Goal - Finish this by the end of the year. That's one chapter per month, which sounds reasonable, I think.

"So let me get this straight Ms. White, you're saying the printer just spontaneously burst into flames?"

Headmaster Grimm stares down at her from behind his desk with narrow, disbelieving eyes. Headmaster Giles stands next to him with his arms crossed and a disappointed look on his face. Apple squirms in her seat and summons enough courage to look up at both of them. She swallows and bobs her head up and down.

"It was an old printer, and I might have over-worked it by trying to print a few hextra copies of the paper this week."

Headmaster Grimm frowns. "And Ms. Queen had absolutely nothing to do with it?"

"No." She says, shaking her head. She reaches up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, but stops short. Grooming gestures are a tell that someone is lying, she remembers. If this fake relationship has taught her anything, it's how to lie her way out of a tough spot.

Headmaster Giles gives her a tiny, sympathetic smile. "Apple, I know you want to keep your eh… friend from getting into trouble, but if Raven is having problems controlling her magical abilities we need to know about it. We aren't going to punish her-"

"Giles!" Headmaster Grimm hisses. "What do you mean we-"

Headmaster Giles holds up a finger and stares at his brother. "We aren't going to punish Raven for something she can't control. Apple, are you sure there isn't anything else you want to tell us?"

Apple winces. She knows Raven's powers are dangerous. She could hurt someone, or herself, if she doesn't figure out how to control them. But she knows the Headmasters are clueless about how to help her, and the cold look on Headmaster Grimm's face tells her his brother's words are meaningless. So once again she shakes her head.

"It wasn't Raven's fault. It was my doing, and I'm sorry. I promise to pay for any damage or repairs."

Headmaster Grimm shakes his head. "Goldie Lockes and the Bookend Gazette have generously agreed to donate a new printer to the school. You were right. It was old. We've had it since before your mother was a student here."

She nods. "I'll have the Newspaper club send them a thank you card at our next meeting."

Headmaster Giles smiles at her. "That's very kind of you, Apple. Now, if there's nothing more you want to tell us you can return to class."

"But Giles! It's obvious that-"

"We can't force her to change her story."

"We can if we have reason to suspect she's lying!"

"Milton! We don't have any reason to-

As the two of them bicker Apple slips out the door. She doesn't have to be told twice. She scurries down the hallway, and hopes the Headmasters don't summon her back to their office because they changed their minds.

From the turquoise fumes and the saccharine smell of heart-tree sap circulating in the air, Apple can tell today's Chemythstry hexperiment has already begun. She's glad she familiarized herself with the procedure last night. She's certain Professor Rumpelstiltskin won't give her any extra time to complete her lab work.

"You're late!" Professor Rumpelstiltskin's voice booms as she retrieves her lab coat and safety goggles from the classroom closet.

"Sorry Professor Rumpelstiltskin. I was in a meeting with the Headmasters."

"Hmmph… a likely story. Next time you're late it's DETENTION!"

"Of course Professor." Apple gives him a respectful bow.

Professor Rumpelstiltskin hands her a pair of protective dragon hide gloves. "You and Daring will be working together."

"But Raven is supposed to be my lab partner!" Apple's eyes widen, and she almost loses grip on the gloves. She wants to know the reason behind this unexpected and inconvenient change. Had her mother called the school and forced her Professor to change her partner for the sake of her grade?

"You were late! So she decided to work with Dexter instead."

Apple turns to her usual lab table and sees Dexter sitting in her usual stool. He whispers something into Raven's ear, which causes an adorable grin to bloom across her face. She lets out a string of giggles. They're hunched shoulder-to-shoulder over a Bunsen burner waiting for their solution to boil. She can tell by the light pink color and overly-sugary scent that they added too many drops of heart tree sap. If she had been here she would have prevented such a foolish mistake from occurring.

"What are you waiting for! Get to work! If you don't' finish before the bell rings it's DETENTION!"

Apple nearly jumps out of her skin at her Professor's voice. She gathers her belongings and shuffles off to the lab table at the back of the room. As she passes Raven and Dexter she gives them both a thin, strained smile.

She hates this knawing pang of jealousy that surges through her every time she sees Raven and Dexter together. Raven is free to have messy, confused romantic feelings for whomever she pleases. She's not obligated to reciprocate her hopeless crush. Apple had expected from the beginning she wouldn't. Still, it stung hard to hear she say that she's "never thought about her like that."

Then again, her words weren't an outright rejection. Never thinking about her romantically isn't the same as not liking her romantically at all. And right after she said it she went on about how pretty and kind she thought she was. Plus there was the kiss, and the love song she wrote for her. Those all have to mean something. They have to.

Or maybe, she's reading too much into her actions and only seeing what she wants to see.

Daring's made little headway on their hexperiment. He's set up all the materials on their lab table, and opened his hextbook to the correct page. But instead of starting the procedure he's staring at his hand mirror and adjusting his safety goggles so they don't ruin his hair.

"Hey Daring." She smiles as she sits down in the stool next to him.

Daring clicks his tongue and points finger guns her way. "Hey Apple. Thought I'd wait for you to show up before starting the hexperiment. I know how much you love Chemythstry."

Apple rolls her eyes. More like he knows how good she is at Chemythstry. If she's here to call the shots they're guaranteed at least an A-.

"You can measure out the salt and the gold dust powder. I'll handle the troll tears and heart tree sap."

"Sounds like a plan." He says, and picks up the salt canister. Apple reaches across the table for the troll tears and an Erlenmeyer flask.

"Y'know, I got an interesting phone call from my parents the other day." Daring says as he crouches down to get at eye level with his beaker.

"Oh yeah?" She says, not looking away from the flask in her hand as she swivels it counter-clockwise.

"They seem to think we're dating."

"Hmm? Why would they think that?"

Daring shrugs. "They said they heard it from your parents."

Apple almost drops her flask as she's reminded of that phone conversation last week. "Oh Grimm, I told my parents that we weren't dating. How the hex did they get that twisted?"

Daring chuckles. "It wouldn't surprise me if it were my parents who heard them wrong. My mother's been saying since Legacy Day that we should take our relationship more seriously."

Apple frowns. The last time she spoke with Mrs. Charming she wanted to know if she had come up with names for their future children. She couldn't believe she was thinking about Grandkids. They're sixteen for Pete's sake.

Daring sets aside the beaker of salt and reaches for the gold dust. "I was just a little confused why they thought we got caught kissing in the hallway."

Apple winces. "Uh… that's actually my fault. I kinda did tell my parents we got caught kissing in the hallway."

Daring purses his lips. "Why?"

"Because they found out I got in trouble for PDA and… I didn't want to tell them it was with Raven. Sorry, I know I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess, but I didn't think it would get back to you. And I specifically told them that we weren't a cou-"

Daring laughs. "It's alright Apple. I actually wanted to tell you that I uh… I went along with it, if that's okay."

"Oh, I mean that's fine, but why?" Apple places her flask over the Bunsen burner and shoots him a puzzled look.

"It's not a bad thing for my parents to think we're a couple. It makes them happy to think I'm fulfilling my destiny to be your Prince, and it would keep them from suspecting that I… uh… never mind." He gives her a much too enthusiastic grin and goes back to measuring the gold dust.

Apple studies his flummoxed face as he fumbles with the spellectronic scale. She never thought Daring would be one with secrets. He's always so transparent with his thoughts and feelings. Out of respect of his privacy, and her overall lack of curiosity, she decides not to pry.

"When you have the gold dust measured add it to the troll tears on the flame, but be careful to do it gradually or else it won't set right."

Their potion comes out a bright, translucent orange with a citrusy scent, just like their hextbook described. When they turn in their vial at the end of class Professor Rumpelstiltskin doesn't have any criticisms for them, unlike most of her classmates who get chastised for the murky, brown solutions in their vials. Raven and Dexter's potion is a thick, lumpy black sludge that smells like burnt cookies, and it draws out pure ire from their professor. They're both lucky they don't end up with detention.

As the bell rings and class is dismissed, Apple rushes out the door and down the hallway to catch up with Raven.

"Hey Doll face." Apple smiles and bats her lashes. "How come you didn't wait for me in Chemythstry?"

Raven frowns. "Can we not do pet names today?"

"Oh sure. Sorry." Apple bites her lip. From Raven's knit brows and stiff posture she can tell she's in a mood. "You um… you didn't answer my question though."

Raven shrugs. "I didn't know when you'd be back, and I didn't want to work on my own."

"That makes sense. But let's partner up next time, okay?"

Raven nods. "Definitely. Dexter is kind of hopeless when it comes to chemythstry. Put him in front of a computer and he's golden. But put him in front of a chemythstry set and he's a babe lost in the woods."

Apple giggles. "And I love Daring and all, but he spent most of the time gazing at his reflection, and not helping. I prefer a lab partner who takes a more active role in their hexperiment."

"And I prefer one who actually knows what they're doing." Raven smiles, and laces her fingers around hers.

Apple grins back at her. "We work well together, don't you think?"

Raven opens her mouth to answer, but before she can get her response out they hear Ashlynn and Hunter's voices calling their names from behind. They both turn around to see them running down the hallway hand-in-hand to catch up with them.

"What's up you two?" Raven asks as they approach.

Ashlynn smiles. "We're both completely free this weekend, and we wanted to know if you guys would go on a double date with us."

Raven's grip on her hand turns suffocatingly tight. Apple looks up to see her face has gone ghostly pale, but she ignores her strange attitude and beams at her friends.

"Yes, of course we will! That sounds spelltacular! Don't you think Raven?"

"Yeah, sure, sounds like fun. " Raven wears a smile, but Apple can tell by her wide eyes and downturned brows that it's forced.

"Great! We'll hext you later with the details." Hunter says before the two of them continue on toward the grimmnasium for their next class.

"Why the spell did you set us up on a double date?" Raven hisses at her once Ashlynn and Hunter are out of earshot.

"Because I thought it would be fun?" Apple says, giving her a confused look. She's baffled at the anger in Raven's expression.

"Couldn't you tell I wasn't interested?"

Apple narrows her eyes and stares at her with furrowed brows. "Yeah, I saw that you were giving off a vibe, but I didn't understand why you were giving off a vibe. Ashlynn and Hunter are our friends, and we're trying to be, y'know, public about our relationship. Forgive me for not seeing the problem in going on a date with them."

"What if I had plans? Do you hexpect me to just drop everything and go on dates with you?"

"Well, do you have plans?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. On Saturday I'm… doing something really important."

"Then we'll go out on Friday or Sunday. See, easy fix. You don't have to get short with me over it."

Raven purses her lips and scoffs. "I have to get to class."

"Okay. See you later then."

"Yeah, whatever." She lets go of her hand and stomps off, leaving Apple standing wide-eyed and bewildered in the middle of the hallway.

Raven's snippy mood continues for the rest of the week. She's silent as Apple coordinates with Ashlynn and Hunter the details of their double date, aside from announcing those all-too important Saturday plans again. While she manages keep calm on camera when Blondie asks them about their date on her Relationship Rumorcast show Friday morning, she flips out at her afterwards for "forcing" her to do the interview. At lunch Raven refuses to talk to her, and sits with Maddie and Dexter instead of her and Briar.

"Wait, Raven got mad at you for wanting to go out on a date?" Briar asks before swallowing her bite of pepperoni pizza. "Did you guys have another argument?"

Apple shakes her head. "No. We've actually been getting along really well until recently. This is so out of the blue. I thought she'd be more hexcited."

"Yeah, it's so bizarre. Why would she be acting like this?"

"I don't know. Maybe something else is bothering her? She's been under a lot of pressure from all her magical mishaps and hextra lessons with Baba Yaga."

"I guess, but she shouldn't be taking out her frustration on you. Do you want me to talk to her about it?"

Apple shakes her head. "You don't have to. She'll calm down eventually. Besides, she's not making so much of a fuss that she won't go on the date. However begrudgingly, she said yes. Tonight we're going out on our first date."

Apple covers her mouth in and attempt to conceal the fit of giggles bubbling up in her throat. She can feel her cheeks tinge pink and butterflies flying in her stomach. Her brain knows that it's not real, but that doesn't stop her heart from fluttering every time she thinks about it.

Briar chuckles. "I can see someone's a little hexcited. So what are you guys doing?"

"We're having dinner at The Enchanted Olive Garden."

"Ooh… I love their breadsticks."

"I know, they're so good! Then afterwards we're supposed to go for a walk in the Enchanted Forest, but I'm not sure the weather's going to hold." She and Briar look out at the grey, overcast sky through the large castleteria windows.

Briar bites her lip. "Oh I hope it doesn't rain. Melody and I are supposed to go bungee jumping off the East Turret tonight."

"That sounds… intense." Apple winces as she opens her bag of pretzels.

"It's such a rush! I thought I'd never get the chance to do it again since Headmaster Grimm banned me after the last time. But Melody is stealing her Dad's master key so we can sneak up there without them ever knowing. You guys are like, totally welcome to join us if you want."

"Uh… that's okay, I think I'll stick with activities where my feet remain solidly on the ground. Besides, I wouldn't want to crash your evening. I know you were concerned about becoming a fifth wheel whenever the five of us hang out."

"I wouldn't be a fifth wheel. I'd have Melody with me."

"Well yeah, but the four of us would be on a date, while you two would just be hanging out as friends. Wouldn't that make things a little awkward?"

"Nah, it'd be okay." Briar says. A faint, pink flush sweeps across her cheeks, and she looks down at the napkin in her hand she's torn into tiny pieces. For some reason, she looks nervous.

A curious thought occurs to Apple.

"Unless it is a date?"

"No, it's not." Briar lets out an anxious chuckle and the flush on her face deepens to a vibrant crimson. "But uh… Melody is pretty cute though. If she wanted to make it a date… I definitely wouldn't say no."

Apple's face bursts into an ear-to-ear grin, and her heart swims with pride for her best friend. She reaches across the table to pull her into a supportive hug. She'd never suspected Briar was queer, but then again, she'd only figured out she was into girls about a week ago. Her "gaydar" left some to be desired.

"Briar, I'm so proud of you! When did this happen? How did you know?"

Briar gives her a sheepish smile. "Pretty recently. It's something I've been thinking about ever since you and Raven came out with your relationship. This is all pretty new to me so I'm trying to take things slow. I'm not sure I've found the right label for me yet, but straight definitely isn't it. "

"Oh don't worry, I totally get it. This is all pretty new for me too." Apple laughs. She pulls out of the hug but leaves her hands on Briar's shoulders. "I want you to know that I love you and I absolutely support you no matter what."

"It would be a little hypocritical if you didn't." She says, and the two of them share identical laughter.

"I know I know. I'm just telling you what I wanted my friends to tell me when I came out."

Briar smiles. "I never said I didn't appreciate it."

Apple sits back down and starts eating her pretzels. "Hey, were you the one who called into Cupid's radio show the other day?"

Briar shakes her head. "You and Cupid are two of my best friends. If I needed romantic advice I'd ask you in person rather than airing out my grievances for the entire school to hear. Not that I'm knocking anyone who does call in but-"

Briar's words get cut off by a loud, high-pitched wail echoing across the castleteria.

"What the hex was that?" Apple asks.

Briar frowns. "It better not be another food fight. This dress is a Vera Wand, and it's dry clean only."

Apple gets up from the table and leans over the balcony rail to check out what's happening below. At a table by the window she sees Duchess and Rosabella glaring daggers at each other. She gets a sick feeling in her stomach that some nasty royal/rebel drama is about to unfold.

"Be right back." She says to Briar as she flies down the stairs as fast as her feet will carry her.

When Duchess sees her approaching frowns and rolls her eyes. "Oh great, here come Apple and Raven to flaunt their perfect royal/rebel relationship."

"Huh?" Apple asks, confused. She turns to see Raven approaching them from not far behind.

"We're not here to flaunt our relationship, Duchess. Just tell us what happened." Raven says.

"Rosabella spilled soda all over my General Villainy report."

Rosabella scowls. "Duchess, I said I was sorry."

"I'm sorry isn't going to fix my report Rosabella."

"I didn't do it on purpose. I lost my balance when Daring temporarily blinded me with his smile."

"Of course you'd blame Daring for this."

"Hey! I'm just telling you what happened. You shouldn't have kept your thronework on the table where it could get dirty anyway."

"Hey hey guys!" Apple says, holding out her arms to separate them. "Let's keep it civil here. Can I see your report Duchess?"

Duchess hands her the sopping wet papers. Apple tries to read them, but she can't make out a word from the soda stains. She attempts to separate the papers so they don't stick together, but stops, afraid she might tear the pages apart by accident. She sets them down on a clean part of the table and takes out a napkin from the dispenser in an attempt to blot the soda out. After a few dabs she realizes the ink is coming right off the pages with the soda.

"Okay, that's not working. Why don't we go to the lifairy and print off another copy?" Apple suggests.

Duchess shakes her head and glares at her. "Professor Badwolf wanted all of the reports hand-written. This was the only copy I had."

"Oh, okay. Then um…" Apple taps her chin, trying to think of a logical solution. There has to be a way to fix this.

"I can try using my magic to remove all of the soda." Raven suggests.

Duchess raises an eyebrow. "You're not going to like, blow up the whole school by mistake, right?"

Raven frowns at her. "Do you want me to try or not Duchess? It's not like you have a whole lot of other options."

Duchess scoffs. "Fine, go ahead."

"Anything I can do to help?" Rosabella asks.

"No, just give me some space." Raven says. Apple and Rosabella take a step back from the table.

Raven closes her eyes, raises both her arms, and takes a deep breath. Purple energy swirls around her hands. Apple shivers as the air around her turns cold as ice. A tiny, amorphous blob of soda bubbles up from the page. Raven grimaces, and her arms shake from the magical strain. The soda blob pops and spills right back on to the report.

Raven curses under her breath. "Sorry, let me try again."

"Come on Raven, you got this." Apple says. She puts a gentle, encouraging hand on her shoulder, and lets it rest there as she makes her second attempt.

Beads of sweat form on Raven's brow as she scrunches her face in concentration. The soda blob reappears and grows in size until it's lifted off the pages. Raven levitates it away from the table and it drops with a splash onto the tile floor.

"It worked!" Raven says. A pleased smile spreads across her face.

Apple gives her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "I knew you could do it!"

"Uh… Raven. I'm really glad for you but…" Rosabella clutches at her soda-stained skirt.

Raven bites her lip. "Sorry Rosabella. Let me try uh…"

"Actually, I got this Raven." Apple reaches into her purse and retrieves a tiny tin of her stain-removing solution. Apple dabs the salve onto Rosabella's soda stain. It bubbles and fizzes, then dissolves away, leaving the fabric so clean it sparkles.

Rosabella stares awestruck at her skirt. "Wow, thanks Apple!"

"No problem. It's my grandmother's secret recipe. It takes the stain out of anything." Apple turns to Duchess. "Do you have anything you'd like to say to Raven."

"Well I'd say thanks, but she doesn't care enough to stick around so…"

"Huh?" Apple turns to where she's sure Raven is standing, only to find she's staring at empty air. She darts her eyes around the castleteria until she spots Raven back at her seat next to Dexter.

Duchess flashes her a smug smirk. "It's funny how your girlfriend likes spending so much time with Dexter. You'd almost think she's interested in him."

Apple can feel her bottom lip quivering, and she doesn't want Duchess to see her fall apart. Without another word she turns away in a huff and retreats back to her lunch table.

Apple agreed to meet Ashlynn and Hunter for their date at 6 PM. With 15 minutes left she's is a nervous wreck and nowhere near ready. She hasn't even picked out an outfit yet.

Apple rubs her chin and stares in contemplation at her wardrobe. She has a few new dresses, but would wearing something new mean she's trying too hard? Then again, if she wears something familiar would it mean she isn't trying enough? Is Raven even going to pay attention to her clothes?

Her heavy scrutinizing forces her to see the flaws in everything she owns. The sleeves of her cashmere sweater are a tad too short. Her favorite skirt is fraying at the hem and the pattern's starting to fade from too many washes. Her white blouse shows way more low cut than she remembers, though upon further thought she's not sure if that's a good or bad thing. She settles on a red button-down shirt and a high-waist apple-print skirt and hopes that Raven won't notice she wore it last week for her Kingdom Management presentation.

Her worry flurry continues as she styles her hair and make-up. She wants to look pretty, but not like she put a ton of effort into looking pretty. Like somehow she was born naturally looking this radiant and beautiful. She puts on a coat of glossy, red lipstick, but decides it's too much and wipes it away, only to reapply it. She sticks a red decorative barrette in her hair, swaps it for a gold one, a green, the gold again, before deciding not to wear a clip at all and let her curls hang loose.

There's two minutes to spare when she deems herself ready to go. She takes a good long look at herself in the mirror. Grimm, she's turning into Daring with all this mirror worship.

"Be honest, how do I look?" She asks Bunny, who's been playing a videogame on her MirrorPad and watching her with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

Bunny looks up and studies her, then gives an approving smile. "I like the skirt. Green is a cute color on you. But I think you're forgetting something." She points down at her bare feet.

"Oh right shoes!" Apple wants to smack herself on the forehead. She scurries back over to her closet, and studies her shoe rack in a panicked deliberation. She wishes Ashlynn was here to help her out, but she doesn't want her friends knowing what a mess she is right now.

"How about the red flats on the bottom right?" Bunny suggests. "Didn't you say you guys were taking a walk in the forest? It'd be hard to go on a hike in heels."

"Yup, looks like the weather's going to hold out after all." Apple grabs the shoes and hops out the door and down the hallway as she puts them on her feet.

Raven, Ashlynn, and Hunter are waiting for her by the entryway fountain, talking amongst themselves. Hunter has his arm wrapped around Ashlynn's waist, and she's holding a bouquet of wild daffodils in her arms. Apple wonders if she should have gotten Raven flowers. What is the proper protocol when it comes to things like that? It only occurs to her now that so much of what she knows about dating is based on gender roles that only apply to heterosexual relationships.

"Hey Raven. Wow, you look gorgeous." She says before she can help herself.

Raven's outfit is the same as this morning except with some new accessories. A leather jacket, some silver bangles, and dangly feather earrings. She's tied her hair up into a high ponytail, and her lips are colored deep magenta. Apple has to tear her eyes away to keep from staring at them, and erases from her mind images of magenta lipstick stains peppered on her lips and cheeks.

"Thanks. So do you."

Apple curls her toes inside her shoes, and sweeps her hand over her cheeks to hide her blush. It's such a little compliment, but she may as well have said 'You're the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on.'

Apple walks side-by-side with Raven as they head into town. Their hands are inches apart. Apple wants to reach out and grab her, but she hesitates and curls her hands into balls instead. Given Raven's recent iciness she's not sure how well received her touch would be. Besides, Raven is always the one who makes the first move. Apple's not sure she's ready for that responsibility yet. It's okay when Raven does it. She's not the one with a hopeless crush. Apple's certain if she initiated any kind of physical contact she would give her feelings away.

"After you Mademoiselles." Hunter says as he holds open the heavy, wooden door to The Enchanted Olive Garden.

Ashlynn giggles. "Why thank you Hunter. You're such a gentleman!"

They're seated in a booth next to the kitchen. They can hear the cookware clattering and the wait staff yelling out the orders to the chefs. She and Raven take one bench; Ashlynn and Hunter take the other. Apple slides in first, and sits wedged next to the wall so she can put some space between herself and Raven.

A cheery waiter comes around to pour glasses of water and take their orders. They make small talk as they wait for their. Ashlynn talks about a difficult customer at The Glass Slipper. Hunter goes on about cheerhexing and bookball practice. Raven recounts a story that happened on her General Villainy class field trip that would have been an awful experience at the time but has matured enough to be hilarious in hindsight. Apple sits back and listens without adding much to the conversation. Sometimes, it's nice to let others do the talking.

Their conversation dies down when their waiter delivers breadsticks and a shared bowl of salad. Apple didn't realize how hungry she was until she's filling her salad plate for second helpings. She's surprised at how much she can eat. Raven barely touches the salad, but she goes through a whole basket of breadsticks herself.

Soon after their meals are delivered, and they continue conversing in-between bites of pasta. Throughout dinner Apple finds herself moving away from the wall and closer to Raven, until their arms are brushing against each other's.

When they finish dinner their leftovers are boxed up, and their waiter leaves two checks on the table. Ashlynn fishes out her debit card from her wallet and sticks it in with the receipt. She and Raven both reach for their purses at the same time.

"I've got this Raven."

"No I really don't mind."

"I insist."

They go on like this. She can tell by Hunter and Ashlynn's sidelong glances that they are getting annoyed, though they don't say as much. Maybe they should have discussed this beforehand. She and Raven decide to flip a coin. Raven wins and pays for their meal, though afterwards Apple sneaks back and leaves a few bills on the table to cover the tip.

Apple bites into the chocolate mint they got with the bill as they walk along the streets of Bookend. The sun hangs low on the horizon, and she can feel heavy humidity in the air. She worries that it might end up raining after all. She pats her purse to find her umbrella, and is relieved when she feels it underneath her hand.

Ashlynn and Hunter walk a few paces ahead of them, their arms slung around each other's waists, engrossed in conversation. Hunter turns and places a gentle kiss on Ashlynn's temple, and she gives him an adoring look. They look so comfortable around each other. Apple feels a pang of jealousy in her chest. She wants something like that with Raven so much, but there are a thousand reasons why it can never work.

Raven's hand is once again close enough to grab. Apple feels herself sweat as she mulls over the consequences of reaching out for it in her head. Raven might blow up at her for taking things too far. She might sense her true feelings and be shocked and upset. Or maybe she'll play along. The only way to know for sure is to try. Apple takes a deep breath, and before she loses her nerve she intertwines her fingers with Ravens.

To her surprise and delight she feels Raven give her hand a gentle squeeze, and she looks down at her with a warm smile. Apple can't help but grin back.

"Hey so… I'm sorry I got so snippy with you earlier about the date."

"It's okay Raven."

"No it's not okay. You have a right to be mad at me. Hex, you should be mad at me. I feel awful for treating you so badly."

"Raven, I'm not mad at you. I'm more confused really. Why did this date get you so upset?"

Raven bites her lip and looks down at her feet. Her pace slows and she pauses before responding. "I'm uh… sorting through some personal stuff right now, and the date just sorta resonated with me weird."

"Why?"

"I don't think you'll like the answer."

"Well how come?" Apple gives her a gentle nudge with her shoulder. "Raven, talk to me. I promise whatever it is I won't be upset."

Raven shakes her head. "Apple I'm sorry, but I'm really not comfortable saying anything more."

Apple sighs. It's frustrating that Raven won't tell her what's on her mind, but she can't force her to open up if she doesn't want to. And upon further thought, it's almost hypocritical of her to ask, given her gay crisis a few weeks earlier that she didn't let anyone in on.

"It's okay Raven. You were kind enough not to pry when I was weird and distant a few weeks ago, so I'll grant you the same courtesy."

"Thank you, I appreciate that. It seems like you're over your… whatever it was now?"

She nods. "I think so."

"Are you ready to tell me what that was about?"

Apple gulps. While she's come to terms with her sexuality and feelings for Raven, she's sure as hex not ready to talk to her about it. She doesn't think she'll ever be ready for that conversation.

"Not yet, but I want to someday."

The streetlamps around them flicker on as they cross over the covered bridge at the center of Bookend Park. Hunter and Ashlynn are so far ahead of them they can't hear their conversation anymore. Apple wonders if they've noticed how far behind they've fallen. She considers asking Raven if she wants to pick up their pace, but decides she doesn't mind having this alone time with her.

Raven flashes her a crooked smile. "So… I know my behavior might not reflect it the best, but this date got me really nervous."

Apple giggles. "Me too!"

"I drove Faybelle crazy pacing around the room waiting for 6 PM."

"I almost walked out the door without any shoes on. I probably would've if Bunny hadn't noticed."

"Really, you always seem so cool and collected. I never would have thought something like this would make you nervous."

Apple chuckles. "I'm not a robot Raven, I do get nervous sometimes. I mean, don't most people get a little nervous on their first date?"

Raven gives her a disbelieving stare. "Like, first date ever?"

"Yup."

"Really? All of those guys chasing after you and you never dated any of them?"

"Nope." She squeaks. She considers adding something about not being interested in those guys chasing after her, but decides it would be too obvious.

"What about Daring? You've gone out with him before, haven't you?"

"Only as friends. It's not like that between us. It never has been."

Raven laughs. "Man, I'm your first date, your first kiss, your first girlfriend- err.. significant other. I feel like I'm stealing all your firsts."

"Don't be mad about it, I'm glad they were with you." Apple's eyes widen and she feels a furious blush sweep across her cheeks. She's said way too much. "Because um… it's good practice! For when I have a real uh… significant other."

Raven chuckles. "I don't think love is something you need to practice Apple."

"Well I uh… aren't I your first date too? And your first kiss and uh… significant other?"

"Yeah… I guess you are."

"You're not upset, are you?"

Raven's quiet as she looks up at the sky. "Hmm... I think it's starting to rain."

Apple holds out her free hand, and feels cold droplets plop down into it. She can feel her curls dampening, hanging heavy around her head as the rain intensifies. She lets go of Raven's hand so she can reach into her purse and retrieve her umbrella.

"Sorry, it was really only built for one person."

"It's alright." Raven takes the handle from her and holds the umbrella up above both their heads. The two of them squeeze under it. They have to walk shoulder to shoulder to stay dry. From behind them she can hear two sets of heavy footsteps splashing through puddles.

"Room for two more?" Ashlynn asks as she and Hunter try to barge in.

"Not really." Raven laughs. "But the more the merrier right?"

The four of them huddle together and scuttle down the sidewalk back to school. When they reach the main gate Apple's clothes are drenched in rainwater, and her shoes and wet and squishy. Apple feels horrible for the custodian who's going to have to mop up the puddles they leave behind as they make their way to the main staircase.

"I'm going to walk Hunter to his room." Ashlynn says to them with a shifty look in her eye directed at her boyfriend. She stands on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "And if Dexter's still out with Cupid maybe I'll stay a little longer?"

"Ashlynn!" Hunter laughs and swats her affectionately on the shoulder. She takes him by the wrist and starts to lead him up the staircase to the boy's dorms. "Goodnight guys!"

"Behave you two!" Apple laughs and calls out after them. She and Raven start up the opposite staircase to the girl's dorms.

"Any chance you want to hang tonight?" Apple asks, and bites her tongue. "Not for the same reason as Ash and Hunter of course! But-"

"Nah, I don't really feel like climbing all those stairs to your room." Raven stretches her arms high into the air. "This was fun though. We should do it again sometime."

"Yeah we should." Apple feels her heartbeat race as she adds, "Maybe next time it could be just the two of us?"

Raven gives her a soft smile. "I'd like that."

The two of them pause as they reach Raven's floor, and turn to face each other with open arms. Apple takes a step closer and wraps herself around Raven's waist. She closes her eyes and relaxes into their shared body heat, enjoying the feel of Raven's soft cheek pressed against hers.

"Hext me this weekend." Raven says.

"I will. You have fun at your um… thing tomorrow."

"Uh huh." Raven says as she pulls away. She smiles, but her eyes have an almost panicked look to them.

"Are you okay Raven?" Apple gives her a delicate stare.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll catch you later Apple."

As Raven turns down the corridor to return to her room, Apple watches her with a love-struck smile. A warm, fluttery feeling swells up in her chest. She might not have all the answers to Raven's strange behavior, but she does have the promise of a second date. That's all it takes to make her little, gay heart soar.

When Apple returns to her room she finds Bunny, Alistair, and Lizzie sitting on the floor constructing an elaborate house of cards. A Wonderlandian rock band plays in the background from Bunny's MirrorPhone. The three of them turn to look at her as she tiptoes past them toward her bed.

"So how was the date?" Lizzie asks.

Apple beams at them. "Oh it was wonderlandiful."

Say whatever you want about Olive Garden's pasta, but they're soup, salad, and bread sticks lunch deal is the bomb and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.

Apple's date outfit is based on a real outfit (which ffn won't let me link you to :/). I'm going to draw it eventually, but I thought posting this chapter was more important than a doodle so look for that link later.

I occasionally post fic updates on my tumblr. So check me out/say hi smolwonders

Favorites and comments are always appreciated!