Tick.. tock.. tick.. tock..

The pink clock on the pink wall had just struck midnight. That marked Candace's second hour of being awake after having gone to bed. The girl groaned into her pillow- why did falling asleep have to be such a chore at times? She clutched Mr. Miggins tightly to her chest, but the teddy bear didn't offer any answers. Groaning still, Candace rolled out of bed. Maybe all she needed was a glass of water. If anything, the walk downstairs would help clear out her hyperactive mind.

It was only after she sat down at the kitchen table that she noticed how hot her room was compared to the rest of the house. These summer nights had gotten particularly sweltering. Sleeping with no covers was an option, but ever since she was little, the thought of monsters roaming the darkness of her room had kept her from trying. She'd have to grin and bear the heat, as uncomfortable as it may be. Uncomfortable like wearing someone else's clothes, like that time with..

Candace paused mid-sip. Her mind wandering like that was nothing new, but for some reason, it'd been leading to Vanessa Doofenshmirtz quite a lot lately. They weren't even that close, and yet it seemed every little thing could in some way be tied to Vanessa. A trailer for an upcoming French horror movie, snow cones, pharmacists, the colour black, every other brunette in the tri-state area..

Enough to give her a headache. Or at the very least, keep her awake at night.

Her glass was now empty, she should be thinking of heading back to bed soon. But instead Candace's mind was racing and her heart was fluttering. What could be so different about this one girl compared to all her other female friends? Sure, she admired Vanessa- but that was just because she was so much cooler, smarter, prettier, more interesting... than her. Candace pulled her knees up to her chin, perched atop her kitchen chair like a grumpy gargoyle. The way she felt about Vanessa wasn't at all how she felt about, say, Stacie. Wasn't she betraying her best friend by thinking like this? Or what about..

JEREMY! That's who this feeling reminded her off! The shock was enough to make her chair topple backwards but Candace managed to grab onto the table just in time. She hoped she didn't scream his name out loud like that- she'd been so lost in thoughts, she wouldn't even have noticed. Hopefully she didn't wake anyone up..

Still breathing heavily, she uttered, eyes wide like plates,

"I have a crush on Vanessa Doofenshmirtz."

Her voice was raspy with no wild parsnips to blame it on.