"Again, I'm really, really sorry about them." Bo bowed his head. His birthday was off to a great start. The night before he had just found out that the only girl he'd ever liked didn't return his feelings, so all night he tossed and turned in bed thinking of that. When he had woken up, there was a hole in his favorite pair of pajamas. Now, Yolanda and Hamilton had dragged a very hungover Dale and Luke back to their home. Dale was standing up straight with much help from Yolanda, but Luke, on the other hand...

"It's not your fault, Bo. But please-" Hamilton tried to free his leg from Luke's clutches. "Get him off me!"

Luke rubbed his face against the Mayor's leg. "But you're so soft! Not like Pops! I mean, you're both really fat, so you'd think that you'd feel the same..."

Hamilton kicked him with his free leg.

Bo cringed, and Luke finally let go and stood up. "Ouch!" He whined. Dale shook his head.

"Let's just get inside." Dale said. He and Luke staggered into the Carpentry, leaving Bo alone with Yolanda and Hamilton.

"They didn't break anything, did they?" Bo asked. Yolanda sighed and shook her head.

"No, there's no damage. But you'd better remind them that they have quite the bill to pay!" She said. Bo frowned.

"Oh boy..." He rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. "Well, I'll just make sure this doesn't happen anymore."

"Sure it won't." Yolanda huffed. Bo frowned. Who was he kidding? They always got drunk. There was no stopping those two. Yolanda reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a small package. "Today's your birthday, isn't it? Here you go." She smiled and pressed the tiny box into Bo's hand.

"Uh, thank you," Bo said. Yolanda waved and turned to leave.

"Keep an eye on those two!" She called. Bo nodded and waved. When she was out of sight, Bo opened his present and smiled. Inside were three cookies along with a note.

Bo:

Happy birthday! I don't know what's so great about getting older, but hey, you can drink now! Cheers!

-Chase, Maya, and Yolanda – Sundae Inn

P.S. Don't eat the green cookie. Maya made it.

The cookies looked delicious: One looked like a peanut butter cookie and the other one was chocolate chip. And of course, the green one that the note warned him about. This small gift made Bo feel a little bit better about today. He closed the box and headed inside. Dale and Luke were in the kitchen; Dale was at the fridge and Luke was lying on the table.

"What do you mean no mayo?" Luke cried. "Do we have bananas?"

"No, Luke! If I said no the first three times, what makes you think the answer would change a fourth?" Dale yelled. Luke sulked.

"I don't think you're looking hard enough."

"Shut up before I smack ya!" Dale threatened. But Luke laughed and stuck his tongue out at him. Bo walked up to them and set his box on the table.

"Let me handle breakfast. You should sit down," Bo said. Dale nodded and sat across from Luke.

"Thank you. Happy – Luke, what are you eating?" Bo turned around to see Luke digging through his gift, nibbling on the green cookie.

"Luke!" Bo yelled. He ran up to Luke and snatched his present away. Fortunately, the only damage done was the green cookie – and that was Luke's problem.

"Hey, it's not everyday you see a fancy little box with free food in it sitting at your table." Luke said. Bo frowned and went back to the kitchen. "I mean, there's gotta be a special occasion or something.

"Gee, I wonder what that could be." Bo said. Having a hangover was no excuse for forgetting your best friend's birthday. But of course, today wasn't exactly the best day ever, so why did Bo care?

"Well, I have no idea. But all of a sudden I don't feel so good..." Luke said. Dale smacked his son on the back of his head.

"What are you, stupid? It's Bo's birthday!" He said. Luke looked over and Bo.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot! I'm sorry!" Luke jumped up and hugged Bo in what was possible the biggest bear hug ever. "Happy happy birthday to my bestest bestest buddy!" He started swinging him back and forth, and Bo was afraid that he was going to hit something.

"Luke! Put me down!" Bo said, but he couldn't help but smile. Every year Luke gave him a massive bear hug like that, and no matter how crummy he had felt, that always made him feel better. Of course, the only other time that he was sad before his birthday was when a storm had taken out a new tree that Bo had planted. Girl problems were a bit different than tree problems, and it'd probably take a lot more hugs to get Bo feeling better about Luna.

"So, me and Pops got something for you." Luke said. He pushed Bo towards the show room, and Luke covered his eyes with his hand. "But you can't look yet."

"What is it?" Bo asked.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise." Luke said. Dale must have gotten up too, because Bo could hear someone moving around and setting down something relatively heavy. Luke was giggling or something, and Dale chuckled a bit.

"I think you're going to like this." He said. Luke removed his hand, and when Bo saw his gift, he froze.

"Oh Goddess," he said. There in front of him was a brand new set of carving tools. Carving knives, sanders, bottles of glue – there was a lot, and everything was in a beautiful wooden box. "This is great. Thanks a lot," Bo smiled.

"They weren't cheap." Dale laughed. Bo went over and picked up a knife and turned it in is hands. The cool metal was very shiny, and the handle had a very nice intricate design.

"We had to take out of my birthday money too." Luke teased.

"I can't wait to try these out," Bo said. "Thanks, again." he smiled.

"Well I'm glad you like them." Dale said. "Say, I wonder what that Tailor girl is gonna get you."

"Yeah, she'd better get you something nice! I mean, she's gotta repay us for staying here."

With Luna mentioned, Bo's stomach twisted into a knot and he all of a sudden felt like he needed to throw up. "Uh, well, about her..."

Luke raised an eyebrow and frowned. "What? Did she die or something?"

Bo shook his head. "Not that." He set the knife back down in the box and sighed. "Well, I went to lunch with her and... she's with Gill know. I guess."

"Woah. I'm sorry, man." Luke put a hand on Bo's shoulder. "That's heavy, especially for your birthday and all."

Dale just sighed and left the room. "Sorry, Bo. But we've got to get started with work for today."

Luke inhaled nervously and followed his dad. "Uh, about that, Pops. I actually wanted to do something today - "

"Like what? Slack off with Owen? You already do that anyway." Dale said.

"No, pops. I actually wanted to do something very important. Like, seriously important. So important that if I don't, then the whole world will end and we'll all perish a slow, horrible -"

"Spit it out already!" Dale snapped. Luke clapped his hands together.

"Okay, well then. I was gonna go down to Akari's and ask her to m – uh, you know, pro-" Luke couldn't seem to get the words out of his mouth. But Dale somehow knew what he was going to say. He patted his son on the back and nodded.

"Good luck, son."

-.-.-

Since it was his birthday, Bo had the day off. He usually went around town and visited with people and bough snacks. But today he didn't feel very social. He grabbed his new carving tools and a block of wood and headed up to his room. When he was upset, working with wood usually helped him feel better. He grabbed a sander from the tool box and started smoothing out the block.

After an hour or two, Bo dropped the block of wood and sighed. For some reason, his little therapy session wasn't working. The block of wood – which was supposed to be in the shape of a bird – started to look like a deformed rabbit, and Bo kicked it aside. He flopped on his bed and stared at the ceiling. All this time, he had had some hope of Luna liking him, and that made him feel so incredibly happy. But now, he knew that there wasn't much of a chance for them, and even doing what he loved the most wasn't even helping him. Bo felt depressed – all because of one girl.

"This is so stupid." Bo said. He pressed his pillow to his face and screamed, which actually made him feel a bit better. Luna wasn't the only thing that mattered in the world. He needed to stop moping around because of her and move on with his life. Bo screamed again and heard a knock at his door.

"I'm coming in." Dale opened the door and walked up next to Bo. He took the pillow off his face and sat up.

"Hi, Dale." Bo said. Dale sat down on Luke's bed and sighed.

"So, uh... you've been having girl problems? Or something?" Dale sounded really awkward, and Bo just shrugged.

"I guess. I kinda got dumped without even being in a relationship in the first place, so..."

Dale sighed and rubbed his neck. "I'm not really good at talkin' about stuff like this."

"It's okay."

The two sat in silence for a while, with Bo messing around with his pillow and Dale just sitting there, being awkward.

"So, you try out your present yet?" he asked.

"Yep." Bo nodded.

More silence.

Dale sighed again. "Did I... uh, ever tell you about Luke's mom?"

Bo looked over at Dale with a shocked expression. Dale never talked about Luke's mother.

"No, you haven't," Bo said. Dale nodded.

"I suppose I haven't." he said. "But I think you at least ought to know how we met."

Bo turned to face Dale, and he cleared his throat.

-.-.-

After he rang the doorbell, Luke stuck his hand in his pocket and felt the feather again. He was nervous about loosing it, so he felt for it every four seconds or so. He stood there, waiting patiently for Akari to answer. Ten seconds... twenty five... thirty eight...

"Oh Goddess," Luke shook his head. He looked in her window, but he didn't see anything.

"Luke?" someone said. Luke nearly had a heart attack when he turned around. Akari was standing there, holding a watering can. "Why are you creeping around my house?"

"Oh, Akari! I uh, wanted to know if you wanted to go somewhere with me." Luke smiled.

"Can it wait?" She sighed. "I still have all those crops to water, and then there's my sheep-"

Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her after him. "Ah, those can wait. This is important! Let's go!"

Akari giggled and followed him. "Hey, slow down!"

The walked over to Caramel Falls, hand in hand. On their way there, Luke checked for the feather about six times when he listened to Akari go on and on about her livestock.

"And then Bessie started kicking Happy, so I -" She looked around and smiled. "What are we doing here?"

Luke looked around too. "What? I thought you loved it here."

"I do," Akari said. "It's just that we never come here unless it's a special occasion." She looked up and Luke with a suspicious glance. "So... I know it's Bo's birthday, but I didn't know it was that important..."

"Hey, can't I go somewhere nice with my girlfriend every once in a while?" Luke laughed. Akari shook her head.

"Well, fine. I'll let it go." She smiled. "Ah, the air's so nice, and the falls are beautiful..."

Luke nodded. "Yep." Akari leaned against him and hugged him around the waist, and Luke wrapped his arm around her shoulders. His heart started beating faster than normal, and he found his free hand wandering down towards his pocket. Now's your chance, Luke! Come on, do it...

Luke grabbed the feather and held it behind his back. He looked down at Akari, who was gazing at the falls with a smile on her face. He let go of her and walked in front of her.

"Is something wrong?" Akari asked. Luke shook his head and grabbed her hand.

"Nope, nothing's wrong. In fact, everything's perfect." He smiled. Akari smiled, too.

"Luke, what's going on?"

"Akari, you know I love you. Like, a whole lot. And so I though, since I love you today, and I'm going to love you tomorrow, and every day after that..." Luke slowly brought the feather in front of him, and Akari's eyes started to water and she brought her hand to her mouth. Oh man... my stomach feels really weird... Luke thought. But he ignored the feeling. He placed the blue feather in her other hand. "Akari, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Akari gasped and wiped tears from her eyes. "Luke..." She threw her arms around his neck and almost knocked him over. "Yes, of course! I'll marry you!" She was pretty much sobbing by now. Her face was buried in his vest, and Luke didn't even care that she was getting snot all over it. He wrapped his arms around her and just held her. The two stood there for a while, with the only sounds being Akari's sobs and the occasional 'I love you.'

"This is the happiest day of my life..." Akari sobbed.

"Mine too." Luke agreed. All of a sudden, he let go of Akari and grabbed his stomach.

"Luke? Are you okay?" Akari asked. She put a hand on his shoulder, but Luke made a choking noise, ran over to the river, and knelt down.

"Ugh... I think I'm gonna be sick..." He managed to say before he threw up in the river.

"Luke!" Akari ran over to his side and rubbed his back.

"I wanna go hoooome..." Luke whined.

Meanwhile, back in town, Maya and Chase were doing dishes. "I hope Bo likes my cookie." She smiled and dried a plate. She reached up to put it away and Chase rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you'll be lucky if you don't kill him." Chase said. "Kathy said the kid's been having a rough time lately. I bet it's Luke's fault."

All of a sudden, Maya felt a really weird feeling and dropped her plate.

"Jeeze, Maya, what's up with you today?" Chase mumbled.

Maya shook her head. It felt... almost like revenge. "I...I don't know."

Chase shook his head. "Whatever."

-.-.-

"Well, I guess I've know Luke's mother for as long as I could remember. Waffle Island was never a big place to begin with, so we grew up here together." Dale smiled and looked up. "Heh, I remember. We couldn't stand each other when we were kids. I was always bugging and teasing her."

"Kind of like Julius and Candace," Bo said. Dale nodded.

"Kind of. But when I got older... I felt different about her. After a while, I realized that I was in love with her."

"What did she think of you?" Bo asked.

"She didn't hate me anymore when we got older. We were friends, and we did a lot together. But there was one other boy. I used to be good friends with Owen's father, you know. It was us three, and we would run around and get into trouble. And one day, I worked up the courage to tell Luke's mother how I felt about her."

Bo nodded for him to go on.

"I suppose you know how this feels all too well. She told me... that there was someone else." Dale was quite for a while after that. "...she said it was Owen's dad. After that, I couldn't talk to either of them for the longest time. But one festival... the Ocean Festival, I believe... They were fighting. And Owen's father stormed off and left her crying."

"Did... did you ask her out then?" Bo asked.

"Do I look like a pig to you? Of course you don't hit on women when they're cryin'!" Dale said. "But I was there for her, and she knew that. And... well, one thing lead to another, and I told her that I still loved her. I guess she loved me then too, because look what happened then." Dale chuckled a bit. "Oh, boy. I remember the time when -" He looked over at Bo and stopped talking. "Ahem. Well, what I'm tryin' to say is that you should give it some time. It might not work, but hey. It's worth a shot, and I don't see any other women here for you to have your eyes on."

"But I already did the whole friend thing," Bo said. He frowned. "And yesterday..."

"Bo, you need to be there for her. Let her know that. Who knows? One day she might need you." Dale said.

"Thanks, but I don't think Luna's going to stop liking Gill any time soon." he said. Dale shook his head and got up to leave.

"Just remember that." he said. And with that, Dale was up and gone.

Bo frowned and went to pick up his carving. Dale had gotten really, really lucky with Luke's mom. Why would Luna ever leave Gill, anyway? Looking back, it was pretty obvious that she really liked him. And all that being there for her stuff? He didn't want to be near Luna for a while, and besides, what would she ever need from him, anyway? Bo shook his head. Dale meant well, but his conversation didn't help him much. He was just so... depressed right now, that nothing really looked bright anymore.

But then again, it probably wouldn't hurt to remember that advice.

-.-.-

AN

And here's chapter 10! It's just all over the place, isn't it? XD I'm sorry for all the angst and stuff lately, but things are looking bright for Bo in the future. ;D

Sorry for this failtastic chapter. I'm sure a bunch of stuff doesn't make sense, but whatever. XD

R&R!

Icee Suicune