As the sun began to rise through the deep blue sky, the grey clouds over the gem sea began to roll in through the heavy breeze, though the day never called for rain. May's fading pink hair was messily tied up in a bun, and sweat trailed down the back of her neck as she worked away, feeding her chickens and cleaning the branches that fell in with the heavy gusts. Beneath her eyes were dark circles; she hadn't slept much since leaving Alex's friday night, which was the last time they spoke.

Her chores were only half completed, and she sat on the porch, holding her phone in her hand; the pit in her stomach felt as though it was becoming deeper. She pushed Alex's contact, and tapped the 'call' button. It rang once before she hung up, changing her mind. May had no idea what to say or ask, her mind becoming blank whenever she tried despite being so frustrated.

Quickly, she dialed Micheal, suddenly afraid Alex might be calling her back.

"This is Micheal I'm not at the phone right now," *Yoba*-. "Please leave a name and number, but I'm probably not gonna look at it." *Beeep*. May's foot angrily kicked against the deck, receiving Micheal's machine, and lifted her coffee to her lips. Before she could open her mouth to leave him a message he'd never check, the line suddenly opening startled her, which was followed by a loud shout through the receiver. "Wait! Don't hang up! Hello?"

May pulled her phone away at the initial yell, wincing slightly. "Shit, you don't have to yell."

His voice dropped several decibels. "Oh, heya Mayfly." He said with a happy tone. "Nearly forgot my phone there for a second,"

"Hey," she replied as calmly as she could, leaning back on one hand. The summer sun beat down on her face, glaring in her eyes. "You on your way to work?"

"Yeah, y'know, I gotta *earn* those days off." He said in a serious, yet mocking tone. "My boss is such a dick, as if coming in *everyday* isn't enough,"

May was skeptical. "You don't go in everyday, do you?"

Micheal was silent. "I mean..." He muttered. "Not *everyday,*"

May couldn't help but snort; Micheal could always bring a smile to her face. However, other curiosities were crossing her mind. "Anyways, did you find the video I was talking about?" She asked with an edge of eagerness and nervousness .

"Yeah, I did." He said calmly while May took another sip of her drink. The discussion was hush, and a secret the two had been sharing. It had been saturday since she told Micheal about the local newscast that had kept her up all night and he promised he'd do his best to get to the bottom of it. "I think, at least, I haven't watched it yet, but I skimmed it... The first 20 minutes anyways... Whatever, you're still meeting me at the bus stop?"

May nodded, despite Micheal not being to see. "Yeah, but you know I live right *beside* the stop, right?" She asked.

"What if I go the wrong way?"

She was taking aback for a second. "What do you mea- Just turn around!"

"May, I'm just going to get lost if you don't."

` May rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."

"I just think I deserve special treatment is all." He replied with an arrogant air. It was quiet for a moment before he asked. "Alex talk to you at all yet?"

Her body relaxed against the hard surface of the deck, setting her coffee down as she closed her eyes. "Not exactly." She sighed. "I saw him with his Granny for a few minutes yesterday, but that was about it, he didn't say anything to me though." She bit the inside of her cheek.

"And here I thought he was beautiful." Micheal said dismissively from the other end.

She couldn't help but scoff, a grin spreading against her lips. "I haven't talked to him either though... I mean... I try?... No I don't... I don't even know what to ask him..." Her face dropping once more. "It's just feels weird after..." She didn't wanna admit that her easy behaviour could of possibly had a hand in this, and threw her forearm over her eyes. "It's just... I don't even know what to make out of all of this, y'know? He's just... being frustrating and confusing."

Micheal stayed silent for half a minute, as if trying to decipher what May was saying. "Yeah... *he's* confusing," May scoffed in return, knowing her own thoughts were as jumbled as her feelings, but Micheal continued to speak. "But I gotta go, it's my last shift and I just got to the shop."

"Alright," May said with a sigh. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Call me tonight!" He exclaimed loudly before hanging up.

After ending the call, May finished her small breakfast while watching the clouds roll in, rumbling as they did so. She scowled while eating spoonfuls of berries and honey, seeing that watering her plants this morning was pointless and she should of fell back asleep. It was bound to begin pouring soon, she thought to herself.

After picking up her coffee and topping it off once more, May returned inside her house and considered the day over already. She took a seat at her table, setting her phone on the surface with disinterest. She set Sam's sweater as a cushion, the cloth still smelled faintly of his cheap joja cologne, and clicked on the TV on, switching to the cooking channel. While the the Queen of Sauce was making chocolate cake step by step, May felt as though she were somewhere else. Her mind was circling though, thinking about Sam's father with the pistol pressed to the back of his neck made her stomach turn. She stared blankly at the TV, though was barely focusing as each episode passed and the only thing that pulled her thoughts away from it was the sudden buzzing on the table.

May's heart nearly jumped into her stomach, the noise startling her suddenly. It rang only once and then stopped, and when May checked the screen, Alex's named was across in red, along with 'missed call'. May's heart was nearly wringing itself with frustration and anxiety. She grabbed a pack of cigarettes from her bedside drawer and stepped outside, letting Smokey follow her out. Her hands were slightly shaky as she lit the tip, and took a seat on the wooden deck. She stared at the distant sky, the clouds became darker as they grew closer, and tried her best to silence her mind.

Everything still circled though and trying to force good thoughts had only made it worse. She thought about Sam joining her for the evening with ice cream and laughter, but he looked so much like his father. She wanted to think about the wonderful day she and Alex had spent at the amusement park, but it made her too sad... She tried to think of the mines with Sebastian but-

'Oh shit,' May thought suddenly, shooting up in her chair. Robin's sale!

It was fifteen to three, and still threatening to pour. May pulled Sam's sweater off of her kitchen chair and shrugged it onto her shoulders while rushing out the door; Smokey snuck in on May's way back out. Before making her way up towards Robin's, May filled a thermos, figuring Sebastian would want a pick-me-up if she was coming by, and rushed off with a brisk pace.

Her walk up the mountain was quiet and her mind whirl winded around. Sam's father being captured made her stomach churn the more she thought of it, but couldn't shake it off. The shining gun to the back of his head made her heart stop every time she thought of it. It *nearly* took away the strangeness of Alex's behaviour. The only thing to bring her out of her mind was the thick droplets of rain, pouring from the sky, which encouraged her to sprint to Robin's.

May nearly crashed through the front door, she only somewhat wet from her venture. Inside of the shop, Abigail was chatting with Robin, which May had caught the tail end of.

"I'm sorry Abigail, they left around noon for the city," Robin said kindly before her eyes shot up to May. "Hey there, May!"

Abigail sighed, but glimpsed back to May as well. Her eyes looked rather tired, and she gave a curt nod and a sad smile before speaking to Robin again. "Oh, alright." She sighed in a depressed manner. "Is it alright if I go down and grab my textbooks then? I have a test coming up."

"No problem, I'm sure Sebby won't mind." Robin offered Abigail a warm, wide smile before Abigail made her way to the stairs. She then turned to May. "You here for the sale?" Robin asked.

May couldn't hear any stairs squealing as Abigail marched down. "Yeah, I am," She said with relief, and Robin handed May her menu. "Thought I was going to miss it." Nearly everything was 50 percent off, and May couldn't help but have an excited grin. She counted her money once again before purchasing a couch, a television stand, and two extra chairs for her kitchen.

Robin's voice dropped low for a moment while May was doing her math. "Do you know what happened?" May froze, her eyes to meet Robin's and felt a pinch of guilt inside of her stomach. She did know, but she didn't, and would only shake her head 'no'. Robin let out a sigh, and explained in a hush voice. "She's been here nearly everyday to see Sebby, I feel bad for her... He can get... Stubborn... Like this, but normally it blows over by now."When a sudden loud creak came from the basement stairs, Robin went quiet and rang up the total on the cash register, as if nothing had happened. The final total nearly 1000 G. May felt reluctant seeing final costs, but knew she needed it today, and paid up. "Perhaps we should start planning an upgrade soon." Robin acknowledge. "It's probably getting cluttered in there."

May cocked a brow. "You try'na make an extra G?" She teased, trying to appear normal. "You're already cleaning my wallet out."

Robin laughed, shaking her head. "Perhaps, but that couch isn't going to fit easily inside that cabin, you know." She glimpsed briefly to the window, before turning back to May. "It's coming down hard out there. I can give you a ride back home if you like."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"Alright! Just let me grab my keys."

Robin left her counter and headed down the hall as Abigail emerged from the basement. Quietly, she shut the door behind her and stopped, staring at May. "I like your sweater," She said in a playful manner. "Sam's clothes look better on you than him."

May gave a small shrug, staring down at the sweater; how could she not agree? "I guess they do... Wish I brought an umbrella though."

"Your hair's starting to fade..." She mentioned off handedly. "Are you busy right now?" She asked, shoving a hand in her vest pocket while holding the book protectively with her other arm. May shook her head 'no', and leaned against Robin's counter. Abigail gloomy, and she, too, had deep dark circles under her eyes. "Well, I was wondering if you'd wanna hang out?" Abigail shrugged her shoulders slightly. "We could touch up your hair and we've 'have' been meaning to hang out for a while now..."

May stared at Abigail, figuring the both of them were feeling the exact same, alone and frustrated. She offered her a kind smile and agreed. "Sure, sounds great."

Robin arrived, spinning the key around her finger, and led the pair out to the garage. The three of them loaded her furniture into the back of her truck, and Robin had to carefully back it out of the cramped, cluttered space, missing Sebastian's motorcycle by just a few inches, before May and Abigail could climb in. The inside of the truck was muggy, and the rain poured heavily on the windshield.

The ride to the farm was quiet, the radio playing an old country song as they slowly cruised down the mountain and towards the town. Robin whistled along with the tune happily, seeming proud to have made such a huge sale, and her hand tapped the steering wheel in rhythm. Abigail asked for a quick stop at Pierre's for her to sprint inside and collect several things. May remembered in her own bag she had a thermos, and gave it to Robin as thanks for the ride.

Robin shook the dented thermos with her wrist. "Sebby's gonna be jeaaalous~" She sang delightfully.

Abigail had her school bag was tossed over her shoulder when she returned to the truck. Once reaching the farm, the three of them rushed to lift the couch inside, the fabric only getting slightly damp from the downpour and May couldn't help but agree with Robin; it was a fairly packed in her home. Abigail grabbed the lamp while May and Robin took in the TV stand, and last was the two chairs, tightly packed into May's table against the wall. However, May figured she could find a way to move the furniture and get a 'little' bit more walking space.

"Alright Girlies," Robin said, wiping her sweat-and-rain-covered hands together. "Anything else before I leave?" The two shook their head awkwardly, and with nothing left to say, Robin gave them both a nod left the house. The two girls watched from the door as Robin return to her truck. The engine growled loudly as she backed out of May's, waving towards the door as she left the property.

May and Abigail quietly watched Robin pull away, giving a small wave back as they stepped out onto the deck. "So, what textbook were you grabbing?" May asked, trying to start conversation.

"Hmm?" Abigail replied, glancing over as her hand dropped. "Oh, I wasn't grabbing a textbook." She said with a sheepish grin. She flipped off her school bag, and though it appeared to be a book about geology, she opened the cover and found it to be a box. A bag of rolled cigarettes and green weed sat in the bag. "My dad's caught me too many times, and I 'really' don't wanna get in shit again..." Abigail looked a little nervous, her hands holding the box a little too tightly. "You're not gonna say anything, are you?" She asked.

May shook her head 'no'. "I'd be a hypocrite if I did." She shrugged. "Just can't smoke inside, with the cat and all."

Abigail smirked. "I figured you'd be okay with it."

She took one of her joints from her bag and lit it, taking a seat on the wooden deck. May sat down beside her, watching Abigail blow out thick, white clouds of smokes. When she offered May some, she was happy to accept, needing something to take the edge off. Her mind felt as though as it were floating on a gentle wave as she did so, taking a few more puffs before passing it back to Abigail. The two sat in silence, listening to the pouring rain as they smoked. Abigail was the first to speak.

"Why's Sebastian such a... Fuck?" She groaned, tilting her head into the wooden walls of her cabin.

May took the joint once more; it was well over half done. "What do you mean?" She asked before taking a slow drag; her legs stretched out and the pouring rain slapped against her boots.

"You don't have to pretend you don't know," She sighed, crossing her legs and slumping downwards so the small of her back rest against the deck. "I know it's obvious we're fighting."

There was no denying it. "Yeah," May sighed, scratching the back of her head as she took another puff. She was unsure of what to say other than "I'm sorry," before offering her the joint back.

Abigail took the cigarette from May's hand. "I feel like a glutton for punishment sometimes," She sighed. "It's always been like this though." Abigail's chewed finger nails played with the rolled paper in her hand. "It's like, he's scared to open up, y'know?" She took a drag herself and blew out another cloud. "And somehow I'm always okay with it-"

May couldn't help but open her mouth, the weed taking away her filter. "Why though?"

Abigail looked over, the whites of her eyes tinting red. She stayed quiet, as if trying to think of an answer until finally shaking her head. "I... don't know." She looked away from May, her eyes somewhere far off, and a sad smile on her face. "He just... I can't stop myself, every chance I get I just wanna be around him, even if he is kind like... That-" She stopped for a moment when looking to May, seeming embarrassed. "Do you know what I mean?" She asked, handing it back.

May nodded, taking another drag and feeling her muscles finally beginning to loosen up; she found that the two of them were very alike and her babble of words made complete sense to her. "I do..." She couldn't help but think about Micheal and Jordan from when she had lived in the city. "I have a friend who's sort of like that..." She nudged Abigail with her elbow. "He's coming by tomorrow and could give you some bad advice."

Abigail snorted, but a sad smile spread against her lips. "I'd take any advice at this point... So who's this 'friend'?"

The two finished the joint while May explained that Micheal would be here early in the morning, and how she does love him but he's a little infuriating; Abigail could only be reminded of Sam in that instant. The conversation carried inside the house while the girls opened the windows of the small shack and Abigail dug through her bag. She pulled out 2 bottles of cheap dye while May grabbed an old towel and wrapped it around her shoulders. "He's always been more like a brother to me instead of a friend though," May had to push the table to give Abigail space to do her hair. "On my first date with Alex, he embarrassed me so..." Her voice drifted off, remembering that first date and how special it was. A small pout pressed against her lips. "I think Alex is mad at me." She admitted to Abigail.

Abigail couldn't help but notice the silence while pulling on her gloves and pouring some of the dye into her hands. "Trouble in paradise?" She jested in a knowing tone.

"That obvious?" May scoffed, though Abigail hummed a 'yes' as her fingers began massaging May's scalp; as she rubbed in the dye, May felt comfortable and relaxed, despite the strong scent of dye filling her nostrils. "Something like that..." Her brows furrowed, overly frustrated with Alex's behaviour.

"Well, what happened?"

"I mean, I'm not even... sure what I did wrong?" At Abigail's confusion, May sighed, rubbing her palm against her eye. "He's been acting weird ever since I left the clinic, and... Maybe a bit before then... We haven't really spoken since his birthday and-" She wanted to bring up the news broadcast, but wasn't sure how to. Her mouth hung open as she tried to think of what to say. "He's been avoiding me... But I've been avoiding him too. y'know?"

"Mhmm," Was all Abigail offered, listening, though her attention was focused on May's hair.

"And I dont even... know how to bring it up. It's hard to talk to him about this and... he said this shitty thing about Sebastian that's been bugging me, and it wasn't even that shitty... I feel like I'm going to have to pick between you guys and Alex, or that this is where it's heading to..." Her hands moved while she spoke, though she tried to keep her head still for Abigail.

"Boys are stupid." Was Abigail's answer as her hands working down the lengths of May's hair.

"Yeah, they are." May couldn't help but agree, closing her eyes. She stayed quiet for the time, enjoying the touch of Abigail's hands through her scalp and hair. It felt good to vent to Abigail, who listened patiently, and she felt so wonderful with her stirring high, May felt as if she were going to melt away in the chair. Abigail made quick work though, needing only 20 minutes to spread the dye from her roots to tips.

"Alright, it'll be about an hour until you can wash it out... " The sky outside was black and the rain was continuing to pour outside, thunder grumbling in the distance. "I guess I should probably take off now though." Her tone was sad and turning more quiet.

May's brows furrowed, her head feeling heavy with her hair caked in dye. The day felt much better with Abigail around, and the weather outside was still dreadful. "Why don't you spend the night?" She asked, standing up slowly.

Abigail seemed surprised. "I thought you were having company tomorrow."

May shrugged. "I can do both," She admitted with a cheeky grin and Abigail's mood lightened slightly. "Micheal won't mind anyway, he'll just be exciting and annoying and wanna ask a billion questions."

The two split another joint out on the deck to keep the exciting headpins going, while the two chatted over nothing. Abigail was surprised to hear that May didn't have a console in her house, while Abigail didn't play table top games or card adventures. The evening was fairly carefree, and for once, May easily ignored her troubles in Abigail's presence. May lent Abigail one of her night gown for the night, and an outfit for the morning after. The two lifted May's old TV onto the stand, and the pair sat on May's brand new couch to watch 'The Oracle'.

When the hour was up, she slinked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. The burn on her leg had turned into a healing scab and no longer required the tight bandage, though the water felt extra hot on her leg. May thought for a long time while standing in the shower, watching the pink dye bleed and spill down the drain. She felt a little overwhelmed now that she was alone, her mind able to circle without distraction. Alex, Sam's father, Sebastian and Abigail's fight; despite the dye circling down the drain and out of her scalp, her head still felt heavy.

May was happy to leave the quiet tomb of the bathroom, finding Abigail at her kitchen table. Smokey cuddled into her lap and her textbook open with a notebook beside her. "It felt like I was in there forever," May said with relief. Her old towel was staining pink while she furiously rubbed her hair in an attempt to dry it; the weight of silence was too much to bare, and forced her from the shower early.

"You're telling me," Abigail said, but laughed tossing down her pencil. "My dumb ass thought I could study this high,"

"How long was I gone?" May turned her head to the clock. "Ten minutes?" She exclaimed dumbfounded. Abigail could only laugh.

The evening ended early, with May needing to meet Micheal at the bus stop in the morning. The girls called him, sitting at the table together, and Micheal was rather excited to meet one of May's friends from the valley. However, he spent the phone call complaining about the upcoming bus ride. "It's only an hour drive out to the valley, why the hell does the bus take three hours?" He groaned. "Why does it only leave at two in the morning. May, are you guys in the void or something? I bet the Valley isn't even real and you're just calling me to my doom."

By nine, the girls turned into bed; May set up the couch with a sheet and one of her grandfather's old quilts, as well as her 'good' pillow with the most stuffing. Abigail settled down easily. The lamp was clicked off, and after a rather sleepy 'sweet dreams, May', Abigail was sound asleep in gentle snores within minutes. It didn't take May too long to fall asleep herself; the gentle rise and fall of Abigail's breath kept her breathing in rhythm and were calming to listen to. May's hands fumbled with one another while her mind continued to conjure up destressing thoughts. Her body could no longer fight the fatigue however, and even without her good pillow, May managed to drift off. Her dreamless sleep, however, was interrupted at 2 am.

The sudden vibrating of her phone on the table had startled her, making her heart pound into her chest as shen shot up from bed. Abigail stayed asleep as May quietly tiptoed to her table to scoop up her phone. She knew it couldn't be Alex as the phone continued to buzz, and without looking at it, she pushed 'talk', and grumbled into the line.

"I get it Micheal," She mumbled in an exhausted manner. "A 2 AM bus ride is a load of shit, but so does waking up at 5:30, *AND* 2 in the morning to answer this phone call. Can I go to sleep please?"

The line was quiet for a minute until a slurring voice crept through. "Who's Micheal?"

May felt more awake at hearing Sebastian's voice, her eyes widening and everything coming into focus. "Se-" May held her tongue for a second as Abigail stirred, rolling to her side. She quickly moved towards her door, her feet a soft patter on the wooden floor until she stepped out onto her deck, which was still soaking wet and cold against her bare feet. "What are you doing?" She asked in an annoyed manner.

A rucas could be heard at the other end of the line. "Me and Sam were just wondering what you-"

May spoke quickly, unable to still her tongue again. "No, I mean-" She grit her teeth for a moment, wishing she could stop herself. However, her exhaustion and frustration were getting the best of her. "What... What are you doing with Abigail?"

Sebastian didn't say anything, and even Sam in the background went quiet.

May, however, couldn't stop now; over exhausted and frustrated with her own issues, she spoke. "C'mon Sebastian, don't... Be like that to her... I know you're scared but... It's not fair to keep dragging Abigail around if you're not gonna date her. You can't just keep hiding from her, man... Why haven't you called her?" Whenever Sebastian didn't respond, May continued to feel angry, and that pent up frustration beginning to spill out. "I don't even get what's the point of keeping her around if you don't wanna *be* with her-"

Sebastian's voice took a sudden edge. "Don't get shitty with me because you're mad at Alex." It was a dark, threatening tone she had never heard before.

The line went dead in an instant before May could get in another word, and when the disconnecting beeps started, she hung up the phone. Her stomach felt like a tight knot, regretting that she took her frustration out on Sebastian.

She returned inside, tossing her phone on the bed and grabbed a cigarette from her deck. Quietly, she pulled on her boots and stepped out to her farm once more. A short walk in the drizzling rain helped clear her mind, circling around the bee hives and the hen house. However, May knew she did wrong, knowing she was pushing boundaries that were not hers to touch. By morning, Abigail might have lost Sebastian forever, and May scolded herself for not knowing better by now.