"Guess what guys!" Fed was excited. "I'm leaving for Europe tomorrow!"

"WHAT! This is your last day!" Talk about short notice. How could Fred be leaving us so suddenly? I sort of hated to admit it, but I would really miss him. Who was going to braid my hair now? Or to come up to me at lunch, grab my candy bar, shake his head, and inform me of the massive calories I was consuming?

Fred had an acute awareness of his own weight and an obsession with maintaining it. Weird.

Harry frowned skeptically, leaning across Jim's desk to speak to Fred, and raised an eyebrow. "You just found out?"

"Yep. I won't be back for a few weeks. My dad has some kind of business there or something." Fred shrugged. I guess he knew as much about it as we did. He never really did strike me as a details person. Except for when he was pretending to be gay, because then, he was a compulsive details- freak.

Or at least...I think he was pretending.

To be gay, I mean.

Anyhow, Fred was leaving and I was going to miss him, at least for a few weeks. But then he informed us that after he came back, he'd stick around two more months and then fly off to some third world country for some odd reason or another and not return for four more years. Ok...it makes as much sense to me as it does to you.

Fred seemed happy though.

Later that day, in between dodging Midvalley and avoiding Melfina, who was looking slightly like she was wanting to try her luck with Harry again for some reason or another, I found myself making a list with Suzuka.

"This is the only way for you to decide," she insisted, sketching a few boys names on a piece of paper and listing their good and bad qualities beside them. "See. Now, you don't always have to be shrugging your shoulders and saying, 'I'm not sure who I like'." She smiled at the ingenious conception.

I, myself, was slightly less enthused. The only reason I said I didn't know who I liked was because I knew I felt something very strong for Harry, but he was always causing me so much heartache! I loved him, hated him, was always thinking about him! Sometimes, it was just so irritating...

"Suzuka," I asked tentatively, "who do you like?"

She blushed prettily. "Um...I really think that's a problem."

"Well, who is it?"

"..."

"Come on," I teased. "You can tell me!"

"It's...Harry."

"Oh."

"Do you mind?"

"No! Of course not! I mean...why would I? I...I don't have any claims on the boy." I sighed heavily. For some reason, my mind was screaming, "THAT IS NOT TRUE!" Everyone knew I had claims on Harry - and vice versa! Even Melfina had asked permission for liking him during our little phone conversation, in which I had barely participated. For goodness sake! We'd been teased about liking each other since junior high!

I hate high school.

I turned back to Suzuka with a smile. Can't very well like a best friend's crush, can we now? And that is when I made up my mind that I positively hated Harry, no matter how unfair that might seem.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Suzuka cautiously peeked around the corner, making sure our Spanish teacher wasn't in sight, and then slowly wheeled me out of the classroom door.

It was after school, I was in a rolling office chair, and we were taking school property for a little spin. I laughed like mad as she rolled me down the long, darkened hall, past the lockers, around the bend, by the staircase - where our Spanish teacher was descending.

"Uh-oh!" Suzuka made a sharp turn that almost me threw me out of the chair and then raced at top speed, my legs sticking out before us so they wouldn't drag, and slid back into the Spanish room. I hopped out of the chair, returned it to the desk and we both made an effort to look somewhat casual.

"You were playing in my chair, weren't you?" Mr. Grey is pretty sharp for a Spanish teacher.

Suzuka, a straight A student who had most teachers wrapped around her little finger, frowned innocently. "No."

"Yeah, sure, get out of my room." He grinned jokingly as we scurried away.

I was still laughing - hard. Sometimes, it bothers me how I can start laughing and then just not be able to stop. I wish I was more of a serious person sometimes. You just look plain stupid when you laugh at every little thing and then can't stop.

It's actually amazing that I was able to laugh that hard at that moment. I was still feeling depressed over Suzuka and Harry. Not just because she liked him, but because I suspected he liked her. After all, he seemed to talk to her more. And flirt with her a little.

Just like I flirted with Jim sometimes. And even Vash. But sometimes, I thought I really liked Vash. I just couldn't...be sure. Oh, wait, the more I think about this, the more it makes sense.

Somehow, it's easier for me to talk to other guys - probably because I don't care about them as much as I care about Harry! I get it now... And since he seems to think just like me, the same must go for him and that means that...

I'm rationalizing this way too much. I'm hopelessly hopeful.

I like that. Hopelessly hopeful...

Midvalley was goofing around with some of his friends nearby, and paused to wink at me. I blanched.

"Can you believe how popular he is?" demanded Suzuka in irritation, and I shrugged.

"Not at all."

She left shortly after and I found myself with nothing else to do. Until I spotted Fred. He was darting here and there, shaking hands and bear hugging, doing his final farewells before he had to go. When he spotted me, poor lonely girl that I was, he smiled and waved.

We talked for a few moments, and then he invited me into the chapel, where he planned to play the old school piano for the last time before leaving. Sort of like his goodbye to the instrument.

Something very special happens when you hear a beautiful piece of music. You feel beautiful yourself. And I never feel beautiful. I feel awkward and always incomplete, like I forgot to do something to myself. But that was not the case that time.

As Fred's long fingers glided across the keys, he kept his soft, brown eyes focused on the sheet before him. It was a piece he had composed himself, he said, and while I listened to the elegant sounds, I felt elegant myself, and while I, dressed in my plaid skirt and pale yellow oxford, felt as if I was different, changed, I began to notice how the room changed as well. The wood paneling on the walls seemed prettier in the soft lighting, and even the horrid carpet got a little better looking. I gingerly stepped onto the stage and walked along it, my arms straight out for balance, and I chanced a glance over at Fred.

He was completely absorbed in the music, but a small smile was playing at his lips.

I stopped and turned, surveying all my surroundings, drinking them in, feeling special. For once, I felt very, very at peace with everything. Content, I guess you could say.

"Thanks, Fred."

"For what?"

I guess he'd never know.

Wolfwood leaned against the wall just outside the sanctuary, using his tall height to his advantage as he looked down his nose at me. I'd heard from a friend that earlier, he had called them on the phone, desperately high and almost comically giddy. But the things he had told her weren't funny. His dirty mouth and lack of respect for others were starting to get to me.

I don't know why I hung around with him so much. Probably because as fast as I walked, he could always walk faster and manage to keep up.

"Hey, you're distracting me."

I looked up at him in surprise. Distracting him? From what?

With a smirk, the priest's son reached out, grabbed the flaps of my coat, and closed it tightly, hands lingering to press on my chest. "You're shirt was too low cut. It was distracting me."

I'm sure my cheeks burned red as I swiped at his hands, making sure to keep my coat closed, and spat out his name. How dare he say that about me! It was practically a turtleneck! Would no guy ever respect me! Geesh...

"Sor-ry," he whined, and reached for a cigarette, but stopped himself halfway. "Do you smell pot?"

"No - I know next to nothing about drugs. I don't do or deal them." I mentally ground my teeth. "And we're at church! Can you just take your mind off drugs for a few moments!"

"Hey!" he barked. "I'm trying to change, you know!" He frowned, and then grumbled, "I wish you'd stop judging me all the time."

"You're the one who says you like to fight."

"Hmm."

"So...what'd you do last night?"

"My friends got in a knife fight with some gang. I was there. Didn't have a knife." He shuddered, eyes heavily lidded. When he next spoke, his voice was soft. "I was scared."

"Sorry about that, Wolfwood." I frowned, not quite sure what to say in reply. "I..."

"So...what are you doing Sunday?"

"Nothing, I guess." I bit my lip, hoping he wouldn't ask me over to his house again.

"There's a concert at another church. You should come." He handed me a slip of paper. "There. Those are the directions and stuff. Just come. You'll like." A crooked grin covered his face.

As I stared at the paper, I couldn't help but wonder at how complex Wolfwood was. He's smart, funny, and nice. And at the same time, he's a major jerk who is always making stupid decisions. I don't know. Maybe someday he'll just grow out of it and become a wonderful person.

Yeah, maybe someday.

Saturday, I found myself thinking about the past again. I really hate thinking about the past.

Hey, Harry, you said you were going to help me with my art project... You never seem to be around any more

I've noticed that myself. I guess I'm just really busy.

Something wrong, Aisha?

Well, I guess I'm just feeling down.

Aww...I'm sorry. Is there something I can do?

I just feel like everyone is changing sometimes, you know? Even you ignore me half the time.

I do? Well, I've been really tired lately. If I have been, it's not intentional or anything. Haha, I just...I just...hey, what's wrong? Does that hurt your feelings or something?

You're being really quiet.

I...

Listen, if it'll make you feel better, I'll scream in your ear all day tomorrow! I won't let you have a moment's peace!

Thanks...Harry...

+Sometimes, I wonder just what he thinks of me+