Hey! I figured I'd write a little something for one of my favorite books, The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester, which clearly doesn't get enough love (or the damn sequel I wanted so much). Anyway, for a bit of explanation this takes place a couple of years after the book, when they're all teenagers, and they're sort of all working at the institute to help patients heal, they sort of come and go. But that isn't really important to this oneshot! Anyway, enjoy!

-shadow snitch

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Conrad just so happened to be peacefully filling out papers in his office, or he would have been, but she just happened to be here. Why is she here again? He mused to himself, until he recalled that this happened to be her office as well.

This really shouldn't be a problem, he knew this, but he was a man of rationality. Therefore he did not take to the feeling of discomfort whenever she walked into the room, or how he stumbled on his words or tripped over his own feet whenever she glanced his way. Really, he thought such pure awkwardness could only be achieved by Jasper, he must have really let himself go to stump down to this level.

The absolute worst part though was that others took notice of this! The way Kimber would smirk at him when she wasn't looking, or how Smitty would blatantly snort. He was fairly sure everyone was aware of his feelings besides her, which didn't help in the slightest.

"Have you finished the report about Eleanor?" a southern accent that he had once found annoying that now sounded musical asked him, he looked up.

Piper McCloud, otherwise known as the bane of his existence.

"I believe you mean 007923?" he said, he still didn't understand her habit, which he found unprofessional, of naming the patients "I don't understand why you name them, and why name it Eleanor?"

"I like the name," she said shooting him a look "and it's a she by the way."

"Piper, it's a flower." He snapped, she was wearing down on his patience again "Here." He handed her the paper rather roughly.

She ignored this and just took the paper with a smile, which, despite how this should be scientifically impossible, made his heart do a flip. She squinted, he held his breath.

"You know," she began "for someone as smart as you, you sure have awful handwriting."

He held back a groan, of course she would say that. Her and her perfectionist handwriting with perfect straight lines and rounded edges, her script was perfect too, just to piss him off.

"Well, it's legible, isn't it?" he asked sharply, not turning to her, though she turned to him.

"Not really." She replied, he could see what he was sure was a mocking smile out of the corner of his eye.

She laughed, he hated her laugh, it made his "heart flip", as some would foolishly call it. It sounded like a tinkling bell.

"It's fine," she reassured him "I'm sure I'll make it out."

"I don't see why you wouldn't." He retorted.

They worked in a peaceful silence for a while, filling out papers about the progress of various patients. Even years later not all of them had recovered from I.N.S.A.N.E, though there was still hope for many of them, not that they had given up on any.

"So…" Piper began, interrupting the silence, her voice sounded different now, almost nervous "I was talking to Kimber and Violet."

"Don't you talk to them all the time?" he said, attempting to be witty, trying to get her to crack a smile.

"That's not what I meant," she said, playfully hitting him on the shoulder "I meant I was going to tell you about what we were talking about."

"Oh? Then please tell me, I'm sure it is of nothing but the upmost importance and interest."

She glared at him "We were talking about who you liked."

He froze. This wasn't good, not good at all. This would in no way be beneficial to him, and most likely have a negative impact.

"Well, I-I like everyone," he desperately tried to say without stuttering "Aren't we all friends?"

"That, again, is not what I meant," she teased "I meant who you liked romantically. You know, I didn't even realize you liked anyone that way."

He wanted to die, he wanted to die right here in his chair and then blame Piper for it.

"W-well, I don't." he forced out "I don't know where any of you got such a ridiculous idea."

"Their words, not mine." She shrugged "Although I'm starting to think you do like someone, they even said they had someone specific for who they thought it was."

He was going to murder Kimber, he decided, he was going to murder her and then blame Smitty or something. He couldn't kill Violet, she was too nice, plus then Piper would probably hate him forever.

"Who did they say?" He asked, trying to make his voice anything but an angry hiss.

"They didn't," she replied "They wouldn't tell me who they thought."

He held back a sigh of relief. "Well, that's good."

"What do you mean? You do like someone! Come on, tell me who." She startled him with her new edgy tone in her voice, she almost sounded angry.

"Do you not want me to know, is that it? We're supposed to be best friends, Conrad." She said more softly.

"No! No! That's not it!" he desperately tried to console her "Piper I don't like anyone romantically, trust me." His words sounded forced, he could never lie to her when she was giving him that look.

"Alright," she said, her voice almost breathlessly high, a sign she was angry, she knew he was lying "if you say so. I'm done with my work, so if you'll excuse me."

She walked out of the room, closing the door so it could not be considered slamming but with enough force to express her anger.

He sighed, this was just great. Now she was mad at him, even though by now he should know that she wouldn't stay mad for long he was still filled with the irrational fear that she would hate him forever.

Much to his surprise, Jasper, of all people, came in to the office. He had grown to be somewhat of a younger brother to him, and he was by far the person Conrad felt closest to at the institute-transformed-into-a-hospital/residency, besides Piper.

"I saw Piper storm out of here," he said, his stutter now gone after he'd grown up a bit "what did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything!?" he snapped.

He shrugged "You were the only person in here with her, and the only one she really ever gets mad at."

He responded with an undefined grunt.

"She likes you, you know," he continued "I'd suggest you tell her your feelings before she gets fed up with you."

He froze "…what?"

"You heard me."

Oh.

Oh, indeed.

So maybe that was why she seemed so angry with him. About the possibility he liked someone else, the lack of a confession.

Wait, no. That couldn't be true. Jasper was just lying to him, that was it. A sick joke, revenge for April Fool's day.

This was a stupid idea.

This was a really stupid idea.

This was completely irrational.

No.

He got up wordlessly and started making his way towards her room.

Ω

Yay, it's done! So this was just a cute little idea I came up with for my sort of head cannon for what happened after the book. And yeah, Conrad and Jasper sort of act like typical brothers haha. Anyway I hoped you liked it, I should be writing more soon! Kisses! O3O

-shadow snitch