Chyna sat right there on top of a grassy hill in one of the largest parks in San Francisco.
The weather was nice. With the sun out and shining brightly, it was warm outside and with a constant breeze blowing, you could hear the tree's leaves swaying with the wind. Clouds were sporadic in the sky, each having their own unique shape. Needless to say, it was a great day...especially to be outside thinking.
She was holding a beautiful red rose in her hand. The rose was from a bouquet of roses that were given to her yesterday, or more specific, her birthday. In her eyes, it was the most amazing gift she's ever gotten...because it was from him. They were very beautiful, that's for sure. They were perfect. They smelt amazing; they were brilliant shades of white, pink, red and yellow.
She couldn't help but deepen her feelings for the boy - she found the gift so romantic and thoughtful. Though the color of a rose holds a different meaning, they all are related to some kind of affection for another.
Did that mean...he felt the same as she did?
It was so hard to tell. She never picked up on his real signs of feelings...at least towards her. But, there have been a few moments. Like one time, she caught him staring at her with a dazed look on his face. That was the day that she dressed up in a pretty dress for a formal Ball her, Olive, and Fletcher attended thrown by the school. That same night, Fletcher had taken her hand and asked her to dance with him. She wasn't hesitant in saying yes. Though he was stepping her feet almost the whole time while they slow danced, it was still amazing. That moment she'll never forget; the way he placed his hands on her hips, the way he looked into her eyes. It was all wonderful.
Another time was when he held her hand as they walked through the city together after hanging out at Olive's place. Though it meant nothing, to him at least, it felt like something. He said he wanted to be sure that she was with him the whole time and so they wouldn't lose each other in the dark, so he grabbed her hand and led the way through the streets. As soon as their hands met, her hand started to tingle and her cheeks turned pink.
Good thing it was dark.
It was that romantic spark that ran through her body when their skin touched. Also, along the way, he eventually entwined their fingers. When they made it safely back to her house, she could have sworn that she saw blush covering his cheeks, but he headed off home so fast that she wasn't sure.
Also, one time when she was sick for a week, he came to visit her every day after school and stayed with her for hours even though she couldn't do anything. He brought her big bear that held a heart shaped card in its hand that said "Get Well Soon". The bear was so soft and warm. Every day when he came to visit, he looked so worried even though she assured him there was nothing to worry about.
While he visited he even took care of her by giving her the proper medicine, bringing her soup and feeding it to her, and helping her walk since she was pretty weak. Roxanne, her mother, tried to tell him that he didn't have to take care of her, she could do it herself, but he was determined to help his friend feel better.
And he did.
Every time he came over, she would feel a little better.
Roxanne couldn't help but smile and admire as Fletcher ran up and down the stairs for her daughter. She had already assumed that he had feelings for, but during that week she told herself that he did in fact have feelings for Chyna. She just hoped that it was true, they'd make such a cute couple.
But then again, those times could have just been friendly gestures.
He didn't really like her, did he? No, they were just best friends.
She sighed to herself, still staring at the rose in her hand. She wished he wasn't so hard to read. It was like at times he showed that he had feelings for her and others that he didn't. And she was tired of it. She was in love with him, but she couldn't take it. She hated the feeling of loving someone but being unsure if they felt the same way back. It was all too stressing to her.
She held these feelings for a very long time. They became friends, and soon best friends, around the age of eleven when she got in the A.N.T. Program. After good three years being completely oblivious to romance, she started to develop a crush on him. Now, they were both fifteen and the crush has soon turned into love.
He had no idea of how much stress he caused her. She wanted to tell him how she was feeling about him all these years, but she couldn't find herself to do it. It's not that she's scared to tell, but she's scared of rejection. She's scared that he will say he doesn't like her in that way, but as just a friend. That would completely ruin their friendship.
That's what's been and is still holding her back from telling him her feelings. It was eating her up inside. It was like everyday he feelings would just get deeper for him.
She liked him so much that it was breaking her heart. He had no idea how much it hurt her whenever they played around, even though she liked it at the same time. When he played around with her, she wasn't sure if he was flirting or just...being 'friendly' like a normal best friend would.
And that was the problem. She wished that he would stop leading her on and make up his mind. One minute he, or at least seems, likes her then the next he doesn't.
He just had no idea at all...
"He loves me, he loves me not." She whispered to herself as she pulled the petals off the delicate stems of the flowers.
She didn't want to move from the soft spot where she was sitting. She had informed Fletcher and Olive that she was going on the top of the hill for a while so she could have some time for herself.
She continued to stare at the flower in her hand while her mind tried to comprehend it all. Chyna came to the hill to think about things that weren't him...but so far it failed.
Just a few minutes ago, as she walked out school, she had vowed not to think about him right now, she had sworn off him altogether. Well at least as much as her mind would let her, which wasn't really much at all, but she had done it. She had said she would forget about him, her feelings for him, his eyes, his hair, his smile, his laugh, and she hated breaking promises.
But no, she couldn't do that. No, he just had to go and be the sweetest guy, the best friend ever, and go buy her a gorgeous bunch of flowers with a cute happy birthday card.
"He loves me." She said, pulling off another petal and letting it float down to the ground.
She thought she could do it. She honestly thought she could go five minutes without thinking about him, but she was just kidding herself.
She could barely go five seconds, let alone five minutes without thinking about him.
"He loves me not" She whispered again, pulling off another petal from her flower.
She felt like a little kid again, making rose chains and putting her entire life in the hands of a flower. Could she do it? Could she really just sit her asking a flower the answer she'd been searching for, for seven years?
She couldn't. She could barely entrust into the hands of another human being let alone a coin, which she knew, was far more reliable. This coin had the same odds she had worked out in her head. It was fifty-fifty unless you believed the 'saying' about the heads side being heavier, but basically it was the same and she liked those odds. But flowers, the odds seemed as though they were against her, there were just too many petals to count and she couldn't tell which one held the answer.
"He loves me." She whispered, pulling another soft petal from the rose.
Maybe she could just sit here and watch the flower in her hand, there's nothing wrong with that. The flower couldn't possible hurt her, could it?
She didn't know.
She thought Fletcher couldn't hurt her...but look what's happened, look what he's causing her: Stress, pain. How wrong could she be?
He was the one person who could actually hurt her. He was the only person who mattered, the only one who mattered enough to hurt her in the worst possible way. He was the only one who mattered enough to break her heart in two with only a few simple words.
"He loves me not."
Chyna closed her eyes and let yet another petal go from her hands and imagined it floating down and landing on the soft grass beneath her. In her mind, it fell too slow, it made her wait too long for the next one, the one she wanted to fall.
She needed to be loved.
By Fletcher.
"He loves me..." She let another petal free from her hands and quickly opened her eyes at the sound of her name being called.
"Chyna!"
Fletcher was running up the hills towards her while waving his hand eagerly.
Great.
This was exactly why she came up to the hill. To get away from him.
She went into a small panic as she thought about the petals she'd pulled from the rose he gave her. What would he think if he saw that she had pulled the petals off the flower he gave her as a birthday gift? He'd probably be crushed, even though she had plenty more of them.
She started to pick up the petals but they were gone. Though she was highly relieved of that, it was...weird that they disappeared so suddenly. Almost like it was magic.
No, maybe it was the light wind that carried away the free petals.
Well it didn't matter because she had no time to think about it...he was here now. She put the almost petal less flower beside her, hidden from him.
"Hey Chyna," he said and sat down next to her.
"Hey Fletcher," she replied. She avoided making eye contact with him so she stared down at the bright, green grass below her.
"Are you okay? It seemed like you were down ever since this morning. And then you came up here all by yourself..."
Chyna could feel her cheeks heat up, which meant blush, was taking over them.
Even though he didn't say it, she could tell that he was worried about her. The way he spoke those words...they came out in a tone full of worry. Plus he would have never come up here if he didn't want to know what was wrong with his best friend.
He was worried about her...unaware that he was the reason why she was feeling this way.
Chyna sighed. "I'm fine, Fletcher." She forced herself to look at him. He was looking at her. Those eyes she loved so much were filled with worry and she could tell that by his facial expression that he wasn't buying her lie. She loved when he showed how much he cared for her. It was times like this that her feelings just got deeper for him...and also times that she wanted to go and cry just to get away from him.
One side of her didn't want to love him this much...but the other side did.
"Really, Fletcher. I'm okay." She forced herself to smile so he would believe her lies. It worked.
He smiled back at her, but his eyes looked as if they still weren't convinced.
At least she thinks it worked...
"Alright, I believe you Chyna." He put his hand on her shoulder. She shivered under his touch. His hand was so soft and gentle. "But if you need to talk, then I'm here for you. I'll always be there to listen and my shoulder will always be available for you to cry on."
"Thanks, Fletcher."
They sat in silence. Chyna was hoping that he'd get up and leave her at any moment so she could be alone with her thoughts about him. But it didn't look like that was happening. He probably wanted to make sure that she was really okay, so he decided to stay up on the hill with her.
Finally he broke the silence.
"Are you ready for the school's talent show next week?"
No, Chyna thought. How could I be ready and get my mind set when you're the only thing running through it all day?
"Yeah, I'm ready. I've been writing songs nonstop since the start of this semester!" She tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible.
"That's good." Fletcher smiled. "You sound confident, so I know you'll got it all covered. You know I'll be cheering you on from the stands."
"I thought you were entering it yourself? You know for fun?"
"Nah, I decided not to. I'd rather be in the stands cheering you on. It's always fun to watch you perform and to cheer for you. You're the best singer I know."
She blushed at his compliment. This was what she meant. He would send her mixed signals, like now. He was being so sweet as if he liked her...He had never said that she was the best singer before. He had said that she was an amazing, great singer but never has he said that she was the best.
"T-thanks, Fletcher." She couldn't help but smile, and this time it was a real one.
"No problem. But if I entered the talent show, I would definitely beat you and win the whole contest myself." Fletcher said jokingly. "Then I would be the best!"
Chyna started to laugh. She loved the moments like this that they shared, but at the same time she hated them. These moments are what causes her feelings for him to deepen and what makes her more frustrated. That wasn't something she wanted.
"You wouldn't beat me! You didn't beat me in the last talent show we entered. You didn't even make it to the quarter finals!" Chyna started to laugh once again. "You should just stick to your art. Now, that's something that you're the best at."
"Ah, whatever." Fletcher playfully pushed her as they both laughed. "I'm ready to start on my next, big project. It'll be one step closer to reach my dream as the world's greatest artist!"
"And I'll be there to cheer you on, Fletcher."
Fletcher smiled at this. He moved a little closer to her and leaned back on his arms for support. He looked up to the sky and asked, "We're best friends right?"
Chyna looked at him like he was stupid. It was a dumb question, of course they were best friends...but she wanted more, but she wasn't going to tell him that. "Yes, Fletcher. Of course we're best friends. Why would you ask a question like that?"
"Well, because I need advice. I would go to someone else...but I wanted to come to you." He looked at Chyna, causing her to look back at him.
"What do you need advice about, Fletcher?"
"Have you liked someone a lot but you weren't sure if they like you back?"
Chyna nodded her head. She really understood that feelings, she was going through that right now...with him. "Well, I'm deciding to take my chances and tell this girl how I'm feeling about her."
Chyna felt her heart break into pieces. He didn't like her...he liked someone else. She felt like locking herself in her room and crying. At least now she knew how he felt about her...
"But I don't how to say it or what to say." Fletcher took in a deep breath. "So, I need your help. What do I do?"
Chyna blinked away the tears. She didn't want to cry in front of him, but she really didn't want him to know why she was crying. She put on a fake happy face and made her voice sound helping so he wouldn't suspect anything. She really didn't want to help him land another girl, but she was going to be the best friend she was supposed to be and help him through this. "What do you think about her? How does she make you feel? What does she mean to you?"
She was not looking forward to these answers at all. The last thing she wanted was to hear Fletcher telling her about another girl.
"Well...she's really nice. She's beyond beautiful. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life and she has the most amazing eyes too. And her smile is the prettiest ever. She means everything to me. If anything happened to her, then I don't know what I'd do. She's the reason why I do so well with my art. I do it for her...I-I love her and I have for a very long time. We've been best friends ever since we were we met at the A.N.T. Program... and now I'm ready to take our relationship to a whole new level. But I don't think she likes me back. She just has no idea how she makes me feel and what she puts me through..."
"Fletcher, just tell her. You're a very amazing guy and any girl would be lucky to have you. I know a girl that'd die to have you...and you have no idea of how close she is to you." Chyna looked away as a tear started to cloud her vision. "So just tell her everything you just told me."
Fletcher put his hand on hers, making her turn her head and look into each other's eyes. "I just did..."
I'm sorry if the characters seem OOC, but I haven't watched Ant farm since forever. I just read one of my old fics and thought, well why not write another? I'm not really sure if I'll continue to write for Flyna.. I still ship it and everything, but with school starting up soon I doubt I'll get time for that.
Anyways guys, I hope you liked it :)