Chapter 17: Meet the Light-haired Girl!
by: Kiku Nakamura

The air was humid in the morning. There was dew on the green grass around the a tree planted in the neighborhood. That was what Fine had noticed when she looked out of her window; she didn't care though.

It had been a month since she first started going swimming with Shade. They had made progress with Fine's athletic abilities and she could almost say that she wasn't afraid of water. She settled into living in the new city around the same time, too.

~xxx~

She grabbed her orange-pink duffle bag and headed towards the public pool.

Smiling at the two park officials at the front of the building, she recieved two back. "Shade is already inside," one of them said. Fine smiled inwardly to herself.

After throwing in her sneakers for work into the locker and putting her flip-flops on, Fine opened the door to the pool. The expanse of blue everywhere and the smell of chlorine and bleach just made her stare in awe. Though it had only been around six (or was it seven?) times that she'd gone to the pool, it felt like home.

"Good morning!" Shade greeted as Fine walked over to where he was.

"Ditto," she answered giving him a smile.

Fine heard her before she saw her. "Shade who is this?" A girl stepped out from behind Shade.

"Hi, I'm Fine Kinjo. Nice to meet you," Fine said staring down -well, that wasn't actually possible. You'll see why- the girl.

She was taller than her, up to the tip of Shade's ear and had her ginger hair in a bob. This girl was cute and taller than her. While Fine frowned at the new girl, she just smiled. It was sugary sweet and once, Fine thought she saw a look that said "I know something that you don't".

That's why it didn't surprise her when the girl said, "I'm Lione Grace, Shade's girlfriend." Fine felt a weird tugging in her stomach. Lione just kept on talking. "You must be the girl that Shade-kun has been talking about."

At that, Fine couldn't decided if she wanted to kill him or hug him. He talked about me? Fine thought.

"Lione-chan, neh? I like your name!" Fine said, fake giggling. She refused to think that she was jealous. That was not happening. She was not jealous of a girl who was dating one of her friends that she thought was amazing and made her stomach churn whenever she saw him. Nope, definietly not possible.

The other girl just blushed and muttered her thanks.

"So," Fine said, turning to face Shade after making small talk with Lione, "I'm guessing you'll be helping Lione today, or at least staying near her?"

"Yeah, I guess unless either one of you don't want that."

"I'll be okay. Just go help your girlfriend," Fine said almost spitefully. She had started to like being around Shade. Maybe she like him. Nope, that wasn't possible either.

Fine left early. She didn't want to see "Lione-chan" in the locker room. She didn't want to see Shade either. She should be friendly to both of them, but she wasn't in the mood for it. She could do what she wanted and she was taking it to her advantage.

She was going to have to see the male some day, but she wanted to avoid him as much as she could. The thing was, she really liked to be in the water now. It seemed to take all of her worries away. Even though she was tired and all from stretching her legs and arms, she had huge grins on her face.

The redhead wasn't going to give away a new sport that she loved for some guy. She never would. That was how it was since all she could remember. Fine never gave up her sister or sports/hobbies for a guy. That was going to be how it was now and forever.

~xxx~

Fine walked into her apartment to find a sleeping Christie on her couch. She had given her friend the key to her apartment before. Guess who was using that to an advantage?

"Hey, hey, Chris! Wake up!" Fine hissed next to Christie's face.

"What?" the girl asked trying to smack whatever annoying thing was waking her from her contentful sleep.

"I think I like Shade." She had came up with that conclusion while she was walking home. She had no idea how it was possible to like someone in a few months, put it proved to be true.

"Okay. That's nice. So, what- WAIT! Wait a moment, sister. You like Shade?" Christie asked, suddenly bolting up.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"You do! It's not even April 1st, it already passed this year."

"..."

"So, are you going to tell him?" Christie asked out of curiosity.

"I'm not going to."

"What do you mean?!"

"I'm not going to tell him, Christie," Fine said, holding onto her friends wrists, exasperated. "He has a girlfriend. I'm not going to just step in between them." Bitter thoughts covered her mind as she recalled the face of Lione.

"Oh," Christie replied dumbfounded with the new information. She had a new sudden interest in her shoes.

"Yeah."

"So... When did you realize it? That you liked him, that is."

"Today, I guess."

"And that was when you found out he had a girlfriend?"

"Yes," Fine said and that was when she broke. A single tear started to slip down her face. More kept on coming. Christie wrapped her arms around Fine's shoulders before buring her face into Fine's neck and sobbed along.

It was the first time in a while since she cried over something real, not anything fictional.

Maybe she was cursed to cry about men that she liked.

Author's Note:

I don't know if this chapter was good or crappy. I just finished it in the information center of an outlet mall while I was waiting for my parents.

Hey, guys! I think this is like the 2nd time I've updated this story after taking the huge test I had. I've been more relaxed and ready to write.

I'm recently working on a new chapter of Fine in a Locked Up Tower and finished writing my PJO story, Yesterday. If you have the time, please go check it out!

Eat, sleep, review! Prominence for everyone that reviews!

I'm looking for a beta-reader. Are you interested? PM me.

Signed,

Ivy ^-^

Date Completed: November 2, 2013