Friendship or Love?
A/N: WAHWHO!! I want to give a shout out of pure joy to all of my reviewers! You all get cake! Anywho, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who reviewed. Jack will not make a sudden appearance in this one; one of the girls will end up alone. I'm kind of leaning towards CliffXClaire but RickXClaire and GrayXClaire are still pulling me back so tell me what you think. I want to continue this piece until chapter five. If I don't pick up more reviewers by then... I don't know what I'll do to be honest.
On with the story!
The new blossoming petals of a nearby tree fell delicately into Cliff's path as he continued on his way from the winery to church. His brown eyes flickered to a full-grown cherry blossom tree dropping the petals.
Cliff had significantly changed since he got his job at the winery. His hair had become well kept, tied back in its usually ponytail, but with a hint of shine to it. The gold tips had faded into a light brown color. Becoming leaner and more muscular, Cliff hadn't grown out of his brown vest with the fur collar and deep brown pants. He had, however, long grown out of his brown slippers and now changed into thick brown boots with white fur trimming. Working outside for three hours, Cliff had also acquired a nice tan. No longer were his brown eyes staring at the ground, but now full of life and looking towards the sky.
And it was all thanks to Claire…
Claire…
Cliff murmured her name over and over again in his head, trying to figure the girl out. In the past four years that she had been here, the male had never really made an attempt to befriend the mysterious farmer and vice versa. He just… wasn't really that social. Carter, Doug, Ann, Manna, and Duke were really his only friends. And Manna, Duke, Doug, and Carter were more like parents then friends.
When they first met, Cliff had to admit that he lost his breath. A vision in blue overalls, sapphire eyes, and straight blonde hair, Claire was unlike any other girl around the village . The farmer possessed complex layers to her just as a book had chapters. If you knew one side of her, she had another side just waiting to come around and surprise you. Like that time when she almost crushed the mayor for lying to her about the farm ad. That news had spread like bees to honey. Or that time someone tried to steal one of her chickens. Boy did she blow up then! Cliff remembered seeing her rushing about town, hammer held high, chasing a man in a yellow jacket.
Really and truly, Claire was a nice person… at least in Cliff's eyes. At first, you would think of her as a naturally cheerful person, waling around all day with a huge grin on her face. But Cliff knew otherwise… and so did everyone who saw her chasing the guy who tried to steal her chickens.
Sighing, Cliff turned his attention back to the road and continued on the path to the church. As he turned around the brick paved corner, three figures emerged from the library down the road.
"Oh please!" yelled the first figure, a girl with fiery orange hair and blue overalls. "That so doesn't make sense. I mean, how could six girls just disappear for eighty years and return looking and sounding like they did when they disappeared?"
The second figure, a girl with raven black hair and glasses, shook her head. "But it's true!" She gestured to the book in her hand. "It's a narrative, which means that this event actually happened… I've also uncovered news articles on the subject and found old TV report clips on it. It must be true!"
"Is not."
"Is so!"
"NOT!"
"SO!"
"NO-"
"Stop it you two," scolded the third figure, a young women with short brown hair in a blue dress. "You are both acting like immature children."
Three names came to Cliff's mind as he watched the three from a far. Neither of the girls had noticed him yet, as they seemed caught up in their own affairs.
While Mary and Elli were mostly just more people in the village to Cliff, Ann was something special. Being the daughter to Doug, the owner of the inn Cliff was staying at, he saw Ann practically every day. She would serve as waitress sometimes, while during her free time she served as their only housemaid. The two had been somewhat close friends… until recently….
Lately, it had seemed as if Ann was avoiding Cliff. Like, whenever he came into a room that she was in, she would blush and then make up some lame excuse to leave. The girl seemed to go out of her way to alter her schedule so that Cliff and her never saw one another. Frankly, it was getting on Cliff's nerves. In truth, he had to admit that he did have maybe a tiny crush on Ann…..
Okay, a big crush.
Keeping behind a bush, Cliff decided to just listen as the three started towards where he was hiding.
"Sometimes I think being mature is overrated," Ann sighed, placing her arms behind her head as she walked.
"You'll never get married if you act immature," Elli pointed out.
The orange-haired female shrugged her shoulders. "So? Marriage and commitment are overrated. I don't do that whole love-dovey crap."
"Could've fooled me," Mary murmured, looking away from Ann as she said it.
"What was that?" Ann snapped, holding up a balled up fist.
Eyes widening at the fist, Mary took several steps back. "Ah…. Nothing! Ah, hah, hah."
"Ann please," Elli said, looking around to make sure nobody was watching. Her keen eyesight, however, didn't pick up the almost statue still Cliff tucked behind the bush as they rounded the corner. "You really do need to take anger management classes or something like that."
"You do things you're way, I'll do 'em mine." Ann neatly tucked her hair into its usual ribbon as several strands escaped their grasp. "What did you exactly mean anyways, Mary?"
Blushing from embarrassment, Mary's gaze dropped to the ground. "I was just thinking of the way you and Cliff get along so well… It's almost like… you know."
This time, it was Ann's turn to blush. "Well—I—we—it's not… you see- the thing is-- um…" she stuttered, picking at her nails to avoid eye contact.
"What she means to say, is that she like him," Elli said, transforming Ann's stuttering.
"I DO NOT!!" Ann yelled, her face now as red as a tomato. "It's none of your business anyways… so there…" Shaking off her blush, Ann continued. "Enough of this. If we don't' hurry, we'll arrive late for Claire's sleepover. Now come on!"
Without another word, Ann began to sprint down the brick pathway, Mary and Elli rushing to keep up with the athletic girl.
Coming out of his hiding place, Cliff watched the girls as they disappeared in the distance. One question remained in his head and flowed around like twittering birds…
Did Ann like him?
With the girls, two hours later…
A warm but gentle fire delicately drifted into the room as all six girls sat on the floor in front of it in a circle with blankets and pillows; Karen's were purple, Popuri's red, Mary's blue, Elli's light blue, Ann's orange, and Claire's were white. A pot of melt chocolate sat in the middle of the circle on an inflammable piece of cloth with trays of strawberries, bananas, pineapples, and marshmallows. Karen had her back to the fireplace while Claire flanked her on her right and Elli on her left. Mary seated herself next to Elli, Popuri next to Claire, and Ann in the middle of Mary and Popuri.
"No, the divorce isn't final, but it's there none the less," Karen said, popping another dipped in chocolate strawberry into her mouth. Already having bathed and changed into her pajamas, Karen looked very comfortable seated on her purple blanket in her short purple tank top with a white star in the center along and a pair of hip-hugging lilac shorts. Her hair was also loosely tied back in a ponytail, bits of hair hanging out from the sides of it and whipping in her face.
Karen was speaking of her parents of course. Having overheard Sasha yelling at Jeff this morning for giving something away on credit again, Karen had become very worried since then. Her father always seemed a little odd to be paired with her mother. Sasha possessing a fierce personality while Jeff was shy and quiet just matched the pieces of the puzzle. The female had told the group that she would be doing some snooping around in her dad's files to find out how much stuff he gave away on credit and try to get the money back, while also looking for anything else that might have lead to Sasha screaming that a divorce would be the best solution.
"Wow…" whispered Ann as Karen finished recalling the fight that she had heard. "You're actually said that a divorce, an actual divorce, would be the best solution?" Like Karen, Ann had also changed out of her regular clothes. Her usually up orange hair was hanging down, pulled out of her face by two yellow and orange clips. She had dawned on a pair of orange pants with red trimming and a long –sleeved flowing shirt that had a high rise at the chest and red trimming.
"Yep." Karen dipped her third pineapple into the steaming chocolate and dropped it into her mouth. "I was shocked too."
"Yeah… I could never imagine your mom saying that. She just seemed so… happy all of those times," Popuri said, her maroon eyes downcast as she bit into her strawberry. She too had changed into her PJ's. Her locks of cotton candy colored hair twirled into green pigtails, the young girl pulled off the innocent and sweet look right down to her fuzzy chicken slippers. She had decided to bring her green flannel top and bottom with the chicken pattern shattered all over it to match both of her accessories.
Leaning back on her hands with her feet sticking towards the middle, the girl closed one eye. "Sasha visits our house all the time. I would imagine she would show some signs of sadness between Rick and me if there were a divorce going on, but we haven't noticed anything. I'm not saying that you didn't hear right, Karen, I'm just saying that she seems to be hiding it pretty well if that that is what is going on."
Karen closed both of her eyes. "I know I heard my mom right. And I'm not just making this up either. Either my mom and dad have already made up or they're trying to hide something…."
"The question is what? Are they getting a divorce? Have they figured out another way?" Mary asked, stating all of the questions weaving their way through the girls' minds. The female had changed into her extended blue nightgown with short sleeves and her hair tied tightly back in a full braid. For now, she still had on her glasses. A medium-sized book with a torn red cover lay at her side.
"UGH! This is so confusing!" Popuri fumed, stamping her chicken slippers on her red blanket. "Why does everything have to be so confusing?"
"Now, calm down. I'm sure that there is a logical reason for this," Elli said, wiping her short brown hair away from her face. The nurse had decided on changing into a flowing gown along with long sleeves and had a yellow ribbon tied near the neck collar. The gown was especially trimmed to fit around her waist, giving her a very slim appearance.
"What logical reason could there be?" Ann snapped. "Karen's parents are getting a divorce and that's that. They're just trying to hide it until they can guarantee it's final so they don't' upset Karen."
"Ann!" yelled Claire, seeing the hurt expression on her best friend's face. Like the others, Claire had changed into her pajamas. A soft, pink, silk shirt with buttons running up the top half matched her cherry silk bottoms perfectly. Her golden hair lay messily tied back in a half braid while her dog sat perfectly content in her lap. "Can't you be at least a little more sympathetic?"
Ann's light blue eyes darted to Karen, who was trying to mask the pain she felt. Rubbing the back of her neck while laughing nervously, the female stuttered, "Ah, ha, ha. Sorry…"
Karen's green eyes flickered to Ann's blushing face. "It's all right… I know how thick headed you can be at times."
"HEY!" snapped Ann, the other girls bursting into a laughing fit. "I—I- I'm just forgetful… That's all!"
"No denying that," muttered Mary, settling into her navy blankets more.
Ann's already red face turned even redder. "I would make a sarcastic remark right about now, but I'll let that one slid… This time only!"
With Ann turning away from the librarian, Mary rolled her gray eyes.
Not noticing Mary, Ann and Karen turned their eyes on Claire. "So Claire…" giggled Ann. "Are you going to the Goddess Festival with anyone?"
"Yeah…" Karen persisted, flashing a devilish smile. "Give us all the details. Has anyone asked you? If so, who, where, when, and what exactly did he say?"
Claire's cheeks flushed a deep shade of pink as she started scratching behind Rover's ear. "I'm… not going," she confessed.
"WHAT!?" all the girls cried in shock. Sure, Claire wasn't the most beautiful girl in town or the most graceful, but still. Someone had to have asked her.
"Why not?" Popuri whined, leaning forward with her knees tucked behind her.
"Well…" Claire started, refusing to meet any of her friend's gazes as she stared at the sleeping form of Rover. "I-I have a lot of work to do on the farm-"
Karen rolled her eyes. "We can help you get your chores done no problem! No what's the real reason?"
"It's none of your guys' business anyways," the blonde defended pitifully.
"Your our friend. Any of your business is our business. Now out with it already!" Popuri whined, hands on her hips.
Biting her bottom lip, the farmer desperately tried to think of another reason but none came to mind. Sighing in defeat, Claire stared intently at the wooden floorboards and mumbled almost inaudiabley, "No one asked me..."
"What?!" Karen abruptly screeched, leaning forward on her knees with a look of shock on her features. "That-That's impossible! What about Cliff? Hm? Tim? Rick even?"
The female gave a short shake of her head. "No one's even mentioned it to me and besides, I don't even have enough money for a dress... But, it's okay. Those things are overrated anyways. I'd be much happier on the sidelines."
Elli simply shook her head and tucked a lock of her brown hair behind her ear. "But you said you would love to dance in the Festival last year."
"Yeah," Ann agreed, tossing her braid over her shoulder, "That's why Dad bribe- er... presauded the Mayor to let you in. You gotta dance!"
"But wouldn't it look kind of foolish for her to appear in her overalls with no date?" Mary questioned, throwing an apologtic look at Claire as she spoke.
Karen placed her chin in her hand and slumped down on her sleeping bag. "There's gotta be a way to work this out..."
"W-Wait! Don't I have any say in this?" the blonde farmer pointed out. Unfortunately, once her friends had made up their minds, it was desperately hard to change them. "But I didn't even get a draft of the dance steps!"
The girls were silent for a moment, each thinking their own thoughts and pondering about ever possibility.
"I know!" Karen shouted, leaping into the air. "For the dress problem, I can get he fabric from my dad's shop. I'm sure he won't mind and don't worry about paying us back. You running this farm all by yourself is payment enough."
Elli suddenly piped up. "And I can sew it into a dress; my grandmother taught me a thing or two."
"My mom has contacts with Saibara at his and Gray's vacation spot," Mary mused, leaning back on her hands, "I could probably place an order for a necklace and earrings from her."
Ann cheerfully raised her hand in the air. "Oh! My mom taught me some embroidery skills! I make the dress look really sexy on you Claire!"
"And I could do your hair!" Popuri finished, casually throwing her arm around her friend's shoulder.
Even after her friends agreed on it, Claire was hesitant. "But I still don't know the steps or have a date."
"The date thing is no problem," Ann said, waving her hand in the air in a dismissive gesture. "You can go there solo like I am."
Mary glanced at Ann. "I thought you were going to ask Cliff."
Blushing, the orange-haired female lightly smacked Mary on the shoulder. "I—I-I don't like him okay?!"
"Denial," Popuri sang while laughing along with the other girls.
Fuming, Ann turned her back on the group and didn't say another word.
"Anyways," Karen said, turning back to Claire. "Don't worry about not knowing the steps either. I honestly can't remember them to save my life! We can work together to learn them. Trust me, this festival will be a piece of cake." Leaning back on her hands, the female snapped her fingers together. "Now I vote that we get the popcorn out and pop in 'Horror Film 3'. Who's with me?"
Five choruses of 'I am' rang through the room, Ann forgetting her anger at the mention of popcorn.
Setting down her dog on her white blanket, Claire walked towards the kitchen and grabbed the set out popcorn bag. She placed it in the microwave and pushed the popcorn button. Locks of her golden hair swayed in her face as she lay down on her blanket again. Mary switched off the lights as Ann popped the movie into Claire's DVD player.
The screen coming alive in a variety of colors transfixed all of the girls, except Claire. Her thoughts still wondered to the Goddess Festival. Doubts flashed through her mind one by one.
Stop it Claire, she told herself, Everything will turn out fine, you'll see. You'll go and have a wonderful time with all of your friends. Besides… what could go wrong?
A/N: Gosh... I am so sorry. I just reread this chapter and I realized how... childish it sounds. I tried to make the girls act like teenagers in our day and age but still mantain their old personalities... And I sucked at it. I'm really sorry. Once the romance picks up though, it will get better. Promise.