Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or anything associated with it.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Thanks for waiting patiently, and thank you as always for the kindnesses you've all shown me in regards to this story. I'm excited about the direction it's taking. When Lillian first arrived at Harvest High, obviously she stirred up a lot of trouble, but now that the first semester is almost over, a lot of those things are steadily being patched up, so it's really exciting to move in towards the second semester (which will be coming in just a couple more chapters) and shift focus to the actual club dynamics. Things will start picking up, but I will do my best to keep as many character interactions available for you all to see without this story taking another like five months hahaha. I do plan for it to be over by next year! :P About the requests thing – I was psyched people wanted to see Ash! He's one of my favorites to write about. Also, a lot of people mentioned Nori and Mikhail seemed a bit like side characters (and I know Kana does too at times!) and I wanted to apologize for that. I want to do my best to include EVERY character a lot, but unfortunately this cast of characters is so large it's hard to keep everyone vastly involved, though I'll do my best to ensure everyone remains relevant to the plot. (: I love all of these characters dearly, and I don't want to shut one out. I'm glad you all seem to appreciate how things are working, and please know I'm always up for requests of any kind (as long as they don't change the story completely? Ahaha) and I also take requests for other stories (right now I'm planning out a Hiro/Lillian story to write once this and Daffodil is over just because I feel he doesn't get enough attention :P). Besides that, I want to thank all of the reviewers again. I love reading everyone's thoughts and seeing what you like, so thanks for that! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

"I'm beginning to like your party idea," Georgia declared, hopping excitedly from one foot to the other, unable to stand still for even a second.

Lillian and Laney both leaned forward, eager to hear an explanation for this sudden change. "Really?" they asked together.

"Yeah – well, the Bluebell part. Because we need to celebrate the fact that we are dominating!" Georgia's fist jabbed in the air – her trademark pose of 'domination' – and Laney and Lillian groaned. Their club was celebrating another victory. Not only had they won in this club competition– a "Rutger Says" game that Ina mumbled was poorly put together – but Konohana had been docked another three points. Lillian glanced across the auditorium at the Oracle and Dirk, who were both leaning against the stage, staring at their members. Still trying to find out who the buzzer was.

A finger tapped Lillian's right shoulder, but when she turned to see the culprit, it was her left side that became warm. Ash was brushing up against her, but his eyes were focused on Georgia. "What are you talking about, 'Bluebell part?'"

"Oh, right," Cam murmured from his spot of despondence, which he of course shared with Laney and Lillian, considering he was the one who had initially proposed the idea of a party for both clubs. "Sorry we haven't told you yet, but we're still trying to get the idea past Georgia."

"They want to have some party for Bluebell and Konohana," Georgia mumbled, rolling her eyes. "And I said no."

Ash glanced at Lillian, who was sighing with Laney at these words. "Huh. Well, you'll have to give it a little more consideration."

Georgia did not miss a beat. Her eyes followed Ash's to Lillian and she crossed her arms. "We all know because Lillian wants it – and Cam and Laney and Mikhail – you're going to agree with it. I already know that. I'm just saying that I'm not okay with it."

Lillian thought of Georgia's feelings for Ash and winced. These comments made a lot more sense now that she understood Georgia's crush. Still…she had hoped those feelings would transfer to Kana – but perhaps that was just wishful thinking. Lillian knew that she should be grateful simply that those two were acting generally civil to each other now. Asking for anymore was pushing it.

"That's exactly right," Ash countered. "I'll agree with it if she agrees with it. She was my first vice president, after all."

Georgia's expression hardened, and Laney caught her shoulder. "Let's go make sure we didn't have any points docked by the buzzer!" Laney declared. Georgia knew that Laney knew fully well whether or not points were being deducted, but followed her off anyways, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she went with one last contemptuous look at Ash. When she glanced at Lillian, however, her eyes were not angry. Just sad. Lillian felt that maybe they had moved past the feeling of frustration towards the other for their respective feelings. Unfortunately, for Georgia, another feeling had to take that place.

"Good one," Cam muttered sarcastically. "As if she wasn't angry enough."

Ash hung his hands in his pockets, a sour look on his face. "Well, whatever. She just has to deal with it. She's not the president, anyways. I am."

Lillian couldn't recall ever hearing Ash actually admit to holding any power before. Cam exchanged a look with her – a very pointed one. "I'm going to go help Laney get Georgia calm. If we actually were docked points, she might destroy the school."

"That's a good possibility," Lillian replied.

He smiled and lifted his hand. "I'll see you two next week then, unless something pops up. Have a good weekend."

They both bid him their farewells and then Lillian turned to face Ash, though he didn't look at her exactly. He kept his hands in his pockets, glaring at the floor. "It frustrates me when she snaps at you like that, or tries to make those underhanded comments. I get that when it comes to clubs, she's sensitive. It just annoys me that she realizes that when it comes to y-…well, then I am the sensitive one."

He kicked at the floor and sighed. Lillian shook her head, the corners of her mouth tilted slightly upwards. "It's alright. I don't mind too much when Georgia says things like that. I agreed to do everything I could to help her…so I know that she feels like I'm betraying her right now. It's not that I want to hurt her, or that I want our club to become one with Konohana-"

"I thought that was what you wanted," Ash pointed out, his voice partly teasing.

Lillian's cheeks colored, and she shrugged. "I'm not so sure anymore."

"Hmm…" he turned and looked up at the fluorescent lights hanging overhead. They had watched the janitor replace them moments before the clubs filed into the auditorium. They now seemed unbearably bright. "Can I walk you home today? Then you can tell me all about this."

Lillian smiled and lifted a hand to her bangs, fingertips brushing against her cheekbone. "Yeah, of course. I just…uh…I'll be right back, okay? I've been trying to talk to someone this whole week, but they kept managing to avoid me…it'll only take a few minutes."

Ash glanced over her shoulder towards the Konohana group and nodded after a moment's hesitation. "Yeah. Of course. Go ahead. I'll be waiting outside for you, alright?"

"Okay," she nodded, grinning. "Thanks…thank you for offering to walk me home, and everything, I mean. It's really nice."

He smiled at her for a moment before looking away, shrugging. "We always walk home together. I've just been busy lately, and so have you. But let's go back to walking home together every day, just like we've been going back to walking to school together every day…okay?"

"Okay," she repeated. They smiled at each other for several seconds before Ash gathered their things and headed towards the door. Lillian, in turn, headed towards Hiro.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, his voice cheerful when she tapped his shoulder. He had been reading through a book about gardening, it seemed. He noticed her looking and said, "Reina has been talking about plants a lot more than usual lately…so I thought I would read up on them a bit more so I could converse with her about them."

"That's great," Lillian told him. She had to admire his kindness towards Reina, though she wasn't sure if what he had asked the Oracle to do could be considered kindness.

The polite expression on his face caught. "What's the matter?" he asked. "You look so serious."

Lillian hesitated and then caught his wrist, pulling him several feet away from the group. "I…I hope you're not mad at her for telling me, but-"

Hiro promptly closed his book, sighing. "I honestly half-expected the Oracle to tell you. She used to be very good at the secret business, but now that she's so close with so many people…it's not as reliable. But you can depend on her to do what you ask, at the least, no matter what she thinks about it. That's why it had to be her that I asked."

Lillian looked at him – studied him – for a moment. There was no regret in his eyes, and she wasn't sure whether or not she should be troubled by that. "Reina hasn't been very comfortable with Cam since you asked the Oracle to convince her to let him move in. Don't you think that maybe you forced her into an awkward situation with Cam – and a painful one?"

"No. I think it's the best thing that could have happened for her, honestly," Hiro murmured, his voice soft. He gestured towards his left, where Georgia was taking her anger out on a smiling Kana and Reina, Cam and Laney were talking. "You would think those three would be uncomfortable…but they've been getting along really well. They have a lot in common, after all, and now they have a lot at stake. I know Reina better than anyone else. I knew that, if given the chance, she could overcome the initial discomfort of living with Cam and grow from the experience. Maybe it's hard for her to see Laney and Cam together sometimes, but…she's had an empty guest room for years, and she's had feelings of regret about her ruined friendship with Cam. I didn't want to let things continue as is. Lillian…sometimes you do drastic things to make the people around you happy. You gave Georgia the position of vice president. It made Ash unhappy, but you knew it was the best thing for Georgia. Sometimes you have to weigh happiness like that. It might have been weird for those three at first, but now they're learning to handle their past and grow from it and build real relationships."

"But…" Lillian hesitated, feeling a strange anxiety rise in her. She had known that her choices had often relied on Cam's suggestion that the ends justified the means. Lying to people, omitting important details from people…it hurt them, but in the end, it would help them. But Reina was being forced to watch the boy she loved continue to pine after someone else, and Hiro hadn't quite justified that pain enough to her just yet. "Do you…want them to get together, or something?"

Hiro looked genuinely hurt by these words. "Do you really think I do? Of course I don't want them to be together. I have faith in Cam's feelings for Laney. I don't believe that they are so faint they will be erased by living in the same house as Reina." He shook his head and looked towards the door for a moment. Lillian looked too and saw Ash leaning against the doorway, waiting. "Lillian," Hiro began, catching her attention once more. "Forgive me, but Reina told me a bit about the awkwardness between you and Ash right now. Whatever caused that…would you really be able to look back at your high school years proudly knowing that you didn't fix it? Because I don't think Reina could look back at her high school years with a smile on her face if she thought that she and Cam had never patched up their friendship. Of course, the relationship between you two and those two are different, but…do you understand what I'm saying? Reina's friendship with Cam has caused her pain throughout high school. I want that pain to be erased by happy memories so she can graduate happily."

"And you don't think…anything will go wrong?" Lillian asked. Her hands were curled into fists at her side – fists provoked by nervousness, and embarrassment at having her situation with Ash being pointed out by Hiro, let alone talked about. She suddenly felt that she understood Georgia's request not to discuss her issues with someone else. Knowing that people were talking about her made her feel very uncomfortable.

"No," Hiro said, shaking his head. "I think Cam will stay true to Laney no matter what, and there will be no chance of a relationship between the two of them. All you have to do is look at them to know that. And I think that Reina will grow from her new bond with Laney and will be able to move on. That is honestly what I think, Lillian. I would not lie to you."

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Lillian nodded. "I see," she murmured. "I understand. If you think this is for the best…you know Reina more than I do. But I'm afraid she'll have her heart broken all over again."

"Being close with someone always puts you at risk of a heartbreak," Hiro said. "But you'd be in more pain if you never knew what was going to happen – be it friendship-wise or more – between you and another person and had to deal with that pain of not knowing for the rest of your life."

"You really think…that Reina would be hindered if she was never able to settle these feelings she has for Cam, and how much she misses their friendship? Even…years from now?"

"It was her first heartbreak," Hiro replied. He folded his arms across his chest, hugging his book. Throughout their conversation, and especially now, Lillian couldn't help but look at Hiro in a new way. The kindness and cheerfulness she had begun to realize were forced now seemed even more impossibly fake. He was hurt, and sad, and frustrated. "You can never forget your first heartbreak…but when you settle those feelings, it's a huge relief…"

"Have you settled your feelings?" Lillian asked, noticing the change in his demeanor as he looked past her, through her, at something she could not see even if she had turned around to look.

Hiro smiled at Lillian. "I confessed to Reina two weeks ago."

"What?! She didn't tell me anything about that!"

"Reina isn't one to gossip much," Hiro murmured. The look on his face was incredibly sad, but he held to his smile. "It hurt, of course, but I already knew that I was going to be turned down. And now I can work on resolving those feelings. I can't tell you how…how much of a relief it was to stop hiding it from her. It was obvious, we both knew it, but it was this…secret between us that made things so difficult. Things are out in the open now. I know perfectly well that it gets better – everything that comes with being dejected improves – once you acknowledge those feelings and work to move past them."

Lillian stared at Hiro, looking for any hint that he didn't believe these words. She felt that as believable as they were, it was impossible – the pain of being turned down didn't seem like it could be so easily eclipsed by working to move past it. But still…she looked at the Oracle, who had been getting better and better since her feelings had been dashed open for people to see. And she, Dirk, and Ash were suffering with their secrets. "I think I understand," Lillian murmured. "But I still…I don't know if I can say I agree with you on everything yet. I don't know…I just don't know."

Hiro smiled and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm being selfish in believing that my words apply to everyone, but I always thought that – despite the initial awkwardness of a secret being revealed – putting something out in the open is the first step towards dealing with it…otherwise you're just suffering from it, I think. I'm going to go walk home with Dirk today. I…I am sorry for not telling you all of these things earlier, Lillian."

"It's okay. I…I understand."

They smiled at each other briefly, and then he walked off, joining Dirk and the Oracle's side. Both looked from where he had come from to see Lillian walking towards the door, a frown on her face. Dirk moved to go after her, but Hiro caught his arm and gestured to Ash, and the boy in the maroon coat pulled up short and stared after her with a frustrated expression, though he did not move another step further.

"Is something up with Hiro?" Ash asked when they stepped outside. He watched her carefully, but did not take her hand as he once would have. The leaves were decaying now rather than simply changing colors and falling to the floor. Winter holidays were fast on their heels, and it felt that way, too. Ash's coat had been left behind at her house this morning in her hurry to meet its owner on time, and so Lillian did her best to pretend she didn't feel the cold.

"We were just talking about Reina," Lillian answered. She didn't want to lie to Ash, and hoped this was close enough to the truth. Hiro's feelings were obvious to many, though Lillian had not realized it was so, but she hardly wanted to broadcast them to the school.

Ash nodded. "Cam seems to be getting better with the whole situation. He, Reina and Laney are getting along well. A little weird, maybe, but not too bad, I think. At least they won't always think of each other as a friend they can't really call a friend anymore."

Lillian smiled and nodded. When Ash said it, she could believe it a little more, for some reason. Hiro's feelings were too wound up in this situation – his statements worried her. She was worried for his sake and Reina's. But Ash's were more objective – or perhaps they weren't objective, for didn't he think of Dirk as a friend he couldn't really call a friend anymore? She considered asking that, but thought against it. She didn't want her walk home with Ash to turn sour with a mention of Dirk.

After a few more moments of random discussion about the tidbits of Reina and Cam's lives they had learned – like that Cam was teaching Reina how to make flower arrangements, and Reina was splitting her chores in half with Cam – Ash said, "So, tell me about the change from wanting to unite Konohana and Bluebell to wanting to bond them together but not unite them?"

His words weren't harsh, but they were confused, and Lillian could understand that. She shrugged a little, embarrassed that her opinion had changed so drastically, and mumbled, "I want our club to win, of course, but I still want them to be friends. I guess…I want both clubs to win so all of my friends can get their wish at the city, but I did make a promise to help Bluebell win…I just can't say that I want to unite them anymore, unless they both got to go to the city. Everyone has their reasons for going, and I don't want to make us into one giant club…not if it takes away from one side winning. But both sides have such good reasons!"

Ash laughed despite Lillian's confusing words, and laughed even harder when she made a wide gesture of exasperation. "I understand," he told her, his voice gentle. "Your friends on both sides need to go to the city, but if the clubs are united – well, the reason given is that we don't have enough money for both clubs to win, right? But I always thought that you thought the principals were just bluffing about that."

"I did, but…now I'm not so sure. I don't think Principal Rutger wants us to fight, but I also don't think he wants us…to become one big club. I think that back when he was a child, he wanted Bluebell and Konohana the towns to get along, but he didn't want them to become one big town, or anything. I think he really does only have enough money to send one side out, or he would give both clubs the same benefits. I used to think that he wanted our sides to realize that we needed to come together, but I think now that he wouldn't let so many years go by like that – I think he's doing the best he can to give them an opportunity to bond, but he just can't give them equal opportunity."

Ash watched the expression of frustration drag down her face, leaving a grimace on her lips as she kicked the dead leaves that had already been stepped on so many times they had broken off into frayed shards. He lifted his hand, let it fall back to his side, and then lifted it again and set his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a brief hug. "Don't worry about it too much right now. We have a little bit of time left in this semester and next semester to worry…so for now let's just get the clubs to be friends, alright? Then we can try to think of something to do to make sure everyone can do what they need to do in the city."

Lillian looked at him in surprise and then smiled. "When you say it, I really do believe it," she told him, her voice small and a little embarrassed.

He blushed and then grinned. "Maybe that will convince you to tell me more about what's going on. I'll do my best to help you."

He looked like he was ready to move his arm, but Lillian rested her head on his shoulder for a second and then nodded, her cheeks a little flushed, though the cold wind was fierce that afternoon, and that was her excuse if anyone asked. "Yeah…you're right," she said. "Thank you, Ash."

She thought of Hiro's words, about the drawbacks of holding a secret within you, and how all you did was suffer even though so many people were aware of what you were hiding. All because you were too afraid to speak out. She looked at Ash and smiled when he smiled at her. Today…it wasn't the right time. She wasn't sure when she would be able to talk to him – to explain that what had happened previously was not her rejecting him, to explain her mixed feelings, to explain her confusion, and to tell him that there was only one person whose side she could not imagine being by, and that was the person's side she was at that very moment.

But it would come, she thought. A day would come when she could no longer hold in those words, and she would be brave and she would grow from them. They continued walking with his arm around her shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world, both blushing, making conversation about everything that came to their minds, and for that afternoon only good things came to their minds.

At school on Monday, Lillian walked into her last block of the day to find that – much to her surprise – Dirk was there, but Kana and the Oracle were not. Every once in a while she saw Dirk in the classroom by himself, but that was because she was with the Oracle. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually seen the two of them hanging out together.

"Where's the Oracle?" she asked, dropping her bag onto the floor and sliding into her seat.

Dirk shrugged. "With Mikhail, probably. She always is now."

"Oh. I didn't know they were friends."

"Neither did I," he mumbled. He stared at her desk for a moment and then rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How was your weekend?"

"It was good."

"What did you do?"

"On Saturday I had dinner at Reina's with Ash, Laney, Hiro, and Nori– and Cam, of course – and then on Sunday Ash and I went shopping for the club, since we're hoping to throw a party. What about you?"

Dirk folded his arms and leaned back against the window. His face had grown increasingly dejected since she had walked in. "Not as much as you," he mumbled. "I haven't really done anything all weekend."

It was that terribly disappointed expression on his face that led Lillian to ask such a stupid thing. "Do you want to come with Ash and I after school?"

"No." He answered instantly, his voice firm, and almost angry at her. Lillian didn't blame him. His eyes flashed for a moment, looking completely miserable and frustrated. "I don't want to tag along on your date."

"It's not a-"

"Hey!" Kana called out as he entered the door, dropping into his seat with a grin. "Lillian, guess what happened?"

Dirk turned away, and Lillian's conversation with him was finished. She listened to Kana talk about his latest conversation with Georgia, and tried not to think too much about the boy seated in front of her, though she felt guilty throughout the rest of the block.

Georgia was not in the mood for much at all during the club block. She didn't speak with Ash at the podium, or speak at all. She didn't even say something to Laney. She sat crunching numbers silently with Cam, who shrugged when Ash shot him a questioning look. I have no idea why, he mouthed. Ash sat down next to Lillian as the club talked amongst themselves, none of the officers having much to say that day, and said, "I haven't really apologized to Georgia yet, you know."

"You…really should. Your words…I think your words especially can hurt her, Ash."

He looked away for a moment and then sighed. "Laney told me yesterday. She didn't want to betray Georgia's trust like that, but…she wanted me to know that Georgia used to have a thing for me – at least I think she only used to – so I would know not to say things like that and hurt her again. You already knew, huh?"

"…Yeah. Reina told me."

Ash looked at her curiously, but didn't bother asking how Reina knew when he – the one Georgia's affections lied with – hadn't noticed. "Please tell me you didn't try to, like, set us up as one of your crazy plans," he said instead, only half-teasing.

Lillian shook her head, smiling. "No. I'm too selfish for that."

"What?" he asked. His eyes were wide, surprised at those words.

They both blushed, and Lillian hurried to come up with an explanation. "I mean…if you and Georgia started dating…you would probably spend all your time with her, and you wouldn't walk me to school anymore or walk me home…you'd have to walk your girlfriend to and from school instead, wouldn't you?"

Ash smiled and ruffled her hair. It was the first time he had done that in a while. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. I'll be walking you to and from school for the rest of the year."

"Good," Lillian replied, not bothering to complain about her hair being mussed, instead leaving it a little messy. She smiled back at him and they turned to look at the other club officers. For one day, Lillian did not find herself with the urge to fix their problems. She'd rather sit back with Ash and watch, and that didn't worry her until later.

On Wednesday Reina found Lillian and Laney at break and, grinning wide, said, "I have an idea I need you two to help with!"

Lillian and Laney exchanged a look. Lillian couldn't recall ever seeing Reina grinning, let alone seeking people out to share her idea. Perhaps Cam had been a good influence on her after all. "What is it?" Laney asked first. "I've never seen you look so excited before!"

Lillian was continuously impressed with the calm interactions between Reina and Laney. Reina had refused on Saturday and every day Lillian saw her since to discuss her feelings about the situation with Cam, so it was impossible to tell whether Hiro had been right – she had needed to resolve her feelings to become happy – or whether he had been wrong, and she was suffering silently. Still, she treated Laney as kindly as she treated Nori. In fact, Reina seemed to treat everyone a bit better, though she still rolled her eyes teasingly when Lillian spoke and liked to give her a hard time. Laney treated Reina as kindly as she treated everyone, and though because it was her and she was always nice it wasn't incredibly impressive, Lillian remained impressed by the way Laney had so quickly recovered from her momentary weakness. Her eyes were focused on the city prize, but that never stopped her from being kind and friendly.

Reina regained her usual composure instantly, her face taking on the usual slightly amused but bored expression she always wore. "Well, this is just something I felt particularly clever for," she said, which made Lillian laugh. "I don't know if any of you were aware, but Hiro's birthday is coming up…and I wanted to throw him a party. He's turning eighteen, after all. So I thought that Lillian, you could help with decorations, and Laney, you could help me with the cooking! Cam could do flower arrangements, Nori can help cook too, Ash can help Lillian with decorations…hmm…I guess Dirk has to do something too, or else Hiro will be disappointed he's not there…well, he can help with decorations too. Unless…you two…aren't interested, of course. I'm not forcing you to do it, I just-"

"It sounds great!" Lillian interrupted. Seeing the surprised expressions on the girls' faces had worried Reina, but she looked relieved to see the smiles that came onto their lips now. "I'd love to help out. Hiro could use a little boost."

Reina looked surprised at this comment, but then laughed. "I see. You're always on top of everything, Lillian. Is this alright with you, Laney?"

Lillian was equally surprised Reina had realized what she knew just from those words, but it made sense as well – Reina was always on top of everything too. Laney nodded, still grinning, and said, "It sounds like fun! I'm sure everyone would love to help out. I know where Cam is right now, if you want to go ask him, and he should be with Ash."

"I'll go ask Dirk," Lillian volunteered.

"Good," Reina nodded. She looked incredibly relieved to have the girls supporting her so. "I…I just want to do one nice thing for Hiro, since he's done so many nice things for all of us, really."

Lillian could agree with that. "He definitely deserves it. When is his birthday?"

"Three weeks from now, on the last day of the first semester," Reina replied. "I figured we could have the party at my house, since everyone is pretty familiar with it at this point."

"That sounds fine," Laney replied, smiling still. "Wow…this semester has gone pretty fast…"

For a moment, the weight of their lives post high school appeared. If the first semester could flash by, how quickly would the second semester come and go? But they had better thoughts on their mind, and they pulled away from the sudden fear of adulthood to work on celebrating Hiro's ascent into it.

"Let's all go ask now so we can start planning as soon as possible," Lillian decided, grinning. "Tell Ash I said hi."

"Of course," Reina replied, a knowing smirk on her face. She and Laney exchanged a look, and Lillian wondered if she liked it better when they were both on her side, rather than exchanging those little smiles at her comment. She had to laugh at it though, and turned and walked off towards where she knew Dirk usually spent his break.

The Oracle was with Dirk today, which was quite a relief. It worried Lillian when they weren't spending a lot of time together. However, as she neared the two, it became increasingly evident that they weren't exactly bonding – they were arguing.

"I didn't know I had agreed to spend all of my time with you," the Oracle snapped. "I just wanted to hang out with Mikhail for a bit."

"I'm not saying I'm upset that you're hanging out with someone else," Dirk protested, rolling his eyes. "I'm just saying that you could tell me where the hell you are sometimes and not just disappear. You went from hanging out with me every single day to just…vanishing."

The Oracle looked like she wanted to scream, though Lillian wasn't too sure why. She thought that Dirk had a valid point. When Ash had started hanging out so much with Cam, she had been incredibly distressed at his sudden departure. Who wouldn't feel that way if their friend started pulling away from them? But the Oracle did not seem to share in these thoughts. She said, "Well excuse me for hanging out with other people!" and stamped off.

Lillian hastened to follow her rather than approach Dirk, discreetly sneaking off when the boy wasn't looking. She caught the Oracle's arm, and the girl spun around looking ready to shout until she saw who it was. "Oh…Lillian…I suppose you saw my very unseemly conversation just now."

"I…guess I did…what's going on?"

She released the Oracle's arm, and the girl consequently clasped her hands together before her waist, already looking shamefaced about her interaction with Dirk. "I yelled at him when I really shouldn't have. It's perfectly understandable that he would want to know why I suddenly started spending so much time with Mikhail. He's been teaching me how to play violin, you know."

"I never knew you wanted to learn," Lillian murmured.

"Neither did I. I have a nice time with Mikhail, though. He's a bit of an outcast, like me. I guess you changed both of us so we fit in with more people. I like talking to him. I feel like…we really understand each other."

"Do you…have a crush on him?" Lillian asked, surprised.

The Oracle smiled, and though it looked for a moment like she really did, she laughed and shook her head. She suddenly looked very near to tears. "No. It would be very nice if I could like a nice boy like Mikhail. But I still like Dirk no matter how much he clearly likes someone else. So when he gets jealous about me spending time with Mikhail, I can't help but feel happy…even though I know it's because he was used to being my only friend, though of course he didn't mind sharing me with you. No, I don't have a crush on Mikhail. I wish I could trade my feelings for Dirk with my feelings for him. I spend time with him because I like knowing that people can overcome other people's attitudes about them. I like listening to his violin music, and I like how he tries so hard to fit in with all of you, and I like that it's really begun to pay off this year for him. This year…I've done the same thing, without even trying."

Lillian hesitated and then smiled at the girl. "I think you've tried just as much to get along with people. You and Mikhail are a lot alike – both so kind it's impossible not to like you. I…I'm sorry-"

"No, don't apologize," the Oracle interrupted, laughing and covering Lillian's mouth. "The last thing I want to hear from you is guilt over your feelings. Thank you, Lillian. I think you're the one who made a difference in my life and Mikhail's this year. How…how about you come over today?"

"I thought you didn't let anyone come over," Lillian blurted out before she could stop herself.

The Oracle laughed, but Lillian was amazed to see that the girl actually looked a little embarrassed. "I just haven't invited anyone yet, but I thought it would be fun. Would you like to?"

Lillian grinned. "Yeah. Sure."

She followed the girl down the hall as they turned their conversation to topics that weren't quite as hard to discuss – things like the recent club competition, and history class, and how the Oracle braided her hair so neatly. Lillian thought that she had never been so close to a girl – though she had made many friends over the years, Ash and Dirk had been her only best friends. Now she could say that the Oracle too was her best friend, just as she was hers. Sitting with Ash and thinking that she didn't care about the other club members for a few minutes – she had that feeling again as she walked with the Oracle and thought that her conversation with Dirk could wait for a few minutes. Even if high school was going to come and go so fast, knowing that she had gotten to know Ash so much and had befriended the Oracle seemed like worthwhile accomplishments for the year. It made everything else she wanted to accomplish suddenly look a little less important.