Clo tossed the smooth rock up and down in her palm before clenching her hand tightly around it. She almost wished that it would break and crumble between her fingers, but that would be the end of a perfectly nice rock.

Most would cal it a stress reliever.

"Hell with it," Clo muttered through gritted teeth, chucking the stone at a tree conveniently planted a few paces away. She watched with satisfaction as the force of her throw led the rock to chip at the tree's loose bark, causing it to fall to the grass with a soft thud.

"Hey!"

Clo riveted her stare on the tree, which, apparently, was talking.

No.

Trees couldn't talk. Dude, your stress is getting to your m ind, Clo mentally told herself.

Clo watched, open-mouthed, as a boy emerged from the tree.

Wrong.

The boy stepped from behind the tree. Clo pinched herself to wake her up.

Max grinned. "Oh, it's you, Clo! What's up?"

Clo picked up another rock, sighing. "Hi Max. Nothing really is out of the ordinary, I guess."

She hurled the rock at the tree, earning a disappointed look from Max.

"Then why are you squeezing the life out of those rocks and throwing them at trees with this constipated look on your face?"

"I did not have a constipated look on my face and- wait. You were watching me?!"

Max shrugged. "Well, since you threw the third rock. Or was it the fourth? No, it might've been the second..."

Clo sighed for the second time. It seemed like she'd been doing a lot of that lately. "I've been so, urgh, I don't know. I've been thinking about..."

Him.

Clo rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes. "It's just that since the war has ended, I've been reminded of my earlier life."

And it wasn't a lie. She'd seen a lot more of- there it was again- him, lately.

Max nodded understandingly, though he had no idea of what was racing through her mind. "Hey, um, I should probably let you go, then. It you need anything, let me know, yeah?"

"Thanks." Clo smiled gratefully. "Oh, and do you happen to know what time it is?"

"Hee, hee!" Max giggled, wiggling a finger at her. "Adventure Time!"

Clo froze. That was the name of some small show she'd recently gotten addicted to via the internet. But it wasn't like he knew anything about her guilty pleasure... right?

"O-oh, sure!" Clo laughed convincingly. "Yeah, time for your adventure!"

Max cackled, bounding away with a basket of tomatoes in hand. Why hadn't she seen them before?

Clo shrugged, but winced as an image of him- Liam- flashed in her m ind.

Daddy's and Momma's boy. Most likely to succeed. Teacher's pet. Most diligent. Best hair. Brightest student.

Whereas Clo was just the girl who never listened to her parents and had no future.

She threw another rock in a random direction, knowing which direction it had landed in by its almost inaudible knocking with the ground.

"Whoa, watch it!"

Clo jumped five feet in the air, relaxing when she turned to look at the person. "Alex, you silent, sleuthy slinker, don't sneak up on me so suavely so!"

Alex frowned. "Too many S's. What did you say?"

Clo plucked up another rock and threw it at the fence by the road. "Please don't surprise me, okay? Okay." She didn't wait for an answer.

Alex fished around for something in his pocket. "Oh yeah, I have something for you..."

Clo looked incredulously at him. She'd always enjoyed gifts when they were meant for her. Usually she was given gifts to deliver to her "prodigious" brother.

Alex tossed her a squishy ball. "It's called a stress ball. Enjoy."

Cl gaped at the ball, looking back and forth from the said object to his retreating figure as he walked off, hands in pockets.

Stress ball, huh?