Got it on time! :D I'm happy cos I made the highest level on the dance competition team, and it's my first year competing :)

Rin had decided to go to school anyways, to hopefully get her mind off worrying about her dad. She sitting with Gumi while waiting for the second bell to ring when Teto Kasane approached her. She was a very shy girl; not many people talked to her or hung out with her, as she always was drawing in class. She was also in Honors, but her science grade wasn't as good as the others.

"Rin? I heard about your dad," she said, tapping her two index fingers together.

Rin furrowed her brows. "Only two people know, how did you find out?"

"My dad is an anchor at the station and he told me about it. I won't tell anyone else, though." She smiled weakly and lowered her gaze. "I'm really sorry, I hope he gets better."

Rin grinned back. "Thanks."

"Do you mind if I stand here with you?"

Gumi glanced at Rin, who shrugged. "I guess," she said, readjusting the goggles on her head.

Teto was pretty tall, a bit taller than Gumi. She had always been teased for her height and her shyness, but she never seemed to mind. Rin always supposed she didn't care what other people said.

"So, Teto," Gumi said, "you've always been so quiet, why are you just now, you know, talking?"

Rin slapped Gumi's shoulder. "C'mon, that's rude! I'm sorry, Teto, Gumi is-"

"No, no, she's right. I wanted to finally have some friends, that's all. And you guys seemed nicer than the other girls."

"Thanks," Rin said, leaning back on a desk. "We try to be."

The bell rang and Teto accompanied them to their lockers. "Aren't you going to yours?" Gumi asked, slamming the metal door.

She shook her head. "No, I already have my stuff for science. I need to study."

Rin waved goodbye to Gumi and Teto and craned her neck over a small crowd. She gasped inwardly when she saw the tall boy, closing his locker and heading out the doors.

She ran to catch up with him. "Hey, Dell!"

He turned around and flashed a sparkling smile. At least, it sparkled to Rin. "Hey, Rin. What's up? Is your dad okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think he'll be fine, but that doesn't stop me from worrying."

They walked towards the carpool area, but Dell stopped in his tracks. "U-uh, Rin," he said quietly.

She turned around and smiled. "Yeah?"

Dell was blushing madly. He scratched his neck and cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact with Rin. "Well, I was just wondering… Cos, y'know…. Um…" He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it, then thrust it in her direction. "Here."

She took it and unfolded it. Inside it, in neat handwriting, it said, "Do you like me? Because I really like you. I'm sorry this is so cheesy."

She smiled and pushed up her glasses. She pulled a piece of paper out of her bookbag and asked if she could use his back to write on. He turned around and she wrote on the paper, trying to make her handwriting look decent. She folded the note and handed it to him. Inside, it read, "I do like you. And, don't worry, I think it's cute."

He grinned as his eyes flew over the words. By this time, they were both blushing madly. "So, um, I have a question," he said, folding the note back.

She giggled and they took a few steps forward. "Don't announce it, just spit it out!"

He laughed and turned towards her. "I was wondering if… If you would like to… Hang out sometime."

"I'd love to. I'll ask my dad."

"Yeah, it might be beneficial if I asked my mom…"

Rin smiled and started walking away. "Hey, I see my ride, so I'd better get going."

"Okay. I'll see you around, I guess," Dell said, waving.

They parted ways, and Rin walked over to Luka's car. She got inside and smiled. "You look happy," Luka said, starting the car.

"Yeah, I am. The guy I like just asked me on a date." Rin buckled her seatbelt and set her bag in her lap.

"Nice. That's good." She decided against repeating what Len had said about not liking him and just kept driving.

They soon arrived at the hospital. They walked into Len's room, where he was reading the book that Rin had brought him. He sat up as Rin gave him a hug. "Hey. How was school?"

Rin bit her lip. She didn't know how she was supposed to tell him.. He said he would never get angry at me, right? He wouldn't be angry at me, though, he'd be angry at Dell…

"Dell asked me on a date and I told him that I would love to but that I had to ask you first." She wrinkled her nose and furrowed her brows. "I can't believe I just used a run-on sentence."

Len raised his brows. "He.. Did?"

"Yes, he did. And… I would really like to go…"

He smiled gently and sighed. "Well…" If I say yes, she'll be happy, but I won't. If I say no, I'll be happy, but she won't. Then she would probably get mad at me, which would be really bad, especially now. So, who am I to be selfish? "You can go."

"Oh my gosh, seriously?"

"Yes, yes, now, please, let's change the subject…"

Suddenly, Rin's phone began ringing. It was a call from Gumi, asking if Rin wanted to come over and do homework. They intended to invite Teto, since they decided they would try to be friends with her. With Len's permission, she said yes and was picked up by Gumi's mom. She really didn't want to leave her dad, but she just accepted because she felt inclined to help Gumi and try befriending Teto.

Luka stayed in the hospital room, fiddling with her phone. She smirked and looked up at Len, who seemed very frazzled. "Can't believe it, can you?"

"No. It's happening faster than expected." He sat up and leaned against his pillow.

Luka blushed and hid her eyes. "Yeah, guess so."

He set his book down. "So, before what happened with you ex-fiancée, did you have any other boyfriends?"

Being curious, as always, Luka thought, putting her phone in her lap. "Yes, in high school. He asked me out, I said yes, and we dated until graduation. However, since I got a scholarship to Lucifen, I had to break up with him so I could focus on my studies. I hated having to break his heart, it broke mine, too. But now, I'm here," she said, taking a pause, "trying to find him."

Len smiled kindly. "My high school girlfriend broke up with me, as well. I loved her so much, I was planning on proposing to her. But, she left me. I would love to try to find her, but I simply don't have the time."

Luka looked away. "What high school did you go to?"

"Crypton."

She got up and sat beside him, smiling.

"I went there, too. It's nice to see you again, Len."

I worked hard on this chapter! Hope all yall enjoyed it C: As promised, here is a random short! And, the in season thing should be for the next. I am such a procrastinator, lol.

A shrill scream rang through the house and Len dashed into eight-year-old Rin's room. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Daddy, a spider! Kill it! Kill it!"

Len smiled and shook his head a bit. "Aw, it's just a little spider, it won't hurt you-"

He looked up at the window where she was pointed and screamed a bit himself, jumping back. There was a huge banana spider on the outside of her window, just hanging around.

"How does a spider get that big?" he said as Rin hid behind him. I hope this kid doesn't want me to go out and get it off her window. Heck no.

Since Len was the father, he had to endure the tasks of opening jars and bottles, helping with homework, and, of course, killing bugs. However, he absolutely despised bugs; especially spiders. Bugs, and snakes. Either word made chills run down his spine.

"Are you going to kill it?" Rin asked, poking her head out from behind him.

He bit his lip. "I don't know," he replied quietly.

He walked over to the window and tapped on it, making the spider move. He jumped and leaned closer. He shivered when he saw it staring right at him, moving its legs.

"Are you scared of bugs?"

"I'm not scared of them, I just really can't stand them."

He felt quite strange saying this, considering how he was raised in the South. He had dealt with flies, mosquitoes, spiders, bees, wasps, hornets, ants (mostly fire ants), and a few others. He remembered he once stepped on a hornets' nest, (this is how they differ from wasps; their nests are in the ground) and his mother had to painfully remove the stinger. Let's just say he never walked outside barefoot again.

"Rin, why don't you go in the living room or something?" he said, trying not to let her see how much of a wimp he was.

She left just as he was comparing the spider to the size of a CD; in fact, it was a bit bigger. He banged on the window, turning his head away.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it move and he winced. It suddenly crawled away and he called Rin back inside as he closed her curtains.

He sat on her bed, still shivering. "Thanks, Daddy," she said, giving his a hug. "Why didn't you just tell me to beat on the window? If you hate bugs, I could've done it."

He hugged her back and sighed. Jesus, my eight year old could've gotten rid of it more easily than I did. Those guys at school must've not been kidding when they said I was a wimp.