Wally cupped his hands, catching a few drops of rain. They dripped off the sides and fell to the ground, the grass quickly absorbing it. His hair began to get very damp, and he pulled his orange hood up on his head, shielding the water from his face for awhile before he tilted his head up. Small patches of grey cotton candy littered the sky. He gazed at the stars, which were a little dull looking, and he had to strain his eyes to make out each one. He sighed, burying his face into his arms.

"Stupid, cruddy villains...who needs them? Why do they always have to show up and ruin everything? I've already tried to tell her eleventy billion times." Wally curled his knees up to his chest and pulled a pair of glasses out of his pocket. They were his own pair. He never liked them, although when they were on his face, they were practically invisible, due to the pale coloring of the rims. He just didn't like glasses. Only the nerds wore those things. However, he would love to put them on when he was alone. They made him feel smarter, in a sense, and besides, they improved his vision. After he slipped the round frames onto his face, the stars seemed to perk up, and the light they cast caused him to rub his eyes for a moment. The moon was not visible, though, because the clouds were blocking it from his angle.

He had just come back from a mission with his team. Knightbrace had released his wrath once more, and this time, he had tried to put braces on kids with teeth that were out of position. Apparently, his tools had been upgraded, and he had slapped braces and assorted headgear on Numbuh Two and Numbuh Five. The others were lucky, and they only had their teeth brushed, which was still horrific, but in the end, Knightbrace was all taken care of. Wally had attempted once again to tell Kuki he adored her, but a toothbrush was inserted in his mouth before he had the chance to utter such special words.

"Ah, who needs her," he tried to convince himself. "She's just a girl." He blinked from behind his glasses, inhaling a breath of cold air. "She can't mean anymore to me than, say, wrestling, o-or comics..."

Wally sat still for a couple minutes, and thought about Kuki. He was possibly the only friend he really had. Numbuh One and Numbuh Two were his friends, yes, but he couldn't tell them things like he could with her. To him, she wasn't just a girl. She was friendly, and thoughtful, and he was very reluctant to the fact that he would have to forget all about her in just a year. The clock was ticking, and he was scheduled to be decommissioned by the time he reached the seventh grade. Kuki would be decommissioned three months later. It would mean that he would never feel the same way about her again. In a way, he would start his life over.

"I'm so stupid!" he yelled, smacking his hand on his forehead, which knocked his hood back a bit. "I'm an idiot, and even these glasses can't hide that. I can't pretend I'm someone else. I'll never wear these cru--"

"I like your glasses," a tiny voice murmured, and surely enough, Wally could make out Kuki Sanban's bright green shirt. Her head was left uncovered, and she appeared to be very cold and drenched with rain. He wanted to invite her to sit down with him and watch, with great admiration, the small, crystal drops falling from the heavens, and draw her close to him, whispering the words he had longed to say to her for so long. He couldn't bring himself to do it. He was still a kid, and he couldn't imagine himself doing such things. According to everyone else, only teenagers and adults fell in love. It was gross when you were a kid.

For a few moments, he could only stare at her, in what turned out to be a glaring contest between the two. Wally blinked first, and pulled his hood over his face. "Go away."

After she didn't respond, he had thought he had hurt her feelings, and once again longed to squeeze her hand and tell her he was sincerely sorry. "Wally, I came to bring you the newsletter. For school, I mean. I put some Tons of Fun Science Teacher Rainbow Monkey stickers on it, and I hope you don't mind..." Kuki handed him the soggy paper, the ink barely readable. Her fingers clutched a Rainbow Monkey she had brought along, and her eyes appeared to be a bit forlorn. Wally hated to see her so sad, but all he could do was read the paper she had handed him.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "A...a party? You mean to say that our school is going to have a party. Why?"

"Well, actually, Matthew suggested it to the school council, and they agreed instantly. It's hard to explain." Kuki stepped closer to Wally, and he soon realized that she looked very different tonight. Her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail, and the sleeves on her shirt had been adjusted so they were cuffed. Obviously, she had been expecting someone to be here. Perhaps her wondrous, incredible, super-hero. Matthew Baterwhield.

Matthew. How he dreaded the sound of his name. He just seemed to pop out of nowhere one day, and everything that Wally did, he did better. He was smarter, stronger, older, taller. And he loved Kuki. The few times that Wally had worked up the courage to tell Kuki that she looked very pretty in a new dress, Matthew went up to her and screamed, "Wow, you look hot!" Of course, being slightly dim-witted, she fell for Matthew, and was very interested in everything he did.

So, if Kuki has a little crush on Matthew, why can't I have a little crush on her? Love is so complicated.

"Um...it's a dance, really. You know, a school dance. Boys ask girls, though."

Yuck.

"I don't want to go to some girlie dance! Everything's going to be full of pink flowers and junk." He pouted and crossed his arms across his chest, with his legs stretched out. He resembled his toddler brother during a temper tantrum.

"Please, Numbuh Four? I really need someone to go with, and I can't go until you ask me." Kuki frowned, squeezing her Rainbow Monkey even tighter. Her knuckles were white from gripping it so hard.

"Why don't you ask your precious Matthew? He thinks you're smoking hot, remember?" he yelled. "I don't want to go to a lame dance, and that's final!"

Kuki blinked sadly, and cast her gaze down to the grass. "I understand, Wally."

"Yeah, you better--wait, what?" He turned his head slightly to look at her in confusion.

With a sigh, she picked a blade of grass, and mumbled, "I thought you liked me. A lot. Not like you would like me as a friend, but that you would like me, like me as a...crush. You know. But I truly understand. You think Matthew and I would be the perfect couple."

Oh, snap. Look what you've gotten yourself into now, Beetles.

"So, I agree. Matthew's really cute and he likes me a lot, so I'll just ask him to the dance. He's so sweet, he could be my boyfriend! Ooh, ooh, maybe he'll ask me to marry him tomorrow, he loves me so much! I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to have kids with me, and I would totally agree. Hmm, how does Mrs. Baterwhield sound to you? Or Kuki Baterwhield? Thanks so much for helping me!" She threw herself on him in a tight hug, a smile spread across her face. Her partner, though, was pale and trembling.

"NO! Please, please, please don't ask him! Fine, I-I'll go to the cruddy dance with you. Just please don't go with Matthew." Wally looked like he was about to cry.

"Gotcha," she snickered, letting him free.

There were a few seconds of silence before he got into a huge fit of screaming and cursing. Kuki just laughed and said, "I can't believe you fell for something that stupid!"

"I hate you, you know that."

"I know."

Wally sighed. "Don't do that again, Kuki. You scared the crud outta me."

"So, you'll do it?" Kuki exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, whatever," he muttered. The clouds had moved on, and the moon was now shining brightly above them. Even the rain was letting up, although a few streams still trickled down. Why did every perfect moment have to be ruined by something dumb?

"That's great," she mused, and skipped up to Wally, a huge grin on her face. Much to his surprise, she pecked his cheek with a light kiss. "See you soon!"

And with that she left. Wally, however, stayed in the same spot, a smile plastered on his face, where he sat until the stars began to fade into the morning light. As soon as the sky changed colors, he picked himself up, walked a mile and a half back to the tree-house, and ran up the stairs to his room, where he collapsed onto his bed, with a silent breath of relief. Maybe he still had a chance at impressing her. Maybe his glasses did make him smarter.