A/N: I think they're both 14 or 15.

If I don't reply to your reviews, it's not because I don't love you. It's because I'm also taking Important Exams That Will Affect My Whole Life in real life next week, running the GARC Awards (which you should be nominating your favourite authors/fics for - go to my profile for details), and dealing with Idiotic (Boy)Friend Problems at the same time. I do still read reviews and stuff VERY thoroughly though, and the fact that other people enjoy what I write helps me get through my annoying life without exploding ... Sorry.

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SEVEN - VII - 7

"Anna-chan ... can we go now? Please?"

Nonoko's family is visiting her best friend Anna's family this Christmas break. At the moment, everyone in the house is asleep except for the two girls in the kitchen.

"No! I need to finish this cream topping tonight or the Happy Sparkles Effect (tm) won't work properly!" Anna is almost running around the kitchen in her panic. She's been trying out a new recipe which isn't quite working.

"Okay, okay, but calm down will you? You're making me nervous! What if your dad wakes up or something?"

Anna slumps down into a chair next to Nonoko. "Sorry ... I just want my mum's birthday to be perfect tomorrow! I'd be so annoyed if my cake spoilt it ..."

"Oh come on, nothing can possibly be spoilt by your cooking. What's the point of having your Alice?"

"Yes, well ... whatever," says Anna, shrugging. She re-ties her bubblegum-pink hair and reads through the recipe again.

"Huh ... it says that it'll work better with some Essence of Romance in it," says Nonoko, looking over Anna's shoulder.

"Yeah, I know! Who wrote this book anyway? How am I supposed to get that when I don't even have a boyfriend, let alone a romantic one?!" Anna groans and puts her face in her hands. "Even that girl in the year below us with the glasses and the weird braces has a boyfriend!"

Nonoko pats Anna's shoulder in a comforting manner. So it's back to this topic again. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure that one day we'll find someone ..." Anna and Nonoko have suffered the annoyance and indignity of not having a boyfriend for their whole life. It's getting rather depressing.

"But what if we don't? I mean, what if I don't? You're pretty and clever and whatever, but, oh, I dunno ... what if I have to wait until I'm like forty-two before anyone takes any interest in me?"

"Shut up! Maybe we should make New Year's resolutions or something to get a boyfriend next year. Or at least try to."

"New Year's resolutions never work ..."

"Well they might if we tried hard enough! Like, you know, actually asking out people and stuff. Do you remember when we were in Elementary School and we kept asking Misaki-sensei to the Last Dance every year?"

Anna laughs, immediately cheered by that memory. "How could I forget? Pity it never worked ..." The two girls lapse into dreamy silence as their thoughts turn to Misaki-sensei.

"Yes, anyway, my resolution! This year, I vow that I will ask out at least, er, how many?" says Nonoko, remembering what they had been talking about before.

"Um ... two? We don't want to look too desperate."

"I will ask out at least two boys. There. Your turn?"

"Okay then, so will I. So who're you thinking of?"

"I'm not going to tell you! Hey, is your cream ready yet?"

Anna jumps up and dashes towards her bowl of mixture. "It's actually okay! Thanks, Nonoko-chan!" she says happily.

Maybe this year will be more successful than the last.

XXX