Stella: Boo...it's august. Although I'm happy that my birthday's coming up (in six days, to be exact ;]), now I can say I have school next month. *sigh* Well, I can't say this was my favorite chapter since I had a hard time thinking of what to write, but I think it turned out okay. Enjoy~


"So, spill it! Who's this Link guy?" Karane asked you repeatedly as you two made your way to your room.

You sighed, "Just…a friend. I met him the day before I started school. No big deal."

She giggled, "If it's no big deal, then why're you blushing so much?"

True enough, you felt your cheeks heating up even more. Ever since Link texted you, your face just wouldn't go back to its normal skin complexion. To make it worse, your palms were a little sweaty and your heart was beating faster than normal. It was only about six, almost seven o'clock. You had only about three hours until Link called you. Maybe you could pretend you were asleep or in the shower or…

"Hey, you're not trying to come up with excuses to get out of the phone call are you?" Karane stated, interrupting your thoughts.

"W-what? No! That's crazy. Hahaha…" You laughed nervously and watched as Karane placed her hands on her hips.

"C'mon! We're best friends, right?" She started, "And you know you can tell me anything like I know I can tell you everything. Why are you so flustered? I won't say anything to anyone else."

You shook your head, "That's not it. I'm not nervous about telling you or anything. I already know I can tell you anything." You sent a nervous smile her way. "It's just that…I guess this whole topic makes me nervous…"

"What do you mean?"

You started playing with your hair due to your nervousness, "You know…cause he's…a guy and I'm…"

"A girl?" She finished your sentence for you. Your face turned redder, if that were even possible at the moment.

"Y-yeah…"

Karane laughed and placed a hand on your shoulder, "And? What's so bad about that? Is it because you…like this guy?"

You pursed your lips and shook your head frantically, "No no no! I told you, it's not like that! It's just…I've never really…you know, I've never really been good at this kind of stuff. Guys are hard to talk to."

She raised her eyebrows up, "But…Pipit, Groose, Cawlin and Strich are all guys and we've all been best friends since we were little."

"But this is different!" You protested loudly.

"He's hard to talk to because you like him."

"I don't!"

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't!"

"Your red tomato face would say otherwise." She snickered and placed a mirror in front of you. You crossed your arms together and huffed.

"Okay, I'll stop. But I'm just trying to help you out." She told you apologetically.

You stared at the floor before replying. "I…I don't know…"

"Hmm? You don't know what?"

You furrowed your eyebrows together and buried your face in a pillow. "I…I don't know if I like him!" You finally admitted in a muffled voice. You waited for an answer and decided to lift your head up and look at your best friend, who was staring at you with her mouth opened wide.

"W-well! Say something woman!" You yelled.

She closed her mouth and a smile made its way onto her face and she started clapping slowly, "Well, well. I'm so proud of you (Name). Your first boyfriend!"

You let out a tired sigh, "I told you, I don't know yet…it's a little complicated."

"And why is that?"

You began to tell her everything that happened during your long and eventful week at your new school. You told her about your friends Saria and Malon and how they had that crazy infatuation for Link and how they were angry at your for getting smoothies with him. You told her about Illia and how she didn't like you for some unknown reason, but it was related to Skyloft. You told her about Ghirahim and how unbelievably pale and rude he was. You told her about Mido and how you thought he had a thing for Saria. You told her about Zelda, who was basically like the school's own goddess and her crazy relationship with Link and Illia back in the day. You told her about your weird teachers. And then you spent the most telling her about Link.

"That seems so romantic…" She commented dreamily.

"Romantic?" You deadpanned. "What're you talking about? It's hell. Skyloft seemed so much simpler."

"Well, everything happens for a reason and – " A thud coming from the door cut her off. You and her both looked at the door curiously and heard voices arguing.

"Idiots! You're making too much noise!" It was Pipit's voice from the other side of the door.

"Me? I was here first! Now move, lover boy!" And then it was Groose.

"Yeah, move!" Cawlin.

"I wonder what kind of bugs live in Hyrule…" And Strich.

You and Karane exchanged glances and marched up to the door. Karane opened it and the boys tumbled into your room.

"Mind explaining?" You glared at each boy by your feet. They cowered. They knew better then to make you angry.

"It wasn't like that, (Name). See, I was helping your father move some boxes like a good knight, and I noticed these three idiots eavesdropping by your door." Pipit explained while trying to keep his composure despite how slightly frightened he was under your death stare.

"Hey! We weren't eavesdropping, you punk!" Groose protested. "We were just…uhh…"

"Just WHAT?" You roared, causing Groose to flinch.

"Okay…sorry, (Name)…I guess we were…sorta eavesdropping…" Groose finally admitted.

You sighed and kicked him in the ribs. After you finished listening to his complaints, you put your hands on your hips. "And how much did you hear?"

"Well…most of it…" Cawlin stated.

"All of it." Strich corrected.

You groaned and fell on your bed. You looked at your phone. Eight-thirty. Great.

"You know…" Pipit said thoughtfully. "We're your friends, too. We'll be there to help you out whenever you need us."

Groose, finally recovered from being kicked, nodded his head. "Yeah, you know it! I want to give this Link kid a little roughin' up."

Your face heated up, "W-what? Why?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Cause, he must not have common sense. If he did have common sense, he would've snatched you up right away and – OWWWWW!"

He never got to finish before you gave him a swift kick in the leg. "Groose, don't say weird things like that."

Everyone in the room laughed, including you. You really missed Skyloft, especially your best friends. No one could replace them.

"Point is…" Karane started. "We're here to help! And well, since everyone basically knows, we'll all be able to support you later!" She gave you a thumbs up.

"Oh yeah…for the phone call?" Strich pointed out.

"The one at ten o'clock!" Cawlin snickered.

You balled your fists together and contemplated on giving them a blow to the face face, but you took a deep breath and decided it was best not to cause anyone else any pain. Groose would be your punching bag for tonight.

"I really hate you guys, you know that?" You laughed sarcastically and slouched down to the floor.

They cuddled up around you and pulled you into a tight embrace, "We love you, too~"

"Awww, little (Name)-chan is growin' up so fast!" Groose cried and wrapped his arms around your waist.

You groaned and pushed them all away, "You guys…ugh, fine. You can be here when he calls. It's not like I…" You looked down to the floor searching for the right words, "It's not like I'll…know what to say anyway."

All five of them fist pumped and jumped excitedly around you.

"Well, we still have about an hour! Mom just made dinner. Let's go eat!" Karane cheered happily and headed out of your room with Pipit, Groose, Cawlin and Strich following behind.

"She's my mother, not yours…" You muttered, but nonetheless followed them to the kitchen.

Your table wasn't big enough for eight people, so Cawlin, Strich and Pipit pulled up chairs to sit on. Each of them chatted amongst themselves, telling you what's been happening back home at Skyloft and how it's not as fun without you there and all that good stuff. You remained silten, playing with your food rather than eating it until your mother called out your name.

"(Name), what's wrong? I made your favorites. You haven't had one bite since we sat down." She pointed out worriedly.

"Yeah…" You put your fork down and continued to stare at your plate. "I guess I'm just not really in the mood to eat anything right now…"

Karane glanced at your mother, then you. "Say, mom…do you know someone named Link?"

You perked your head up and glared at Karane and shook your head, but she waved you off and continued her conversation.

"Yes, I met him the first day we moved in. He was nice enough to walk (Name) home." Your mother glanced at you. "And he is the looker. I think he'd be perfect for her, wouldn't you agree?"

"MOM!" You rose up from your seat and stomped on the ground before turning on your heel and marching to your room.

You heard for your father laugh, "C'mon dear, she's too young for boys right now."

Karane cleared her throat, "I'm sorry. I should go talk to her."

"Nah, just wait Karane. That's how she is. She'll talk about it when she feels like she needs to." Pipit advised her.

You didn't hear anything more as you opened the door to your room and slammed it shut.

Nine thirty. How grand.

You didn't know how long you were lying in your bed just staring at your ceiling when you heard a knock at your door.

"Who is it?" You asked, even though you already had an idea of who it was.

"It's me, Karane. Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

She opened the door and you sat up. She sat down beside you and put a hand on your leg and looked at you apologetically.

"(Name), look. I'm sorry, okay? I guess I still have the tendency to take things a little too far." She chuckled dryly.

You shook your head, "Don't apologize. I was being overdramatic, like always. It's just – "

Your phone began to vibrate. You waited to see if it would vibrate for a second time. It did.

"It's just…" You were still trying to finish your sentence and Karane looked at you in disbelief.

"What are you doing!" She exclaimed and picked up your phone and placed it in your hands, "Pick up, idiot!"

"B-b-b-but I'm not ready!"

Just then, your door opened to reveal the rest of the crew and they took their place on the bed, crowding you. You took a deep breath and signaled them to be quiet. With another deep breath, you flipped your phone open and pressed the button for speakerphone.

"H-hello?" You said into your small phone in a shaky voice.

"(Name)," The all-to-familiar voice said on the other line. "Hey, what's up?"

"…nothing." You finally replied, a little too late.

"Well…hey, about today…I'm sorry. It must've put you in an awkward position earlier. Well, I guess it was awkward either way with you lying on top of me…but that's not what I wanted to talk about"

Your friends stared at you with wide eyes, not believing what they heard. You mentally facepalmed yourself. You completely forgot to tell Karane about the incident in the Lost Woods earlier that day. She was never going to let you live this one down.

You found the voice to speak and replied quietly, "Why are you apologizing?"

"It's partly my fault, right? Saria wouldn't really talk to me after that."

"O-oh, um…" You could only guess where this was leading to.

"(Name)…" He mumbled quietly. You stared at the phone for a second, trying to ignore the looks the Skyloft crew was giving you.

"Y-yes?" You asked, your voice a little higher than usual.

"When you and Saria were walking back to us…well…" He trailed off as if he was suddenly unsure he wanted to mention it.

You remembered clearly what you told Saria earlier that day. "No, for the last time I do NOT like LINK!" You cringed at the fact knowing Link heard you say that. You probably seemed like a jerk for saying it so rashly like that. Maybe he misunderstood and thought that when you said the word "like," you meant it a platonic way. Not in a term of affection or anything of that sort. But, seriously, you all were in high school. What else could that have meant?

You and Link let a minute of silence pass. One awkward silent minute. Karane looked at you and motioned you to say something. You sighed and picked your phone back up.

"Link, I…" You searched in your mind for the right words. "Whatever I said back there, whether it was true or not, I said them so Saria wouldn't be upset."

"Oh…so you were lying?" He asked and you were unsure whether or not his tone was playful or sarcastic.

"I uh…ummm…" You were honestly lost on how to answer this. According to your conversation with Karane earlier, you remembered correctly you told her that you didn't know if you liked Link or not. So what were you supposed to say?

"I don't know!" You blurted out and instantly regretted it the moment the words escaped your lips. Your friends could only guess what you were talking about and they definitely guessed right. They all stared at you in complete shock, but you were paying no attention to them. Your skin turned pale at the own horror you caused yourself.

"(Name)? Hello, (Name)?" You heard Link's voice from the phone in front of you, but for some reason, it felt as it was all the way across the room.

"(Name)! Say something!" Karane yelled and threw the phone at you, causing it to land in your lap. You shook your head and brought yourself back from outer space.

"(Name), who was that?" Link inquired.

"Oh it was…" You paused to think of a good excuse. "It was the TV. Sorry, I'll turn it off." You glared at Karane who smiled sheepishly at you.

Your head was getting dizzy from all the crazy emotions welling up inside of you. Did you just tell Link you liked him? Did you even like him? But telling him you didn't know was the same as telling him you did like him. Yes, you'd admit that he was a very nice guy, handsome at that and talented at a lot of things, but that didn't mean you…liked him right? Whatever this crazy feeling was that was rising up in your chest, you knew you'd never felt it before coming here. No, just because every time he always managed to cheer you up somehow or just because he could never seem to be angry with just you, thatdidn't mean that you liked him…right?

"(Name)…I don't know either…" He told you quietly. You blinked a few times and you realized the hand you were holding the phone with was shaking.

You were almost too afraid to ask, but you gathered up the courage to do so anyway. "You…don't know what, Link?"

He laughed dryly from the other end, "I-I…don't know if…I l-like you or not either…"

Your eyes widened at those words. So…there was a possibility that he felt the same? So…did that mean you did like him? You only met him less than a week ago, but it was true when people said love, or like, could come and go as fast or slow as it pleased. This was definitely one of those fast times. But you've never gotten so close to someone so fast. It seemed as if you and Link bonded instantly. Sure, you and Saria, Zelda and Malon got along pretty well too, but Link was different. Even though he was the cause of most of your problems, being with him felt like you had no problems.

You couldn't deny it anymore. You liked Link. Was there any other cause of your irregular heartbeat or sweaty palms? But, liking a guy like him meant consequences. What about your friends? And you've never had any real experiences of any sort with a guy before. What if he took advantage of you? But you knew he would never do that kind of thing. Still, the major worry was about Zelda, Saria and Malon. You decided that you'd just hide these feelings for now. Until you were definitely sure that was how you felt. Until or if you felt something more. Not like if it was just a silly school crush, which you were trying to convince yourself it was at the moment because that's all it was. A crush.

…for now.

You swallowed the lump in the throat and replied as honestly as you could, "I…I really don't know what to say now…" Yup. That was a total honest reply.

He inhaled sharply, "It's alright. Anyways, I just called to apologize about earlier. Navi said she was sorry too, by the way…"

"Y-yeah, it's fine…"

"So, I guess I'll see you in school then…?" He asked, as if he was unsure if you were going to go to school or not on Monday.

"Mhmm…"

"Okay, well…see you."

Before he hung up, you called out to him, "Wait, Link!"

"Yeah? What's up, (Name)?" Link questioned, concern clouding up in his voice.

"I just…" You said softly, "I don't want to make anyone upset." You finally managed to say, surprising yourself.

He waited a second before replying, "Look, whatever decision you decide to make is the right one because it's the one that speaks from your heart. Don't worry too much about what other people think, okay? Just have courage." You were moved by his little speech. You didn't think Link was capable of saying deep things like that. You felt your cheeks heating up.

"Thank you…"

"No problem. If you ever want to talk, you know I'm here." He told you reassuringly.

You nodded, although he couldn't see it. "Yeah, see you later?"

He chuckled lightly from the other end, "Of course. Bye."

You heard the other line hang up, but you still stared at your phone and recollected everything that just happened.

"Hello? Earth to (Name)?" Pipit's voice called out to you.

"Maybe I should put a bug down her shirt." Strich snickered.

"Yeah, do that and she'll definitely kill you." Karane told him with a serious tone. Then she turned to you. "(Name)! Good job! I'm so proud of you~"

Groose nodded in agreement, "Yeah, you definitely handled that well."

"Now all we have to do is meet the fellow and make sure he's suitable for (Name)." Cawlin joked.

You were finally aware of the voices around you and you shook your head. After realizing everything that happened, you let out a loud piercing scream that caused everyone to cover their ears up in response.

"I can't believe I just said all that! What am I going to do!" You yelled out in annoyance and confusion.

"I know you're worried about your friends and their feelings, but if they were really your friends, they'd let him go for you." Karane explained and placed a hand on your shoulder.

"So…" Pipit started to say slowly, "You do like this guy, right?"

You glanced at him and your cheeks began to heat up again, "Y-yes. And it sucks…"

"Well, 'ol Groosey here will rough him up if he doesn't – "

You landed one right on his left cheek, causing him to stumble back a few steps, "Shut up, Groose."

After more talking and advice, Cawlin, Strich, Groose and Pipit left your room to go to their own rooms. It was past midnight and you were beyond tired, both mentally and physically. You turned your lights off and gave Karane an extra blanket. After telling each other goodnight, you sighed and turned your back towards her.

"I just need courage. That's all I need." You whispered to yourself before drifting off to sleep. Maybe you would dream about a certain guy in green that was a little too good at everything….


Stella: The reader is just so stubborn, huh? Well, at least she finally admitted it! Now things will finally start moving! Yeah! :D

I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. I think there's too much fluff, so I guess I'll have to do something evil next chapter. Boo, I like fluff... Happy August everyone, btw! Please review and tell me what you think! :DD