Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it.
Author's Note: This chapter isn't as eventful as the last, but I like it a lot for whatever reason hahaha. I hope you guys do too. :P I have so much fun with this story, it's so great to write, and seeing all the nice reviews and seeing it be favorited and followed is sweet. Thanks everyone!
Sunday was drawing to an end, with the sun lowering itself beneath the horizon for another night. No matter how many moments continued to trickle by, and no matter how dark the sky grew, Ash found he was rooted to Lillian's side. She had been silent for an hour as they watched the sunset in her front yard, the boy afraid to break the silence and question why she was wearing such a solemn expression.
Lillian had been acting strange throughout the weekend's duration. On Saturday when the club officers met at Laney's to discuss what booths to have, she sat beside Mikhail and, after whispering to him for several moments, shared mournful sighs with him for the rest of the day. When Ash had showed up with flowers to cheer her up in the early hours of the last day of their weekend, she had smiled and been happy for several hours until he mentioned the club, and then he watched her move about in silent thought, constantly shaking her head and frowning.
Now she was staring blankly ahead, clearly thinking very hard about something. The haphazardly thrown together bouquet – for Ash definitely did not possess Cam's skill – was still sitting beside her. Ash pulled one of the flowers out, tugging at the petals. I'll talk to her, I won't talk to her. I'll talk to her, I won't talk to her. Finally he tossed the remains of the flower into her grass and asked, "What's bothering you?"
She answered readily, mumbling, "I'm not a good vice president." Ash had expected her to at least deliberate on her response for several moments, and was therefore to taken aback by her response to reply right away. She drove on, telling him, "I'm going to make a mess out of club activities. I got into this fair thing without thinking. I'm doing my best for the club, but…maybe I'm just not working out. Though I technically am working…"
Ash stared at her for a moment longer and then sighed, shaking his head. "Lil…if there is anyone here not suited for being a club officer, it's me. I have no interest in being president of Bluebell and it definitely shows. You're doing your best not for yourself, but for me. You had to take charge of everything because I was doing a terrible job at it. So, if you want to point fingers, I'm your guy."
"You didn't-"
"Relax," he laughed, putting a finger to her lips. "I'm not backing out anytime soon. As long as you stick to being my vice president, I'll do my best as president from now on so you don't have to pick up my slack. I'll start with collecting further donations. I should have been helping out with that to begin with. So…don't worry, alright? You can always tell me about what's going on, and I'll always help."
Lillian did not tell him the rest of her troubles, but found the smile on her face would not disappear as night washed over the sky. This problem would be kept a secret from Ash, but future problems…they would definitely involve more help than Dirk and the Oracle.
When third block came, Lillian found herself sitting next to Cam in utter silence, unsure what to say. Had Laney passed on the information? Was he having doubts about not telling Ash? She looked warily to the side, noting that he was doodling flowers once again. That pulled her back to Friday's lunch period, and she asked before she could stop herself, "Why did you join Bluebell over Konohana?"
"Because I wanted to be with Ash and Laney," he answered instantly.
"That's it?"
"Mostly," Cam shrugged, leaning back in his chair and smiling over at her. "You know, they say there are two kinds of people in this world. The people who make their own dreams, and the people who follow other people's dreams. If you want to know why I didn't join Konohana, even though I like flowers and plants so much, it's because I'm of the second type. I joined Bluebell to help make other people's dreams come true. Even if I hate the club situations…to some people, the city is a big deal. Just like I told you."
"I know," she murmured, feeling like she was being scolded. Whose dream had become so dear to Cam, she wondered? Was it Laney's? Was it Ash's? She wasn't aware of either of them having a particular reason to join the club. In fact, both of them seemed uncomfortable in general with the club situation, though they were warming up to it.
Cam leaned across his desk, smiling gently at her. "Don't think too much into it. Everyone has their reasons. They'll tell you when the time is right. Anyways…how are you feeling?"
"Awful," she admitted softly. "Laney told me this would really hurt Ash, but…I didn't…"
"Laney doesn't know Ash as much as I do," Cam interrupted, offering up a gentler expression. "Laney thinks that Ash would be hurt if you lied to him, but I think Ash wouldn't see it as you lying. I think he'd see it as you working hard to back up this crazy scheme you put together to save him when he wasn't doing his best at being president. It wouldn't hurt Ash. It would make him think he hurt you. And don't be worried about her, either. She won't be angry at you, or anything like that. She just doesn't want Ash to feel like he's been left behind by you. To her, that's the worst feeling possible."
Lillian turned to him, prepared to ask another question, but decided against it. My friends will tell me more about themselves when the time is right, she told herself. "You really do know a lot about Laney and Ash," she told him instead.
Cam shrugged, but looked pleased. "Well, Ash and I have been best friends for a while now. He's the greatest guy I know. As for Laney…I…I care about her a lot." He looked away, his cheeks slightly red, and Lillian's eyes widened. Laney had shot down any suggestion that they were in a relationship, but that didn't mean they didn't like each other, right? She readied herself to propose this thought, but once again decided to hold it in. For now, with the fundraiser causing enough problems, she didn't need to be starting up more situations. But when it was over…she had a lot of questions for her friends.
The Oracle and Dirk were deep in discussion when Lillian returned from another shift in the cafeteria – one much more exhausting than usual. Laney's frequent looks over her shoulder tipped off the rest of the group, and the look in her eyes was impossible to sort out. Lillian couldn't tell if she was angry with her or pitied her. She ducked around the pair who sat before her and went behind Kana's seat to slide into her own. He leaned across the gap between their desks instantly, twiddling his thumbs together nervously.
"What is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He looked over at the Oracle one more time to ensure she wasn't paying attention and then murmured, "How is Georgia doing?"
"Georgia? Ah…well, I think she's doing okay. I haven't gotten to talk to her much lately, she's been so caught up in club activities."
"But she's not an officer, is she?" Kana asked, his eyes looking desperate for any sort of information.
Lillian tilted her head to the side, mildly surprised. "Well, she technically is…she's the, uh, sergeant at arms."
"So she's not," Kana murmured, leaning back in his chair and sighing to himself. "I don't know why she would choose not to be president…it just doesn't make any sense…uh, don't tell anyone I asked about this, alright? Please?"
"Sure," the brunette replied, too exhausted to bother questioning him further. Whatever his curiosity was regarding Georgia, it would have to wait until the next day, when she was feeling up to getting involved in other people's business.
The class drew by slowly, with Dirk being the sole student to suggest any answers. When Mr. Hamilton called on Lillian she merely stared at him, having completely zoned out of the entire situation. Much to her surprise Dirk answered for her, shrugging off the scolding Mr. Hamilton gave him afterwards for talking out of turn. When she tried to thank him, he rolled his eyes and shrugged.
Once the last ten minutes of class arrived – free time he always gave to start on assignments – the Oracle leaned towards Lillian. "Did anything suspicious happen during your shift today? How did your friends treat you? Were they mad? Did Laney end up telling Ash? Is Ash mad at you?"
"Uh…no, Laney didn't tell anyone. Cam was the first to find out, but he didn't tell anyone either. Everything is just…going fine. Like usual. Nothing weird happened."
The Oracle frowned, tilting her head to the side. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," Lillian replied, looking out the window. The first day of school hadn't been too far off, but looking down at the spot she had cried to Ash at made her feel like months had already separated that day from the present. "I guess I just feel stupid. I caused a lot of trouble doing this. I shouldn't have taken charge and okayed this idea in the first place."
"Why did you?" Dirk asked, raising an eyebrow. The Oracle swatted his arm, rolling her eyes at him.
Lillian continued to stare out the window, missing it all. "Because Ash was struggling and getting frustrated, and I wanted to help. I didn't think it would cost so much and I'd have to go behind everyone's back to raise the money so they didn't have to cancel it so the entire club wouldn't riot all because I gave them the go ahead without consulting anyone else first. I'm a pretty terrible vice president. I'll have to start working a lot harder."
The Oracle smiled, tilting her head to the side. "You're sweet, Lillian."
"Huh?" she and Dirk asked together, the girl's comment being sudden enough to pull Lillian's attention from the window.
"You're used to confiding in Ash, but now you're holding all this back from him and dealing with everything for him. And I'm not trying to say you like him this time. I'm saying it's nice."
"I've never seen you give someone such a genuine compliment," Dirk murmured, leaning back against the window and rolling his eyes.
"Most people don't deserve them," the Oracle replied calmly.
Lillian turned to the window once more, wearing a smile as she murmured her thanks. She's right, she realized. I shouldn't look at this mess and just see it as something stupid I did. It was something I did to help Ash, and so I need to keep going with it and give it my all. She swept her belongings up and grinned at the group, waving to everyone. "I think I'm going to head to my club now. I'll see you all tomorrow."
"Can you get there by yourself?"
"Ah."
Dirk sighed and shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. "Let's go then. Pay attention this time, because I'm not going to walk you again."
"Okay," Lillian muttered, sighing. How many times had she made the walk? Too many to get lost so often, she thought with a groan. Just several days before she had been late to her meeting after being left by Laney in the hall. Dirk didn't offer to take her textbooks or anything of the sort like Ash or Mikhail did when they walked her, but she didn't mind due to the alternative pointless, solitary meandering. The hallways were empty, offering club officers a chance to get quickly to their clubs, and she found the silence between them unnerving. Still, she didn't want to be the one to break it and be caught talking to him by one of her friends – that would only reinforce the idea that she was out to try and hurt Ash.
"Look…about that picture," Dirk started, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It didn't have anything to do with me or the Oracle or Kana. I'm looking into it, but…we wouldn't do that. It's stupid. I have no reason to try and make Ash mad at you."
Lillian had to admit that she had considered the possibility of them turning on her, but had dismissed it. "I know," she answered. "It must have been someone who heard from my friends that I had the lessons, or someone who heard us plan it out and then saw me in the cafeteria. It didn't cause anything too bad, so it's fine."
"The Oracle told me Laney was kind of annoyed with you," Dirk mumbled, looking slightly embarrassed. "So…I'm sorry someone in my club troubled you and made your friend angry. I know it has to have been someone in Konohana but…I don't have full control over them all."
Lillian looked at him in surprise, smiling. A genuine apology from someone who, one week ago, was pretending she didn't exist. "It's okay. It's not your fault."
Dirk stopped at the Bluebell door, leaning in. Georgia and Cam were the only ones inside, and both jumped when they saw him with her. "Where's Ash?" he asked.
"What?" Lillian asked, frowning. "Why do you need to see him?"
"I have to make sure the meeting for Friday is still set. Run along, go do your little club duties," he told her, gesturing with his hand. Lillian glared at him for a moment, but the pointed look he gave her silenced her. He's trying to make sure they don't think we're getting along, she realized as she walked over to Georgia. This only made her feel worse.
The redhead laughed and asked, "You still can't find your way to the clubroom? I'm sorry you had to walk over here with him. Want me to draw you a map?"
"Yes please," Lillian replied with a smile. She felt an urge to stand up for Dirk and support him, but a greater urge to protect her friendship with everyone prevented that. She looked over her shoulder at her old friend, who was leaning against the doorframe, hands still in his pockets, and then turned and watched Georgia begin to sketch out a map of the school for her, marking off different areas. She lifted her eyes to Cam, and the boy offered an encouraging smile that didn't help out much.
I wanted to come here so I could be a friend to both Ash and Dirk again, Lillian fretted as she watched the map grow larger and larger. But now I have to decide between them and fight against them.She glanced at Georgia, who was biting her lip in concentration, and asked, "Do you know what our first competition is going to be, Georgia?"
"It's one of my favorites!" the girl burst out excitedly, pausing from her work on the map. "The actual competition changes every year, but the first and last – and some sprinkled through the semesters – always include a head on contest between the Bluebell and Konohana club officers. Like, Ash against Dirk, you against…"
"Hiro," Lillian answered, leaning against the table and sighing. "Do you participate too?"
"Sergeant at arms isn't recognized as an actual position, so I don't think so. Unless for whatever reason their team has one too," Georgia shrugged. "Which would be pretty great. Don't worry, Hiro isn't very strong. You'll beat him easily. He's so nice he might actually just let you win. If Cam or Laney has to go up against someone like Kana though…that guy is an idiot, but he's strong. If it's a battle of the wits it's in the Bluebell bag, but it's usually some strength based or endurance thing."
Kana! Lillian remembered suddenly. He had been very interested in finding out more about Georgia. She was reluctant to reveal what she knew, but did ask, "I sit next to him in my last block. How do you know him?"
"He tormented me as a kid!" Georgia burst out, jabbing her fist into the air. "Just thinking about all the things that little brat did gets me hot under the collar. He teased me all the time, to the point where the entire class started making fun of me – because of my accent, you know. I don't have much of one now, but back then I wouldn't even talk because he would give me such a hard time since it was so heavy. You were in a different class from me, so you never saw, but it was awful. Then the idiot goes and thinks he can…ugh, never mind. I don't even want to talk about him. Maybe you should go fetch Ash and see what's taking so long. I finished the map and here is his classroom!"
Georgia marked one last room with a blue star and proudly help her map out towards the brunette. Lillian thanked her, too stunned at the fiery way she had described Kana – who seemed like a relatively nice guy – to do anything but walk past Dirk and down the hall.
The map was surprisingly accurate, even down to miniscule details, considering she had such a small amount of time. Georgia had quickly sketched out the rows of lockers, color coded the halls by which grade's rooms were where, and drew an arrow pointing from Lillian's last class to the club room that was impossible to lose. It didn't take her long to come to Ash's room, where she found him talking to Reina. The dark-haired girl had something in her hand but crumpled it up instantly upon seeing Lillian, turning on her heel and marching off in towards the opposite direction of the hall. Lillian glanced at her map and checked – she was going to the Konohana club room. Ash turned and met her curious eyes, laughing when he saw the map in her hands.
"What are you doing over here? You don't have to come fetch me. I was about to come pick you up, actually."
"Someone showed me the way," Lillian murmured, folding her map up and tucking it into the pocket of her skirt. "And that person is waiting to talk to you, so Georgia sent me to make sure you got here so he could leave."
Ash's smile faltered. "Dirk walked you?"
"Because he wanted to talk to you," Lillian repeated. "Something about making sure the meeting between us is still on. What did Reina want?"
Ash didn't look pleased at all, but didn't ignore Lillian's question. "I don't know, she never really finished with what she was saying. She used to be really good friends with Cam, so I said I'd hear her out, but she kept beating around the bush and asking me really random questions. She asked what I thought of you, if I trusted you, etc etc. I really don't know what was going through her mind."
They rounded the corner to find Dirk there, suspicion heavy in his eyes. "Interesting," he murmured, folding his arms.
"The meeting is still on," Ash told him bluntly, grabbing Lillian's wrist and pulling her around the boy. She turned and caught his eyes however, frowning. Did he really suspect…Reina? He looked at her and shrugged before heading off, quick to traverse the halls towards his own clubroom.
Laney and Mikhail had entered the clubroom as well when they returned. Cam called out, "Did you meet up with him? He said it was weird that you had taken so long so he went after you."
"We saw him," Ash answered, frowning. "Let's start separating people into jobs today. Mikhail, can you play the violin for entertainment?"
"Sure," the boy answered with a grin.
"Laney, you're on baking. See if your dad would be willing to help too. Just keep animal themes. Cam, you'll have to be totally out of your element because gardening is their thing. We're making a point of inviting animals, so you'll be the animal sitter."
Laney was thrilled with her position, but Cam stared blankly at his friend, looking miserable. "Okay," he mumbled.
"I'll appoint a bunch of other seniors to help you. Lillian, you're on drinks. They'll be colored, give them lame animal names, it won't make a difference. Georgia, you'll be doing raffle tickets at the door. We'll raffle off animal things or whatever, I guess."
"You're really not doing a good job at this," Georgia told him, sighing.
Ash glared at her, but Lillian replied, "We can work on the specifics later, but right now we should sort up the seniors in the club into jobs. Did you get the location settled, Cam?"
Georgia frowned and looked away, but Ash put his arm around Lillian's shoulders, leaving it there as Cam answered, "I knew a lot of people wouldn't drive out to this school so I picked an area not too far from any town and rented it for the day for 500 G. There's lots of trees around that will be good for signs, so we need to make sure someone gets that together in the next coming week – the day it's rented is in two weeks. You'll…have the 20,000 G by the end of this week, right?"
"Right, the…donations are coming along nicely," Lillian murmured, turning in towards Ash's chest. "Thanks, Cam."
Ash raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, and Lillian didn't bother telling him.
Ash rushed towards the elementary school as soon as the club block ended, having promised to pick Cheryl up due to his mother being out of town for the day. Laney, much to her surprise, invited her over and promised a ride home afterwards. "We can get started on some signs," she told her, offering a smile that was slightly apologetic. "So, how about it?"
Lillian had agreed without hesitation, eager to ensure Laney wasn't still upset with her. Their walk was growing increasingly awkward, however, as they trailed off along the long path separating the town from the out of the way school. The brunette struggled to come up with some sort of conversational topic, and finally settled with, "Are Cam and Reina still friends? I saw her talking to Ash today and he said that she was really close with him, but I've never seen them together."
"They're not," Laney answered, her expression souring. "They were close, a while ago, but they stopped spending time together halfway through junior year, and they don't talk anymore. I don't know much about their relationship, but I know she thought he was into her and then found proof that he wasn't and was hurt he hadn't told her. So, now she stays away from him."
"Oh," Lillian replied. She thought of Cam blushing at the mention of Laney and wondered if Reina had managed to find concrete proof that he was interested in her. She wished she could get some sort of clear, definite answer in regards to the relationship between the two. She looked around and asked, "Where is Cam, anyways?"
"I don't know, on Mondays he always goes somewhere after school. He's a mysterious guy," she smiled, her pace picking up as they continued towards home, talk flowing excitedly towards the posters they were preparing for.
Lillian smiled back, hands on the straps of her bag as they went. If the rest of her senior year went like this, she decided, then maybe the club situation wasn't so bad after all.
