it, would've been really strange if he was anyways. So maybe it was better that he wasn't. But all the same, he didn't have to act so mad about it. I wondered when he'd start being nicer.

The weeks seemed to fly by after that, and before I even knew it, it was Winter. I had been living on Waffle Island for a whole season!

It had snowed on the very first day of the season, and I was surprised at the amount. Just the day before the ground had been covered in thick golden grass and now absolutely none of it was visible underneath all the snow.

I was up unusually early, and I waited for Elli to come and let me in to the Town Hall at the square. I kept myself busy by watching what shapes my breath made as it billowed out of my mouth.

"Hello," Elli announced her arrival as she made her way up the stairs that led from town to the square.

I smiled, but it broke into a large yawn. My arms reached up in a stretch, then my eyes widened and my arms snapped back down to wrap around my torso.

"C-Cold!" I shivered.

Elli laughed. "You need a coat, girl. The scarf and hat are cute, but they won't do you much good unless you change out of that sundress. What are you doing in that, anyways?"

I pulled my hat I bought at the tailor shop the other day down over my head a little more. The scarf I had taken from home - er, Flower Bud Village - had matched by coincidence, so I wore that too. "Well, the weather report said it was supposed to be sunny today," I chattered.

She shook her head. "Waffle Island has very distinct seasons."

"I've learned my lesson then," I managed. "Now, can you let your best friend in so she won't freeze to death?"

Elli just chuckled and unlocked the door. "Oh, I thought I should tell you..." She paused with the door halfway open. I huffed impatiently. "It's Gill's birthday tomorrow."

My eyes widened and I didn't think much of the cold anymore. "Really? Why didn't you tell me earlier? I could've planned a surprise party and everything!"

She laughed again and we went inside. "How do you think Gill would like that? He wouldn't talk to you for days."

"It would be hilarious!" I insisted, eyes shining.

"All right, it would be," Elli admitted. "Tell you what. We can do one, but only with us two. Any more people and we'd give him a heart attack."

I couldn't help but snicker at the thought. "So, what kind of cake does he like?"

She frowned. "Darn, I don't know that one..."

"How could I ask him without getting him to suspect anything?" I asked frustratedly.

Before Elli would answer, of course, Gill came in. We stared at him like a couple of kids caught with their hands in a cookie jar. He gave us a weird look. "What?" he asked in his usual irritable manner. That broke us out of our daze.

I smiled sweetly. "What yourself?"

He just shook his head and headed over to the counter. I moved to the small desk in the back Mayor Hamilton used when he got here later in the day to answer phone calls. I go to work thinking of ways to get what cake Gill liked out of him.

By midday, I finally got an idea. When I had nothing assigned at the moment, I walked over to the form that sat on the section of counter that Gill stood behind.

"Hello," I said with a smile. He eyed me somewhat wearily, and my smile transformed into a small frown. Jeez, I thought, feeling a little offended. I looked down at the papers and leafed through them until I saw Gill's name and picture on one. A smile returned to my face.

"'Pompous and high-handed sometimes, but a young man with serious ideas and ambitions towards the island,'" I read aloud, then giggled, looking up at Gill. "You're 'pompous'? That's a funny word."

He scowled at me, though his cheeks had turned slightly pinkish.

My smile remained. "How come it doesn't say other stuff you like?" I asked, referring to the "likes" section on the profile.

"Like what?" His tone was untrusting.

I longed to mimic him, but restrained myself. "Like... Your favorite color," I suggested.

He just stared at me.

"What? Don't tell me you don't have a favorite color," I said disbelievingly.

"I don't know. Blue? I don't really care about colors."

I made a pouty face. "You're no fun, you know that, Gilly? Well, my favorite color is pink."

"Of course it is," he muttered. I was a little surprised he didn't say, "Don't call me 'Gilly'."

"Hm..." I mused, pretending to think. "What's your... Favorite cake? I really like strawberry shortcake," I added, trying not to get him suspicious of anything. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Elli flash me a sharp glance, but I ignored it purposefully.

"Um, I kind of like shortcake too," Gill mumbled, sounding uncomfortable now and not looked at me anymore. I guessed he wasn't happy about having something in common with me.

My smile turned into a grin. "That's funny, now we have two things in common!"

He shot me a doubtful look.

"We do," I repeated. "We both like shortcake, and we both have blonde hair!"

Gill rolled his eyes. "That's a childish thing to point out."

And you being unhappy about having something in common with me isn't childish? I thought, but decided against saying it aloud. So instead I said, "So? I'm happy we have something in common."

He let out a "hmph" before adding, "Actually, your whole personality is childish."

I shrugged. I didn't know if that was supposed to be a complement or not, though I was pretty sure it wasn't meant to be nice. Either way, it didn't offend me.

I straightened up and gave Gill a wave to tell him I was done with the conversation. I had gotten the info I needed, and I was grateful he hadn't been suspicious. Wow, I sounded like a spy.

When I returned to the Sundae Inn that night, I headed straight to the kitchen, where Chase was starting to cook for the bar. When he saw me approach he blinked his nearly identical purple eyes as mine at me. "Yes?"

I smiled and gave him a polite bow. "Hi, I was wondering if you could bake a strawberry shortcake for me by tomorrow morning? Sorry for such short notice."

"Sure," he said to my relief. "Anytime for you, Starri." He gave me a smile that I interpreted to be on the flirtatious side.

My mind was reeling, but I tried to pretend not to notice the smile. "Thank you!" I said cheerfully, then attempted to twirl around to head up to my room when Chase's voice stopped me again.

"Don't you know how to make cake? I think all people should know how to at least cook a decent meal. You seem like the type who likes to bake."

I turned around again, now feeling somewhat shy. "Well, I do like baking, but I don't think I'm that good... And plus, I haven't been able to for a while since there are no ovens in the rooms."

"Oh, don't do the self-denial thing. I'm almost positive you're good at baking sweets," he insisted. "Say, if you haven't cooked in so long, we could arrange for some cooking lessons sometime. Or, at least, you could let me taste your cake or something."

That idea appealed to me. I forgot all about his flirtatious smile and eagerly nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good! How about this Saturday night, since we both have Sundays off," I suggested.

He nodded. "Fine by me. See you then."

I smiled again. "Okay! Good night, Chase." I thundered up the stairs, excited for tomorrow and Saturday night, and collapsed into bed.

In the morning I got ready in record time. Downstairs, I found the shortcake I had ordered all ready to go on the counter. I grabbed it and left some money on the counter for Chase's trouble.

Elli was already at the Town Hall. "Turn off the lights and get over here!" she said urgently. "He'll be here any minute."

"Sorry! I tried to hurry!" I said as I flicked off the lights and scuttled over behind the counter with the cake still in my hands. I tried so hard to cover up my giggles.

"Shh!" Elli hissed, but she was grinning. I took a deep breath and tried my best to be quiet.

A few moments later the door opened. "Weird..." we head Gill mutter uncertainly, probably referring to nobody being here and it was dark. The lights came back on.

"SURPRISE!" Elli and I jumped up from behind the counter a split second after it became light again.

Gill let out a shout of surprise and nearly fell over. We started cracking up. I quickly got the cake from behind my back and went over to him, still laughing.

"Happy birthday, Gilly," I said sincerely, and brought out the strawberry shortcake. He stared at it.

"That's why you were being so weird yesterday with the questions," he remarked, taking the cake from me. Then, he totally surprised me by adding, "Thank you for the cake. That was nice. Though next time you can lay off the surprise." And he smiled.

Wow, Gill had a nice smile. Or was that just me? I wasn't sure, but I swear I nearly melted right then and there. I wished he would smile more often.

I mentally shook myself before I stood there like an idiot for much longer.

"I'm so glad you like it!" I said happily. "And maybe since you asked so nicely, next time you won't get a surprise. But no promises."

Gill just shook his head. He was in a really good mood, wasn't he?

"So how old are you today?" I asked, giddy all of a sudden. I had to take advantage of his non-grouchiness.

"Nineteen," he told me.

"Oh, come on. Everyone's older than me!" I complained, but I still smiled. "Elli just turned nineteen too on Fall first." He probably already knew that, I thought immediately after I said it. I felt a little dumb, but Gill didn't seem to notice.

"And how old are you?"

I had forgotten Gill didn't know my age. "How old do you think I am?" I countered with a sly grin.

He had to think about that for a moment. I took the opportunity to return back behind the reception desk. "I don't know, seventeen?" he guessed.

I scoffed. "Eighteen!" I corrected him. Elli laughed.

"Sorry! You look- you look young, is all," he said, ending awkwardly.

"Well, I didn't turn eighteen that long ago," I admitted. "Summer twenty-fifth."

"Ah." He nodded. "I don't really like Summer."

"Oh," I said, feeling somewhat dampened now. "Why not?"

"We have really hot Summers here and I get heatstroke easily," he told me absently.

I frowned, and then the phone rang, preventing me from saying anything else.

A little later in the day, I started feeling brighter. I began teasing Gill again, trying to think of good birthday ones. Elli chipped in on the fun, too. I think we got away with a lot more than usual since Gill was in such an exceptionally good mood.

When both him and I had nothing left to do and were lounging around in the library, Gill spoke up.

"Starri, why did you do all the birthday stuff for me?"

My eyes found his and I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I?"

"Because... I've been... kind of a jerk to you..." He looked away.

So he knows when he's doing that! was my immediate thought. I had the urge to ask, "Then why do you be a jerk to me?" but what came out instead was, "That doesn't mean I can't be nice to you."

Gill looked absolutely guilty. He sighed, still not looking at me directly. "You make me feel so horrible about myself sometimes, you know that?"

It was Saturday. I got off work the tiniest bit early so I wouldn't keep Chase waiting to start the cooking... whatever-it-was. I had forgotten to tell Elli about our arrangement earlier, so she was appalled.

"'Forgot'? Don't tell me you 'forgot' to tell your best friend that you're going on a date with someone!"

"It's not a date!" I protested, hitting her lightly. "He just wants to see how good at cooking I am."

"That at least means he's interested in you," Elli pressed, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

My face heated up. Elli made no attempt to keep the conversation low-key, and I was all-too-aware of Gill staring at me with those intense blue eyes from across the room. I didn't really know why I felt so uncomfortable talking about this stuff in front of him all of a sudden. Maybe it was because he was another guy, thought somehow I knew that wasn't the reason. No time to ponder it then, though.

"Can I get off early or not?" I finally asked, feeling uncharacteristically annoyed with Elli.

She blinked as though surprised - which I wouldn't blame her if she was - then nodded. "Yes, but only five minutes or so. It's not like the Inn is halfway across town."

"I know, I just don't want to keep him waiting."

She gave me that suggestive, knowing look again.

I had been unusually quiet the rest of the day and the air between Gill and I was incredibly awkward, which I didn't fully understand. Why would Gill care? It wasn't like he... liked... me... or something...

No-no-no. That just wasn't possible. Besides, Gill just liking me even as a friend would be weird. He probably felt awkward because Elli and I were good friends and we were talking so openly about my dating life. I knew I would feel uncomfortable if two people I didn't know very well were talking about stuff like that loud and clear.

I meant to check in with Gill about it, but before I knew it it was closing time and I still hadn't spoken to him. Oh well.

"Hi Chase, I didn't keep you waiting, did I?" I asked as I made my way over to the kitchen.

"No, not at all," he reassured me.

"Oh, good," I said in relief. "I must remind you, I haven't cooked in a while, so..."

He laughed. "I'm confident in you, Starri."

And that started our nearly six-hour cooking session. I started by just baking a simple cake, which Chase liked so much he had me make more and more dishes until I was cooking for customers at the bar. It was a lot of fun.

By eleven, business was dying down and I started getting tired.

"Well, I had better get to bed," I announced with a yawn. "Do you need any help cleaning up or anything?"

"No, I've got it," Chase told me, smiling. "You're not only good at cooking, you're good at keeping your work space clean too. How do you do it?"

I laughed. "I have no idea! I didn't even know I was that clean."

"I'll find out your secret someday," he vowed jokingly. "We'll have to do this again sometime."

"Oh, yes!" I nodded eagerly. "It was really fun."

We said goodnight and I hurried upstairs. Sleep would be welcome. Before I nodded off, though, my mind went back to the awkwardness between Gill and I earlier. I hoped it wouldn't carry on into tomorrow. And a small, selfish part of me was wishing that maybe Chase wouldn't ask me to do anything with him like that again anytime soon, at least. I absolutely couldn't stand the weirdness between me and Gill - and even Elli. I didn't like her thinking I was dating anyone, especially because (no offense to her) she had a tendency to let things slip out, resulting in rumors. She was still an awesome friend, but the last thing I wanted was to have people think I was in a relationship with someone I hardly knew.

Turns out I didn't have to worry too much. Chase never insisted on anymore cooking sessions, and the atmosphere between Gill and I pretty much returned to normal. The only minor problem was that Maya seemed a little less friendly towards me. But I could have been easily imagining it.

At Elli's insistence, I wore a long-sleeved shirt and leggings underneath my dress. I replaced my sandals with boots. As a very late birthday present, she got me a pair of nice gloves to go with the outfit. Now all I was missing was earmuffs!

I didn't dare say the thought aloud, though. I didn't want anyone to needlessly spend their money on me.

It was Monday, the ninth of Winter, and I slept in a little late due to being out and about at Ganache Mine District visiting with Julius, Owen and Luke and company. I did that nearly every Sunday, but today I had to skip breakfast in my panic to get to work on time. Dang weekends!

I nearly crashed into Gill on the way in. "Sorry!" I puffed, half to Gill, half to Elli for almost being late. I skittered to the reception desk.

The day proceeded on as normal then, except for the fact I was becoming aware of that horrible awkward tension between Gill and I again. Internally, I was somewhat distraught. What had happened this time? I thought everything was better now! It felt as though he wanted to say something, but couldn't get it out. I was pondering over what could be troubling him when Elli spoke words that caught my attention beside me at the main counter later in the afternoon. Gill had gone upstairs.

"Tomorrow's Thanksgiving," she noted unexpectedly.

I blinked and widened my eyes. "Oh my gosh, it is! Great, I haven't made a single cake!" Now I was really distraught.

"Don't worry, Starri, I haven't either," Elli reassured me. "Would you like to come over to Yolanda's tonight and bake some with me?"

"Would that be all right with her?" I asked doubtfully. Really, the idea excited me, and it would save me from having to ask Chase to borrow the kitchen at the Inn, which would no doubt turn into another cooking session. Don't get me wrong, Chase was a nice guy, but... if I spent too much time with him, people would start to get ideas, and... No.

"Oh, I'm positive she wouldn't mind at all," Elli answered. "In fact, she'd be delighted, I'm sure."

"All right, if you're sure," I said, smiling. It would be nice to get together with Elli without Mr. Grumpy-Gills around.

Speaking of. He walked down the stairs as I finished the thought. He eyed me for a long moment, and his mouth started to open, but then he seemed to think twice as his eyes flicked over to Elli and then his father. My brow furrowed the tiniest bit, trying to figure out what Gill's deal was today.

Partly to get my mind off Gill, I turned to face Mayor Hamilton where he now occupied the reception desk. "Mr. Mayor, may I have the day off tomorrow?" I requested.

He glanced up from a document. "Why, sure. May I ask why?"

"Of course. It's Thanksgiving tomorrow, and I know usually that doesn't mean we get a day off, but, I haven't made any cake yet. It's going to be a really late night, probably. And there's so many people to give cake to!"

Hamilton laughed. "All right, you have the day off tomorrow. You've earned it, Starri; you haven't missed a single day of work yet."

I smiled widely. "Thank you, sir!"

"Just be sure to make us some cake," he said jokingly.

"I will," I laughed.

When the mayor and I went home for the day and left Elli and Gill to close up, the brown-eyed girl noticed the mayor's son staring after the doorway where I had just exited.

Elli smiled slyly at him. "Starri's really something, isn't she?"

"Mm-hm..." he said absentmindedly. Then his eyes widened. "I didn't say that out loud, did I?"

"You did," Elli snickered. "But don't worry, it'll be our little secret." She put a finger to her mouth and winked.

Gill scowled at her. "And you're oh-so reliable to keep secrets, huh?"

"But even if you hadn't said it, I still would've guessed you like her," Elli continued, ignoring Gill's remark.

"What? I don't like her!" he defended himself incredulously.

"Why so quick to protest? You're not fooling me, Gilly!" she replied with a sing-song voice. "I see that rosy color on your cheeks, too."

"Oh, so now I'm 'Gilly' to you too. Lovely," he muttered. "And what makes you think I... 'like' her?" He grimaced at the word "like" as if it was a word he avoided using unless necessary.

"Anyone could tell," she said in a "duh!" tone of voice. "They just have to watch you for a day. Those looks you flash her when you think no one's looking, how awkward you obviously feel when you talk to her... I could go on for ages." Gill's face was getting pinker and pinker by the second. "Oh, by the way, what were you trying to say to her today? You kept hesitating and seemed to almost open your mouth every time you bumped into her today."

"None of your business," he snapped. "And I do not 'like' her, you hear me?" Without another word to her he stormed out.

Elli shook her head and smiled. "What a prick."

Outside, when he was sure Elli - or no one else, for that matter - couldn't hear him, Gill muttered, "Strawberry shortcake... That's her favorite, right? Where can I get some shortcake?"