Gray crossed his arms, glaring at Flora, taking a seat right back on the couch, eyes focused on the TV. "So talk," he snapped.
Flora grinded her teeth, clicking the button on the TV off. It didn't matter to Gray, he wasn't even watching it.
Finally, Flora gave up on being angry with Gray, sitting beside him. "What's wrong cuz? And please, just tell me the truth." Her purple eyes looked so worried, sad, and...the guilt trip was too much for Gray to handle. He finally gave in.
"I... I met this girl in the spring. Claire." He gave a small smile from his first memory of her. Blonde hair messed up from the wind, bright white smile, like pearls; hammer in her hands, smashing Thomas upside the head with it. "She came to Mineral Town to work and... she's just one of those people you can't hate, even if you tried. She's amazing. Hard working, beautiful, smart, funny, a loveable goofball."
"You're signature look is your scowl."
"And do you love this goofball?" Flora asked quietly. Gray's smile drooped, and he sighed, locking his pained blue eyes with Flora.
"She was born summer 11. Her favourite food are cupcakes, but not the pink ones, she hates that colour. Her favourite colour is blue, but with her, things are specific, so it's turquoise. Her blood type's O positive. She loves comedy movies, and, even though she won't admit it, romantic ones. Her parents names are Mark and Chelsea-they're dead. Her worst fear is losing everyone important to her in an accident. She's the only person that could ever put a smile on my face. I know everything about her, she knows everything about me." He ran a hand through his thick hair, smile falling. "That answer your question? Yeah, yeah I love her. God, I love her, so much." Tears welled up in his eyes. He blinked them back quickly so Flora couldn't see, but it was too late. A rebel one escaped, sliding down his cheek. "But she just sees me as her best friend."
"And," he continued, voice wavering. "I-I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her I loved her, but I couldn't. I just couldn't Flor." He wiped at his eyes furiously, clenching a fist to his side.
""Well, today you're gonna learn how to dance, buster. C'mon!"
"So, the inn had this dance, and I was Claire's partner, and-" Gray paused, the music from that night still loud in his ears. "I wanted to kiss her, I wanted us to be together. But-" He laughed bitterly. "Then Trent came along, whisking her off her feet. They became a couple, and I felt distant from her, as if she wasn't even living in Mineral Town anymore."
I know you can do it Gray. I promise you.
"I take it you don't like the doctor." To Flora, he always seemed so polite when he visited Forget-Me-Not Valley on Wednesdays, asking how the excavation was going.
"No," Gray said sharply. "I hate him."
"Because of the accident?"
"Because he couldn't save them, and countless other things."
Flora nodded slowly, locks of her dark blonde hair falling into her glasses. "But, did Claire still spend time with you?"
"Yeah," Gray mumbled. "She did, but not as much as it was before Trent came along. Almost as if he didn't want her hanging out with me."
"Gray, you're the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for."
"Then, we got into this fight... about her spending the Starry Night Festival with him, and... I said some things I shouldn't have." Ashamed, Gray shifted his eyes away. "So I went to apologize, and I found her on the ground, in the snow. She fainted. I brought her inside her house and... I kissed her. I kissed her Flora. I loved it. And I don't regret it."
Flora didn't say anything, just nodded again. Gray was glad she wasn't criticizing him for what he had done. "Then, this chick Mary, who's probably the only person in the world who could hate Claire, because she's jealous of us being friends, told me that...she spent the night with Trent. She slept with him. For God sakes Flora, she's 19, he's 25! Do you know what kind of risk that is?" Gray's voice choked, and he buried his face in his hands. "And...and now she's getting married to him, in a month. That's why I came here." He sobbed as quietly as he could, as if his "cousin" beside him couldn't hear. She put her hand on his shoulder.
"Why are you making such a big deal about it?"
"Is she still the same?" Flora's voice was heard through his cries.
"What?"
"Is she still the same Claire you met that day?" Flora looked at him intently.
Gray shut his blue eyes tightly, then opened them weakly. "Yeah, she'll always be the same Claire. Crazy, pretty Claire." His lips curled into a faint smile, remembering the time she almost fell of her farm house during one of her dare-devil stunts, landing in a pile of hay. Her hair camouflaged into it, and he couldn't help but laugh at her. And she grinned, laughing too.
"Then would that same Claire lose her virginity before she'd get married?"
Gray stopped all his thoughts for a moment, hanging his head low. "No, no she wouldn't."
"Then..." Flora waited for him to finish the sentence.
"Then she didn't do it, did she?" Gray felt like an idiot. A stupid idiot. How could he ever think Claire would do something like that? He was her best friend.
"My guess would be no. That Mary girl lied Gray, to get you out of the village."
"But Claire's still getting married to Trent." That one problem remained still.
Claire and Trent sat at a table, laughing over something Kai had said about wacko brides. "She...wanted her napkins...printed with origami paper?" Claire giggled loudly.
"Not lying," Kai said, grinning. "The truth." He adjusted his purple bandana on his head.
"Oh my God! Claire, Claire!" A girl's voice cut through their laughter. Mary stood at the doors to the inn, panting from her "running."
"What? What happened Mary?" Trent asked, shooting up from his chair. His hands slammed the table. "Is someone hurt?"
"No, it's, it's the wedding!" Mary exclaimed, almost as if she was going to faint right there on the spot.
"Wh-what about it?"
"It's terrible!" She gripped onto Kai, fingernails digging into him. The teen winced, taking a step away from Mary. "Carter, won't be here for your wedding!"
Claire frowned, confused. "Why's that such a big deal Mary? We can always get another priest."
Mary scowled. "It's a Mineral Town tradition Claire," she snapped harshly. "You have to get married with the same pastor as everyone else."
"Oh," Claire said stupidly, shifting her eyes down. "When's he leaving?"
"In two days; he's going for 5 months! Which means you're wedding's going to have to be...TOMORROW!" Mary gasped, shaking her head in shock.
Claire stared at the table somberly, not saying anything. Trying to comfort her, Trent threw his arm around her.
"No need to worry Claire, everything's all ready. It'll be fine, now we can be together sooner." He grinned, kissing her.
"Um, yeah," Claire said, nodding. "Everything will be fine." She smiled at him reassuringly, but the pit in her stomach just multiplied.
Where. Was. Gray.
Ann grabbed Mary's arm outside the inn, so she couldn't leave without Ann giving her a piece of her mind. "You little-"
"What Ann?" Mary looked at her innocently. "What seems to be the problem?"
Ann's cheeks flamed. She had heard the whole thing. "You know damn well. That… that lie you just made up, how could you?"
Mary smiled smugly at her. "You have no proof."
"But Gray's not back yet!"
Mary stuck out her lower lip. "OhmiGod, you're right!" She put her hands on her heart, then rolled her eyes, walking away.
Ann yanked on Mary's black braid, so hard it fell out. Mary's eyes looked like slits, as she got ready to charge when Ann quietly murmured, "How could you?"
Mary laughed. "Now there's zero chance he'll end up with that ditz, and a greater chance with me." She grinned, flicking her hair. "You know, if he returns."
Tears clouded Ann's eyes. "You bi-"
"Don't finish that sentence Ann. You'll regret it." With that, Mary sauntered away, snickering to herself.
Ann sat on the cold ground, crying. Reality was quickly taking over her mind; Gray wasn't going to make it. She wept, hands covering her eyes, when someone came beside her.
"Ann, we know where Gray is." It was Cliff. Ann jerked her head up, staring at him with wide blue eyes. "We can call him."
Impulsively, Ann pressed Cliff's lips to hers, grinning, not caring about his red face. "Let's go."
"Hello?" Gray picked up the phone after a few rings.
"Gray! Thank God, thank God, thank God!" Ann's voice came from the other end, louder than ever. Gray debated on hanging up; why did he care what she had to tell him?
"What do you want Ann?"
"Gray."
"What?"
"The wedding's tomorrow." Everything went silent, so quiet, Gray could hear the trees ruffling in the summer night wind.
He hung up, ignoring Ann, knowing exactly what he had to do.