( This is another AU story, because I had a lot of fun writing the first one :smiles: Thanks to Sky for helping me think of the idea!

Oh, and some of it might be fudged a little bit, since the only knowledge I have of American (or equivalent) high schools comes from old reruns of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. :sweatdrops: Hope it's okay! )

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"Murrue! Hey, Murrue!"

He stood outside the little house, attention focused up on one window. The pink curtains of the room beyond were still closed, but the window was a short way open, letting in the fresh air of the summer morning. After a moment, the curtains twitched, and a familiar face peeked around, lighting up into a sweet smile when she saw him waiting. "Hi! I'll be down in a minute..I just need to fix my hair!" The face disappeared, making him chuckle. She was always late. Any moment now, she'd come dashing out of the front door, auburn hair scraped back into a ponytail, piece of toast jammed in her mouth, and her bag slung over one shoulder. And he wasn't disappointed. The green-painted door swung open, and after a second or two, Murrue ran out. Her clothes were rumpled, shiny bangs falling in her face, the brown slice of toast clutched in one hand. "Sorry.." she breezed, pausing for breath as she reached where he stood waiting. "I slept through the alarm..."

"Again," he pointed out cheerfully, shouldering his own bag. She wrinkled her nose at that, but didn't say anything. Instead, she stretched out her arms and yawned, smiling at the feel of the sunlight. "You have soccer practice today, don't you?" she asked after a while, turning to him. "You want me to wait for you?"

"Nah," he replied, running a hand through his blonde hair. "I won't be finished till pretty late. You get yourself home. Besides, those extra classes of yours give you a ton of homework, don't they?" She made another face, but nodded, hefting her bag higher up on her shoulder. "Extra English and science classes.." she mused. "And tutoring too.." Mwu chuckled, looking slightly guilty. "I don't help much, do I? Specially since you even tutor a moron like me.." Murrue gave him a push at that, laughing softly. "You're not a moron," she assured. "And I like helping people.." The blonde smiled at that, slinging an affectionate arm around her shoulders. "Thanks.."

Attention focused on the street ahead, he never noticed that his companion's cheeks had flushed pink at his touch, or that her heartbeat had picked up. Since he wasn't looking, she was able to glance at him, the red on her face deepening. He was smiling still, cobalt blue eyes shining in the sunlight...and he looked so handsome that it took her breath away. Why do I feel this way?

The two of them had met years ago, at kindergarten, when she'd been just five. She had just moved to the area with her parents, and stood alone in the playground, wanting to join in with the play, but not knowing anyone. Some of the older boys had been playing soccer, and one of them had kicked the ball straight at her, hitting her in the face. She had cried, tears trickling down her cheeks, but the boys had just laughed, collecting the soccer ball and running off. All that is...except one.

"You okay?" she'd heard, and she'd looked up from her hands to see a boy smiling at her. He'd been holding out a tissue for her tears. "Not hurt?" She'd rubbed her eyes with the tissue, and shook her head. The boy had smiled again...he'd had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, and she hadn't been able to help smiling back. "Thank you.." she'd said politely, as her mother had taught her, taking the boy's offered hand and getting to her feet. She'd learned later that the boy's name was Mwu, and he was seven years old. The two of them had played together that day, and all the days that followed, she gradually coming out of her shell, and learning to laugh and play with him and the others.

And ever since then...they'd been best friends.

But now, the way she felt about him...was a little different. All her friends had noticed the way she looked at him, and teased her about it quite often. Even her parents had noticed. But the only one who didn't seem to see the way she felt...was the one she most wanted to. Mwu still treated her like the tomboy girl that had been his best friend since childhood, not as the sixteen-year-old young woman she had become.

"What's up?" His voice broke her from her thoughts, and she smiled up at him, hiding her concerns and hopes. "Oh, nothing," she said cheerfully, looking ahead as they neared their school. "I'm just thinking, that's all. Wondering what'll happen in lessons.." Mwu grinned, ruffling her shiny hair. "Bookworm," he teased. Murrue smiled back, but inside she was still sad. Would he ever notice how she felt?

"How do you feel?" She looked up at that question, halfway through the ham sandwich she'd bought from the cafeteria. "Huh?" Beside her, her friend Natarle took a sip of her soda. "You say that Mwu doesn't notice how you feel, but you never mention exactly what it is that you're feeling.." Murrue blinked at that, surprised, but realised that her friend was right. She knew that the way she felt about Mwu was different ...but she wasn't entirely sure what those feelings were. "I..." Closing her eyes, she sighed, swinging her legs against the wall she sat on. "I'm not sure.." she admitted. Pressing her hand to her heart, she smiled a little. "When I think about him..it feels kinda warm here. And when he smiles at me...it makes my heart jump.."

Natarle grinned, setting down her soda. "Oh...that sounds like a crush. How long have you felt like that about him?"

"I...since I was about twelve or so.." the other girl replied softly, cheeks pinking. "My mom noticed, and she talked to me about it. She said that...she'd always known that it might happen. I didn't understand what she meant then, but now..I think I do..." She glanced up at Natarle, her blush deepening. "Do I...love him?"

"Only you can answer that," replied her friend, offering her a sip of her soda. Accepting the drink, Murrue sighed. "I really really like him.." she murmured. "But he's my best friend. If I tell him how I feel...it might spoil things between us..."

"Nice game, Mwu!" called out the coach, and the eighteen-year-old grinned sheepishly, brushing sweat-dampened golden hair out of his eyes. Up ahead, the bleachers were empty, no spectators being there this late in the evening. And he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Almost every game he had, his best friend was there to watch him...but today, Murrue wasn't there. Sighing, he slung his boots over his shoulder, knowing that the walk home would seem much longer without her by his side, without her sweet smile. One of his friends noticed his despondent expression, and grinned, playfully punching Mwu on the shoulder. "Aww...Ramius not here today? Maybe she walked home with another guy?"

"She wouldn't do that!" snapped Mwu, surprised at how much that thought hurt him. His friend raised an eyebrow. "Easy there, buddy. I was just kidding. There's no way Ramius would do that...she's crazy about you.." That brought a look of surprise from the blonde boy, and his friend gazed at him in disbelief. "What...you didn't know? The way she looks at you..."

Murrue...likes me? He knew that he sometimes felt weird when he looked at her..that his chest felt kinda tight when she smiled at him, but he'd dismissed those feelings. She was his best friend, the girl he'd known since he was a kid, there was no way...Closing his eyes, he thought about her. About the way her eyes lit up when she smiled, about her soft laughter, the way her auburn hair gleamed an almost copper shade in the sunlight...

And he smiled.

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( This is the first part, and it was fun to write XD

Hope it's okay! Please read and review! )