The ocean water stretched out before the pair was quiet as Candace sat beside Molly off along the path that bridged the town to the farmlands. The tailor now turned fisherwoman's eyes stayed glued on the bobber floating peacefully atop the clear shimmering surface of the sea as her farmer friend continued to gently splash her bare feet around in the shallow waters. Off in the distance the faint sound of chatter from the beachfront on the other side of town could be heard all the way out in their isolated spot. Their incomprehensible words were all but drowned out to Candace though by either the sound of Molly's occasional humming or the furious pounding of her heart. Everything in their quiet little corner of Castanet appeared calm except her. Was the thought of actually going through with competing in the fishing contest getting her worked up that much?

For years people like Renee, Toby, Luke and the others had competed and had fun so what was the worst that could happen if she decided to join in for once?

Well, besides the fact that she was a complete amateur and had no idea what she was doing. She didn't even really know yet how to reel in a fish so what was she supposed to do if she caught one? Would she look like an idiot if she were to try asking for help? Or what if she did nothing and it broke the line again? Would anyone care about her enough to help? Or what if she tries swinging the pole around wildly again and hits someone? And what about those nasty hooks Molly warned her about? What if everyone but her managed to catch something? She'd be the laughing stock of the town. Or what if, or what if, or what if

Or what if

Or what if

OR WHAT IF?

As her mind fell heavily under siege from the sudden rush of negativity Candace gave a jolt and scrunched up tight. A faint whimper escaped past her lips and she felt as the anxiety that had been guiding he heart switched places with fear.

"Candace, are you alright?" She swore she heard a voice ask.

"But what if, but what if, but what if...?" Her mind hopelessly continued. Its tone down was almost evil as it ruthlessly taunted her.

"Candace...?"

She scrunched herself so tight it felt like she was going to collapse upon herself. Her eyes shut firmly as they began to grow red and puffy.

"Candace!"

The voice calling to her finally registered as Molly's as she felt her hand fall upon her back.

"H-H-huh...?" She stammered out, momentarily broken out of her trance. Frightened, she slowly turned to Molly and met the sight of her gentle gaze. Immediately she lowered her eyes back into the shadows of her bangs to conceal her imminent tears.

"Candace, what's wrong?" She calmly asked.

"I...I-I... it's nothing..." Candace answered in a mutter.

Instinctively Molly placed her free hand atop hers strangling the grip of the fishing pole just as she released it. Carefully, she set it off to the side before refocusing in Candace.

"Are you sure?" She questioned further. Cautiously she started to softly caress her upper back.

Candace's arms fell down to her sides and her head dropped as she allowed herself to accept Molly's gesture.

"I-I… I-I'm fine…" She whimpered. "P-Please… I… I'm f-fi…"

She cut herself off there, unable to allow herself to continue to choke on her own words.

Silently, Molly's hand continued to gently glide across Candace's back. As her body trembled Candace attempted to control her breathing through a series of deep breaths and once she managed to withhold herself from crying looked back at Molly. Her brown eyes stayed fixed on her own as her hand slid across her back and down to the space between them. An encouraging smile was on her face. Sighing Candace looked back out to the water, her hands rested firmly in her lap.

"S-Sorry..." She muttered meekly.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize for how your feeling." Molly told her while placing her hand back on her shoulder. "Now what is? Something on your mind?"

Candace sighed and slowly passed her a glance, noting how weak Molly's drastically calmer attitude made her feel. Had she been in her shoes she'd likely have believed that she was the cause of her friend's distress and struggled with how to leave yet Molly seemed set on sticking by her side, determined to help her overcome her gloom.

She was starting to realize that Molly was, in many ways, just like Luna. The perfect counterpart to her. They were both sociable, caring and happy people who had somehow found themselves tangled up in her mess of a life in some way. Yet, it was Molly's lack of a blood relation that gave her a sense of appreciation she'd never felt towards her sister or anyone else. The fact that someone who had once been a stranger could seemingly care about her well-being so much managed to make her heart all tingly in the strangest way. Even now as her view strayed back out to the vast sea stretched before her in what felt like shame she could sense that her cheeks were starting to gain a reddish tint. The act of simply attempting to sneak a peek at her smiling friend that moment caused her poor heart to skip a beat.

Was she really this upset about the scene she was making in front of her or was it something else?

"Sorry…" She eventually sighed quietly again.

"It's alright Candace." Molly assured her. "So… wanna talk about it…? Whatever's bothering you, that is? I'm here to listen if you'd like."

Candace lifted her head up and peered at Molly, her eye's just barely visible from the shadows of her hair. Again, she felt the particular warmth fill her heart.

"W-Well… Well I'm j-just… I'm j-just a little…" She turned away, unable to finish the thought.

Molly, for as misguided as it was, especially with how some of their interactions went, seemed to still hold this image that she was far more mentally and emotionally stable than she actually was. If she were to break that illusion by finally admitting how worked up she could become over the littlest things what could she do? Was she prepared to deal with someone like her if she decided to be honest about her life?

She shook her head. "No… it's nothing…"

Molly continued to stare at her, not entirely sure on what to do for a moment.

"This is about the fishing contest isn't it…?" She asked. Her tone sounded almost like she was ashamed of herself.

Candace took a deep breath and slowly turned back to her, the action practically providing her the answer.

Molly removed her feet from the water and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her head lowered as she looked out into the distance.

"You didn't have to sign up if you didn't want to…" She began in an apologetic way. "I… I didn't mean to pressure you into it if I did… I mean I wouldn't have been mad or anything if you said no or something. I just thought it sounded like a fun thing we could've done together and then when turned out only one of us could do it… I don't know… I guess I just thought maybe you might've actually liked to have given it a try." She sighed and looked away, hugging her legs tighter. "I feel like none of this is really helping…"

For as justifiable as it was for Molly to put the blame on herself Candace still managed to feel guilty. Had she been a stronger person none of this would've been bothering her and the two of them could've probably been chatting away back at the beach with everyone else. That wasn't the sort of reality they lived in however. Instead here they both were, too afraid that they had offended the other to even look at each other. She had to speak up for once.

"Don't… D-Don't worry Molly." She said quietly to bring her friends attention back to her. "I'll… I'll be alright…"

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"I… I… I want to have fun…"

"Yeah?" Molly's eyes darted around. "If… if you want we could do something else though? You don't have to compete if you don't want to, I'm sure they'll understand."

To her surprise Candace shook her head.

"N-No… I'll… I'll do it…" She spoke softly and brought her hands up over her chest, now pounding from anxiety. "It's just… I-I've never done something like this before…" Though she was in truth referring to the fact that she'd never willingly been this social before, both in being so open with her feelings and participating in the town festivities, it was harmlessly vague enough that it sounded like it was just referring to the competition.

"Well, hey, everyone's gotta start somewhere. A friendly fishing contest is no big deal." Molly's tone sounded more like its usual chipper self as she released her legs back out into the water and dropped her arms at her side. "And don't you worry. When it's time for the competition I'll be right there with you."

Candace's face gained that faint sense of rouge as she nervously looked over at Molly. "R-Really?"

She nodded with a smirk. "You bet! I'll be your own personal cheerleader." An enthusiastic grin broke out on her face just as she started giggling uncontrollably. "Hehe, maybe… maybe next time you could make me a uniform for the role or something." Her face had a noticeable blush as she spoke.

"W-Well… maybe… I… I-I mean I don't really know what one looks like but o-okay…" For some reason Candace could feel that strange sensation of excitement brewing within her at the thought of making an outfit for Molly. She'd never had anyone personally request something from her before, let alone an entire ensemble.

"Eh, it's just like a colorful and pretty matching top and short skirt, nothing fancy. I'm sure an expert like you could make something like that in your sleep." Molly smiled and gave a wink.

Candace could feel her heart flare up like a phoenix for one of two reasons. It might have simply been the nice compliment Molly added to her explanation. Or, it might have been that the mental image she thought up of Molly in said outfit triggered a strangely stimulating sensation from within for some reason. That particular word from earlier started to enter her head again…

Cute

"W-Well okay… T-Thanks…" She nervously stammered out while brushing away her hair and looking the other way. Her hand fell off into the grass at her side.

"Don't mention it." Molly smiled.

"I… I m-meant for... for of-ffering to help…" She clarified.

"I know that." Molly giggled. She leaned in closer to her. "What else are friends for?"

Candace looked at the soothing smile that was upon her friends face before staring out at the water. Was this really the kind of support she'd been missing out on all her life having never had a friend before? Thinking about it she couldn't recall any times where Luna had been so encouraging to anyone she called a friend or vice versa but perhaps that's just because she only ever had a surface view of their relationship. And then there was Julius who everyone seemed ready to label as her best friend when all he ever seemed to do was put her down. Even Renee and Maya for as friendly as they now were with her hadn't offered more than a pleasant chat yet.

Was Molly just different from all of them in some way?

While it felt like she'd let her mind out to wander for a good while it had really only been a few seconds. Still focused out on the sea she attempted to shift her hand to a more comfortable position in the grass at her side when she noticed there was a strange weight resting atop it. Quickly, she turned over and looked down at it to spot as Molly's own hand rested on it, her own view still focused on Candace. It took a moment for the innocent farmer to notice what her friend's sapphire gem eyes were pointing to but once they did her face flared up like the sun.

"O-O-Oh! S-Sorry!" She nervously exclaimed as her hand quickly yanked away. She turned herself completely in the other direction and started rubbing her head. "S-Sorry about that! Heh heh…"

Candace on the other hand slowly brought her own hand back and up to her chest, grasping it with the other. Molly's hand for the brief moment she felt it was refreshingly smooth and warm. It was pleasant feeling.

"S-So what do you think they're doing back over on the beach?" Molly turned and asked, a hint of nervousness still noticeably carried in her voice.

Candace gave a bit of a shudder and looked away, something in her body telling her to instinctively do so. "I-I don't know… probably t-talking I guess…?"

"Yeah, yeah, probably…" Molly replied, kicking her feet around in the water one last time. "Wanna head back…? We can just hang out over there until it's time for the contest."

Candace looked at Molly, then down at her hand, and then back at Molly again. "A-Alright…"


The scene back at the beachfront was relatively the same as when the pair had first left. Everyone in attendance was still huddled together in their own respective groups though a few of them had changed crowds or location to keep conversations going and interesting. Just a short distance down from the beginning of the pier Shelly stood talking amongst Simon, Ruth, and Irene. As the pair appeared into sight she almost immediately became detached from the conversation and started to wave them down.

"Candace? Candace is that you there?" She called out while adjusting her glasses. It was obvious she knew that it was and was only questioning so as a means to bring her over to her.

"Y-Yes…" Candace replied as her and Molly approached while she stepped away from her group. "H-Hi grandma."

"Oh now there you are." Shelly smiled as she gave her granddaughter an affectionate hug. "Feeling better?" She asked to which Candace simply nodded. "Ever since we left the house this morning I'd been waiting for you to show up since your sister absolutely refused to even let me step foot off this pier. She actually told me that she saw you get here quite a bit ago but I couldn't seem to find you."

Candace's arms fell to her side as her head dropped. "S-Sorry…"

"There, there Candace, there's no need to apologize now." Shelly placed her hand on her granddaughter's cheek and brought her view back up to her. "The important thing is that you're here with all of us. Today's the first day in a long time we've all been able to gather together as a town and enjoy the little community we have here." She nearly gasped. "Oh, and you too as well Molly. I nearly forgot about you there."

Molly brushed it off with a giggle. "That's alright."

"How have you been dear?" Shelly asked her. "Did your harvest the other day go well? It sounded like you were a little nervous about it the other day when you were over."

"It went super well actually!" Molly answered with a smile. "I don't know why I was getting all worked up over nothing, er, you know other than it was my first time harvesting, but hey, all my crops came in great! And they taste good too! I kept some of them so I could have some food around the house and shipped everything else. Boy, I can't remember the last time I actually had money in my pocket, hahaha."

"I'm glad to hear it. Sounds like we'll all have to try some at some point. " Shelly smiled back. She then looked over at Candace who had resumed hanging her head down in embarrassment, ashamed at herself for believing she'd allowed her grandmother treat her like a child in front of her friend. Shelly put on a bit of a frown before turning back to Molly. "And I must say I do enjoy seeing how much you and Candace seem to enjoy spending time with one another." A tiny blush appeared on Molly's face. "I can't remember the last time Candace was so eager to get to know someone."

Candace gave a jolt as she quickly looked up at her grandmother in shock. To her it sounded as though Shelly had just plainly stated that she had no real friends. Even the typical fit of giggling coming from Molly at her side did little to quell her fear.

"Well what can I say? We really hit it off." Molly quite happily replied. Without warning she wrapped her arm around Candace and pulled her in close to her side. "And now we're best friends!"

Shelly smiled and clapped her hands together. "Well that's wonderful to hear!"

All the while Candace remained deathly still within Molly's grasp aside from the light tremor coursing through her body. Her eyes went wide like a deer in the headlights while her jaw dropped and hung agape in surprise. As that familiar red tint found itself forming upon her cheeks she could feel her heart begin to warm up once more, almost as if triggered by Molly's dangerously close proximity to her.

"Say if that's the case then how about a picture for you two?" They all heard Simon ask as he stepped over to them. "It'd make a nice way to remember the festival today."

"That sounds great!" Molly beamed. She then released Candace and turned to her. "What do you say Candace?"

She didn't even turn to her, still too stunned from shock to even move as her heart raced on. "U-U-Uh…"

"Oh that sounds like a lovely idea." Shelly said essentially answering for her. "You two do look awfully cute today."

Molly bashfully glanced down at her feet and started to leisurely rocking back and forth. "A-Awe really?"

Candace remained frozen as her heart continued to reach levels of speed she had once only felt due to severe social anxiety but was now helpless to know as to what was causing it so much excitement this time around

Simon grabbed the analog camera that was hanging from the strap around his neck and started to prepare its settings. Once ready he raised it up to his eyes and began adjusting the zoom. "Alright, get a bit closer and smile you two."

Molly's view shot back up before glancing back down while she straightened her dress out. She then started to lean in closer to Candace.

"Hehe, maybe I'll finally take a good shot for once." She giggled.

After what felt like an eternity Candace started to shake her head back and forth a few times as her mind finally started to register everything that was going on. With the way her eyes trembled at the sight of Simons lens you'd have thought she was looking down the barrel of a gun. She could feel her typical fears and anxiety ready to pounce at her once more like a predator stalking its prey from the bushes when her rarely seen optimistic side started to speak to her.

"It's just a little photo!" It said sound both assertive and gentle. "There's nothing to be afraid of! You can do it!"

Closing her eyes she took a series of deep breaths before glancing over at Molly who was as excited as ever. She then thought back to the little gallery of photos that adorned Molly's nightstand, all containing her and her other supposed friend. Did she have what it took to earn a spot amongst them? And was it right for her to be overshadowing her other friend like this? What if Molly would have too many pictures after this and have to get rid of one of her old ones? She couldn't live with that guilt. Or what if this was the picture she'd decide to get rid of? Or what if...

NO!

She closed her eyes and shook her head again. No, she had to stay calm. Refocusing her view back on the lens her arms started to burrow themselves into her sides to try and keep herself from jittering so much.

"Alright, on three you two." Simon told them.

She gulped.

"One..."

Her trembling hands found themselves brought up to her chest.

"Two..."

Her face grew red and she could sense she was breaking out into a light sweat.

"Thr-"

As soon as the very start of that dreaded number entered her ears she shut her eyes and cast her view down at the ground at her side. The sound of the camera snapping the photo happened at some point during the motion.

As Molly let out one of her infectious giggles, seemingly oblivious to Candace's fright, Simon lowered the camera and appeared greatly confused. While Candace continued to try her hardest to make herself invisible he gave a concerned look towards Shelly who simply shook her head in response.

"Er... nice, nice. Good photo you two." He said as he turned back towards the pair.

"Really? Hehehe, that sounds great!" Molly cheered. "When can we see it?"

"Well, I still got plenty of film left in this thing so I probably won't start printing them till tomorrow earliest. Would, uh, would you both like a copy?"

Molly happily nodded. "Sure!"

Candace couldn't remember the last time she felt so distraught after hearing that answer. Now Molly would have photographic evidence of the very awkwardness that defined her.

Her hands dropped down from over her heart and wrapped themselves around her body to try and calm herself.

"Thanks a lot Simon!" Molly waved as he wandered off into the greater crowd. She then turned to Candace and smiled. "Hey, I'm going to go and get a drink real fast. Be right back!"

With enough spring in her step that she may as well have been skipping, Molly then headed off towards Hayden's stand back at the start of the pier. With a sigh, Candace looked up at Shelly across from her, a warm motherly smile on her face.

"Come here Candace." She said gently as her granddaughter dragged herself over to her. "There, there, you're alright dear." She took to straightening out some the blue strands of hair Candace had displaced while wildly shaking her head while she spoke. "A little photo never hurt anyone now, did it? You just need to take a deep breath and relax."

Candace took her advice and breathed deeply before glancing up at her. "I know…"

Shelly offered her another smile and looked off towards Molly in the distance, watching as she shared a small chat and laugh with both Hayden and Kathy. "It really is nice how well you two get along, you and Molly that is. I'm glad you two seem to enjoy each other's company, I'm happy for the both for you. You're just like your sister and Kathy… well without the bit of attitude here and there I hope. She seems like a very nice girl who really does like your company."

Candace looked over towards Molly as well and could feel a legitimate smile forming on her face as she watched her. She was happy at their relationship too.

"Oh, I keep nearly forgetting to ask, where was it that you two went off to earlier?" Shelly asked.

"O-Oh, where we went?" Candace asked, sounding a bit nervous now. "She… S-She took me fishing again… F-For the contest…"

"So you're going to enter the fishing contest! My that sounds like it should be fun!" Shelly started to clap the tips of her fingers. "I guess I know who I'm rooting for this year then."

"I… I don't know grandma… I d-don't think I'm going to do well…" Candace muttered. "I-I still don't really know how…"

"Oh Candace, I'm just going to be cheering for you to have fun that's all." Shelly assured her. "That's all you really need to do to win."

Candace gazed up at her at and tired her best to smile. More than anything else right then she desperately wished she could share that attitude.


When Molly returned a short while later Candace decided to follow as she went off in search of other groups to converse with. While Shelly reconvened with Irene and Ruth the pair found themselves approaching the company of Chase, Owen, and Anissa back near the beach.

As she expected, Candace found herself largely abandoned in Molly's shadow as the group chatted about their lives and other topics. Owen and Anissa both talked about having to watch out for their younger siblings, or in Owen's case cousin, and some of the things she had done in the city during her travels. Molly chimed in a few times to talk about her own experiences back home but, as likely only Candace particularly noted, she seemed to be making an effort to ensure she didn't mention anything that might bring up her family or at least lead anyone to ask about it. Chase took the time to talk about some of the finer dishes he'd been able to cook up now that the fish and crops of the area had been restored. As the early afternoon went by judging by the occasional glances he gave Molly and how he seemed completely enamored whenever she spoke that crush Maya had hinted at back at the inn weeks ago still seemed to be lingering.

Candace of course twisted this fact against herself. Molly had been living in Castanet for not even an entire season and already appeared to have managed to attract the attention of at least one of the area's eligible bachelors, the feistiest one too if Maya's tales of their cooking experiences were true to even the slightest degree. She on the other hand had been living in town for nearly her entire life yet did anyone seem interested in her romantically?

No, at least that's how she saw it.

As the bell up in Celesta Church's steeple gave three chimes Hamilton returned to the podium to announce the beginning of the fishing contest. Molly continued to carry around her gear for Candace as the pair made their way to the portion of the pier that extended further out into the water. With each step Candace could feel as her heart began to pound harder and harder that it felt as though it might break through her ribcage, even as they bumped into Maya.

"Molly! Candace! How's it going you two?" She greeted with a radiant smile.

"Hey, Maya. We're just getting ready to get set up for the fishing contest, how about you?" Molly replied as Candace attempted to scoot behind her.

"Oh! You're both entering the fishing contest? How fun!" She cheered back.

"Well not exactly." Molly clarified as she shook her head. "We both wanted to enter but I guess you have to have your own equipment so I'm letting Candace use my stuff for it."

"Really? You're gonna competing this year Candace?" She asked to which Candace just nervously continued to look away in silence.

Gently, Molly gave her a very light jab with her elbow.

"Y-Yeah…" Candace then replied.

"That's great! Best of luck to you!" Maya smiled. "Watch out for Renee though, she's like a total pro at this."

"Don't you worry about Candace. She's got the best coach ever right here!" Molly proudly declared as she pointed to herself.

"Well then, I'm sure you're gonna do great then." Maya giggled. Suddenly her eyes widened for a moment. "Oh! While you're both here did you tell Molly about my little idea Candace?"

Candace gave a jump from surprise as her own eyes lit up. "O-Oh! N-No! I-I forg-got! I'm sorry!"

Maya just continued to giggle once more and smiled. "That's alright, it's been a pretty crazy day." She focused on Molly. "But I was thinking maybe if you two would like you guys could come over again sometime so we can talk and hang out again. It was fun last time you were over and I promise that this time I'll cook us up something extra tasty. What do you say?"

"Oh I think that sounds lovely." Molly answered. "We'll have to pick a day or something but you can count me in."

"Great!" Maya said as she flashed yet another smile. "Well, I'll let you two go get set up then. Good luck again Candace! I'll be cheering for you." And then with a wave Maya was off.

As Molly stood still for a moment and leisurely laughed the dark cloud looming over Candace continued to grow. Shelly, Molly, and now Maya seemed to be expecting great things from her concerning the fishing contest and she was in deep denial that she'd be able to even barely meet those expectations.

Molly tapped her arm with her elbow. "Come on, let's snag that spot over there next to Renee." She gestured with her head to further along the pier.

Candace's head lowered as she scooted back into Molly's shadow once more and trailed behind her the few feet to the designated spot.

"Hmhm, someone looks like she's ready to win." Molly remarked.

Candace gave a quick jolt, afraid that Molly was referring to her when in actuality she was instead speaking about Renee just ahead who had already cast out and was waiting for a bite.

"Hm? Oh, Molly and Candace, hey there!" She turned and smiled. "You two decide to participate in the contest too?"

"Kind of, haha, I'm a bit short on equipment so it's just gonna be Candace today." Molly replied while taking a seat at the edge of the pier. She left enough room between herself and Renee for Candace.

"Y-Yeah…" Candace quietly spoke as she slowly took her seat. Her heart had stop speeding up by this point, mainly because if it went any faster it would have likely killed her.

"Well, best of luck to you!" Renee nodded. "Here's hoping everyone'll catch a nice fish this year."

"Indeed. Good luck to you." Toby leaned forward from his spot on the other side of Renee to address her.

"Yeah? While mine's gonna be the biggest!" They all then heard Taylor shout from behind. The group turned just as he plopped himself down on the opposite end of the pier and cast his own line out. "Just you wait and see! I'm gonna really win this year! Just you wait!"

Renee and Toby turned back around and just as when Luke showed his own enthusiasm earlier shared a laugh with one another before focusing back on their fishing. Molly giggled a bit as well before holding out her rod for Candace to take.

"All set and ready to go for you!" She announced.

Candace timidly studied the rod before letting her eyes wander up to Molly's face. It carried that same calming smile she was growing more and more accustomed to seeing whenever she addressed her. Just by gazing as it she could feel as her heart began to slow its pace down to a jogging pace while her world gained a bit of light. She was still a good ways off from feeling entirely confident in her abilities to catch anything noteworthy but it was enough to convince her to take the rod from her grasp without a struggle.

"Th-thanks…" She replied. Resting the rod in her lap she heeded her grandmother's advice once more and closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and relaxed herself. Feeling her body grow calm she looked back at Molly, a faint smile was on her face and for once it didn't feel forced at all. That thanks she had given her just a moment ago was for more than just simply readying the pole for her.

Molly placed her hand on her shoulder and patted it. "Give it your best Candace."

Looking back at the water Candace took one last deep breath before sending the line soaring, watching as it landed a fair distance away.

"Oh, nice job Candace." Toby remarked.

She glanced over at him as he turned to her as well and smiled, from between them Renee gave a nod in agreement. Scrunching up a tad, she returned her sights back to the water as that increasingly frequent shade of red made itself apparent on her face. All of this kindness coming from everyone today and yet she still hadn't the faintest clue as to how to handle it. Something in her heart wasn't about to let her cast it all aside however and allowed it to kindle that cozy feeling deep inside. Was she finally able to actually be happy and not afraid of everyone? It certainly felt like it for the moment.


The pier soon fell silent. Those still in attendance at the festival not participating in the fishing contest migrated over to beach to continue their conversations without disrupting any of those fishing off the pier. Aside from their distant chatter the only sounds that remained was that of the gentle waves brushing up against the supports of the dock below and the occasional whizzing of someone recasting their line out. Though no one else had managed to get even a nibble on their lines yet as the hour slowly passed Candace found herself slowly seeping back into her negativity.

"I-I don't think I'm going to catch anything…" She muttered under her breath.

"Hey, don't give up yet!" Molly comforted. "There's plenty of fish out there. They're all probably just hiding cause they know about the contest or something."

Candace looked back out at the motionless bobber as Molly's comment garnered a giggle from Renee.

"Try just wiggling your line around Candace." She advised. "Some fish like it when their bait looks like its alive."

Candace turned to her, finding herself somewhat confused as to why Renee would try to help her when, at least from her perspective, they were supposed to be in fierce competition with one another. "O-Oh… um, okay…?"

Delicately, she started to jiggle the rod around in lap, watching as the bobber started to irregularly shift out in the water. She started to feel like Renee had only told her that to make her look like an idiot until she felt the end of the line snag onto something and come to a stop. She tired her hardest to pull the rod back but whatever was on the other end refused to let go.

"I-I… I-I think I c-caught something…" She nervously announced.

"Really? That's great! Come on then, reel it in!" Molly cheered.

Nervously, Candace continued to tug away on the line while trying reel in whatever she had caught but it refused to budge even an inch.

"Oh, it must be a fighter." Molly said drawing Renee's attention.

"Huh? Have you got something Candace?" She asked before noticing the girl's struggle. "That's wonderful!"

Candace's mind on the other hand blocked out much of their words and diverted all its focus on trying to succeed. Her heart began to race with excitement, she was actually doing it.

"What? Someone caught something before me? No fair!" Taylor started to exclaim.

If she'd been able to feel as all eyes seemed to fall on her Candace would have likely turned the pole over to Molly or something to try and habitually hide from the spotlight but this felt like it would be a defining moment for her esteem. If she could just prove herself her and caught something, even if it wasn't a winner, then maybe she could prove she had what it took to try and fit in.

"What's all the commotion going on over here?" Luna asked as her and Anissa stepped over. Anissa had largely been drawn in by the sound of her brother throwing a fit.

"We think Candace caught something." Molly answered as the pair focused their attention on her sister's continued fight.

"She entered the contest? Well what do you know, that's great." Luna replied. "Well, great until that slimy thing on the other end comes flying right into your face I guess."

As Candace continued to tug and the wind up the line it felt as though she was making no progress at all, like the line had hardly even moved. Was the fish on the other end just sitting on the ocean floor or something?

"Come on Candace! Give it a big tug! The biggest tug you can!" Molly told her.

Hearing her friend's advice Candace leaned slightly forward and shut her eyes before yanking herself and the pole back with all the strength she had. Imminently, she felt as whatever she had caught seemed to break free of something and start flying in towards the pier.

"It's a can!" Taylor exclaimed in a fit of laughter. "It's a can!"

Hearing his words Candace immediately opened her eyes which then locked straight onto the rusted piece of debris that was tangled up in her line. Just below it a piece of driftwood that it had likely been stuck behind at the bottom of the water floated to the surface. In contrast, she felt what little color painted her skin sink away. That small fire in her heart was immediately extinguished.

"Ahaha! She caught a can!" Taylor continued to laugh while clapping. "A can!"

"Taylor!" Anissa then snapped. "You cut that out right now!"

"Well… I guess that beats a fish to the face…" Luna muttered. "Not that it's any better really…"

"Oh man, that thing put up quite a fight huh?" Luke said, noticeably trying not to laugh as hard as Taylor.

Renee's eyes followed the trash as it gently rocked back and forth. "Heh, isn't that something now…"

"Can't… can't say I was expecting that…" Molly remarked.

Candace's eyes stayed locked on her prize as she felt her self-esteem just shatter right there in an instant. Though Taylor and Luke were the only ones really laughing at her she felt as though the entire world had fallen in an uproar over the sight of her pathetic catch.

Them, Renee, Molly, even Luna were all laughing menacingly at her from her perspective.

The pole dropped into her lap as her head hung down.

"You alright Candace…?" She heard Molly asked.

She nodded and without looking up grabbed the pole and handed it to her.

"I'm… I-I'm going to g-go h-home…" She stammered, her voice sounding as broken as her spirit.

"Candace, you don't have to leave. You still have time to try and catch something else if you want…" Molly tried to tell her to get her to sit back down.

Again, she shook her head, her body now noticeably trembling as a breakdown was imminent.

"Yeah… don't worry Candace. There's… er, there's plenty of real fish out there." Renee said to try and help.

Without a reply of any sort Candace wrapped her arms around herself and started to walk away.

"Candace…?" Luna spoke softly as her sister passed her by. She reached her hand out to grab her but her sister paid it no mind and let it brush right off her shoulder, almost like a she was a ghost.

Faintly, she could hear as they still tried in vain to convince her to stay, almost pleading with her not to go. All her mind could focus on though was how she was only getting what she deserved. She had gone her whole life convinced that it was just the will of the universe for her to remain miserable and alone. Today, even if only for a brief moment, she had tried to break free from that existence and was fairly being put back in her place.

As tears started to finally break free from her eyes and make their way down her cheeks she covered her face and ran as quickly as she could away from the pier.


A/N: What's this? An update that didn't take a month's wait? Crazy. I've had a bit of a creative streak going this past week in regards to the arts so I managed to get myself to sit down for more than a half hour every other day and actually do some serious writing on this. Originally there was a lot more to this chapter, mainly the part I had intended to be chapter 6ish from the beginning, but with how long it is now I didn't want it to be completely overwhelming. I might turn it into the next chapter and have it be a short one or I might change up the outline a bit, I haven't really decided yet. I also got some ideas for a few one-shots lately that I might take the time to write before continuing with this so I hope no one minds, or hey, decides to read them too. It's all up to you but I hope you'll be patient regardless and continue to enjoy this fic.