"Hey Soul."

"Yeah?"

"Do I look nice?" The girl twirled in a light pink sundress, her ash blonde hair floating loose around her head. She had practiced the twirl in front of a mirror for hours, trying to get it just so absolutely perfect. Soul didn't even look up. He was engrossed in some TV show, and had slouched on the couch with a bag of chips.

"Yeah. Fine." He gave her a quick glance. "Your hair's messed up though." It had settled twisting around her shoulders. Angrily, Maka pulled it back behind her head.

"Ok. I just want to look good for my date."

"As in with your dad?"

"As in with a guy I'm interested in!" That shut him up for a moment. Then he spoke again.

"Have fun then." Not a 'who with' or anything. Maka was about ready to kill him. Didn't he get the hint?

"Idiot." She muttered, and stormed out. He didn't even run after her. Idiot. Jerk. He was just all around horrible. Maka headed outside into the sunshine. Where to go? She decided on the library. At least there she could distract herself. When she got there fifteen minutes later, it was almost empty. Almost. Black Star and Tsubaki were there, and in Maka's opinion, Black Star counted as at least twenty people. Tsubaki waved tentatively.

"Hey Maka!" In spite of herself, Maka grinned. Tsubaki always made her feel better.

"Hey! What are you two doing here?"

"Black Star has to sort books. Stein caught him sneaking into the girls baths." Replied the older girl with an embarrassed smile.

"Shakespeare? Who is this idiot! Never even heard of him!" Black Star called from a precarious perch on a high shelf. Tsubaki laughed, and Maka flopped down in a chair next to her.

"Please tell me how you put up with him." Maka muttered. "I really need to know." Tsubaki looked at her quizzically. Then she smiled gently.

"What you really mean is how to deal with Soul, isn't it?"

"Uh... heh... maybe?"

"It's fine." Tsubaki said, patting Maka's shoulder. "Just tell me what happened." Maka sighed and stared up at the ceiling.

"It's like... I really like him, you know? But... I just don't think he cares. He doesn't even pretend. Which is unusual. He's usually really observant and knows a lot about people. So why doesn't he see how I feel about him?" There was a distant yahoo from Black Star as he leaped off a bookshelf. Tsubaki thought a moment, then slowly replied.

"Maybe you're the one who isn't getting the hint? You're right that he usually isn't clueless. So maybe there's another reason he's ignoring you?" Maka threw up her arms in frustration.

"Like what!" She burst out angrily.

"Well... maybe he thinks you two wouldn't be right for each other. Or maybe it's something else. Have you noticed he never seems interested in any girls? Or how talks to anyone at all. He's just the kind of person who sits in the back and observes. It could be either way, don't you think?" Maka sighed in irritation.

"I don't know. I really just don't know what to think about him." The girl sighed again and huddled in her chair. She wished, more than anything, that she knew how he felt. Eventually, after a long conversation, Tsukihi and Black Star left, and Maka decided to do something. Anything. She ended up reading in the library for hours, not noticing time passing. Anything to get her mind off him. Then she noticed the clock. One in the morning. Dinner! She had forgotten to make dinner!

"Idiot idiot idiot." She muttered to herself, tearing out of the room. She got home ten minutes later, bursting in the door. "I'm so sorry Soul I totally-" Then she stopped. He was asleep on the couch, the flickering glow of the television illuminating his face in shifting patterns. Maka laughed softly. Then, hesitantly, she tiptoed forwards. He looked so... cute sleeping. Softly, she lay down beside him. Maka found herself drifting off, staring into his sleeping face. Maybe it was how tired she was, or how worked up she had gotten today. But there was nowhere she would rather be.