Sorry about the terrible wait with this one, fellas. I've had a lot of work to catch up on in college. I also got a little distracted with rediscovering just how fun Gmod can be, but, er, that's beside the point. At least I didn't totally forget about this, right?

I'm surprised that this has gotten a considerable following with only one chapter, but I'm not complaining. I just hope I can live up to your expectations.

"Sayori? Sayori, it's time to get up. Sayoriiiiiiiiiiiii. . ."

Sayori stirred from her deep slumber. Was that MC's voice? What was he doing here, again? School was out for the summer, so it couldn't be that. Was there something important today? She tried to wrack her brain around what they could have planned, but in her half-asleep state, she came up blank.

Maybe he was just trying to wake her up early. Well, it was summer, and she wanted to sleep in.

"Mmmph," was all she managed to say.

"C'mon, Sayori," MC sang quietly and delicately as he began to shake one of her shoulders. "You gotta get up. You made plans for us, today."

Her eyes shot open. That's right, she had planned a trip to the amusement park for them. Today was his special day!

And she had slept in! Why did she have to be so lazy!? She ruined his morning.

"MC!" she exclaimed drowsily as she shot up out of bed. "I'm so, so, sorry! I went to sleep at a decent hour, I swear!"

And yet, MC was not the least bit angry. In fact, upon making eye contact with her, he smiled ever so slightly, almost as if he found her drowsy demeanor cute.

"I know," he said with a nod. "But I thought you'd might need a wake up call, just in case."

Sayori glanced over at the clock. It only read 6:02. The morning sun, still low on the horizon, bathed her room in a gentle light, and Sayori was able to breathe a sigh of relief- she had still awakened at a decent hour.

"I'm sorry," Sayori mumbled once she had calmed down. "I just got scared. I really want this to be a great day for you. You shouldn't have gotten up so early just for me."

MC nodded, his smile fading into a sad frown. "It's alright. I know how you are, Sayori. I couldn't sleep that well last night, anyway."

Sayori put a hand on his shoulder. "Still thinking about you-know-who?"

MC nodded. "Yeah, I know you told me not to, but," -he hesitated- "it's hard, you know?"

Sayori knew. She had experienced her own sleepless nights where she thought about MC too much. They first came in middle school, where they would remain for weeks on end. Then, they resurfaced when she heard that MC was taking Monika to the Holiday Dance. She never wanted to make him feel bad for not choosing her, though, not in a billion years. What kind of friend would she be to shame him for such a thing? A selfish one, that was for sure. Besides, he was still her friend, and he certainly still cared for her well-being.

Consciously aware that she was dwelling too much in her own thoughts, Sayori nodded, offering him a silly smile. "Well, forget about it," she commanded playfully, doing her best to imitate an Italian mobster. "Today is your day. You're going to have lots of fun riding those rides, I know it!"

Sayori was kinda like the Typhoid Mary of happiness. Even if she didn't experience it all the time, there was something about her demeanor that could easily spread joy to others. MC knew this firsthand, and he smiled. "I know. Thank you, Sayori, I mean it."

Sayori hopped out of bed with a newfound energy. "Welp, I'm gonna take a shower. Don't worry, I'll be quick."

MC smirked. "I doubt it. We both know you like long showers."

"Challenge accepted!" Sayori exclaimed confidently. "Now, uh, can you give a girl some privacy?"

MC nodded, blushing ever so slightly. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry. I'll just wait downstairs. Don't worry about taking so long, either; we have plenty of time to get to the park before it opens."

Sayori giggled. Once the literature club had forced him out of that stubborn shell of his, he had developed a way with words that served to comfort her. Indeed, if Sayori was the Typhoid Mary of happiness, then MC was undoubtedly the Typhoid Mary of comfort. The two of them relied on each other more than either consciously realized.

"Okie-dokie!"

MC left the room and headed downstairs. Once he was gone, Sayori headed for her bathroom and began her shower. As the hot water trickled down her face, the last throes of sleep left with it. Despite waking up at what was essentially the crack of dawn, a sense of invigoration flowed through Sayori. Her imagination ran wild at all the fun possibilities the pair would experience today. They would spin on the teacups together, traverse through the haunted barn, play fun little games, and even ride Barnstorm together. That last prospect sent a chill down Sayori's spine. Roller coasters were never her thing, and she wasn't blind enough to deny her scaredy-cat nature, but she had to conquer that fear. This summer would be the last chapter in her pre-adult life, and even if MC wouldn't return her feelings, she still had that long-standing fear to overcome, that final plot thread to conclude.

But she was ready. After all, she was a big girl. She had fought her depression, and that alone made her feel stronger than Goliath. What chance did a little roller coaster have against her? Besides, Monika would have definitely been brave enough to ride Barnstorm with her crush.

Sayori shook that thought out of her head. No, there would be no thoughts of Monika today. What she did to MC was hurtful, and despite what Sayori had told MC yesterday, the girl had half a mind to give Monika a thorough chewing-out for hiding behind text messages. Even if it really came down to MC or the scholarship, how could Monika throw away such a perfect, kind, funny, and caring friend like MC?

Then again, maybe this was a blessing in disguise, for her, at least.

Sayori turned the water off, then quickly dried herself with a towel. Running back to her room, she threw on her trademark outfit: a loose-fitting pink shirt, denim short-shorts, white sneakers, and, of course, her little red bow that she wore everywhere. As she did so, she chuckled as she realized just how quickly she was moving to get ready. When determination struck her, it struck hard. Not that she was complaining, of course.

"Okay, MC!" Sayori called out as she dashed down the stairs. "Sorry for taking so long; I just had-"

MC stood over the stove, skillet in hand. He was wearing a black cooking apron, probably one he brought from home, and was now hard at work cooking scrambled eggs. Sayori frowned disappointingly.

"MC, what are you doing?" Sayori inquired.

"Uh, cooking breakfast?" he replied. "Like I do a lot."

"No, no, no!" Sayori interjected pitifully as she ran over to him. "This is your special day. Why are you cooking breakfast?"

MC shrugged. "I dunno. I just felt like making myself useful."

Sayori smiled. He was so sweet, even if he wasn't conscious of it. Still, she only felt more and more guilty. "Well, is there any way I can help? I don't want you doing all the work if I can help it."

MC thought about it for a moment. "Well, I suppose you could salt the eggs. They're just about done."

"OK!" Sayori exclaimed, grabbing the salt shaker off the dining room table. In her eagerness to please, she proceeded to vigorously shake the salt onto the eggs, drowning them in salt before MC could even react.

A year ago, MC would have probably unconsciously lashed out at Sayori for ruining breakfast, but ever since she confided in him about her depression, he consciously realized that that was no way to treat a friend as loyal and sweet as her. Instead, all he did was gently take the salt away from her.

"I think that's enough," he chuckled. In reality, however, it was far too much. She didn't have to know that, however. He did make a mental note that, sometime before college started, he would have to teach her how to cook a basic breakfast.

Sayori beamed, convinced that she had done a great job. "Yay! Oh, and MC?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for cooking," she said with a goofy grin. "Not just today, but each time you come over. You do a lot for me, you know?"

I wonder if Monika was ever jealous of me. I certainly was jealous of her.

"Nonsense! It's no trouble at all," he assured as he scooped the now-done eggs into two plates. "We still have plenty of time before Farmland opens, anyway. There's no rush."

"Who said I was rushing?" Sayori inquired.

"Sayori, your shirt's on backwards. And wrong side-out."

"Oh!" Sayori interjected as she just now noticed her folly. "Well, I'll fix it before we leave. Right now, I'm kinda hungry."

"Then we shall eat!" MC proclaimed with dramatic fanfare. The thought of eating over-salted eggs did not sit well with him, but he would gladly do it to make Sayori happy. He had to admit, he had almost forgotten about-

Monika.

And now he remembered every excruciating, heartbreaking detail about yesterday.

Sayori caught on to the fact that his smile had suddenly dropped. "Eh, what's wrong?"

MC shook his head as he carried the plates to the table. "It's nothing. Let's just eat."

"It doesn't seem like nothing. You're not thinking about you-know-who, are you?"

MC was silent, but he eventually nodded. "It's not your fault. I just had something cross my mind."

Sayori headed over to the fridge, pulled out a carton of orange juice, and began to pour two glasses. Orange juice was sweet and delicious, and maybe a little sweetness would take his mind off of bitter thoughts.

"Well, I know it's hard, but let's try to forget about her for right now," Sayori assured, putting on the most cheerful smile she could possibly muster. "This is your day. Don't let her ruin it for you."

Sayori's magical smile was the life vest that kept MC frown drowning in a sea of his own sorrow. He inhaled sharply, and while Monika still remained in the back of his mind, the thoughts of a fun day managed to take over.

"You're right," MC finally replied as he sat down at the table. He offered her a small smile as she handed him his glass. "Thank you, Sayori. You do as much for me as I do for you, you know that?"

"Aw, come on," Sayori blushed. MC, however, didn't seem to realize just how much her cheeks were burning. "It's-it's nothing, really. What are friends for?"

MC's smile grew. Even if Monika's love was gone, Sayori's friendship remained. He was lucky to have her in his life.

And you can bet that he ate every last bite of those eggs without a single complaint.