~Chapter Three (Holly)~

Getting to school was interesting, as the whole fellowship wasn't going to fit into the car. So I ended up getting up at Five o'clock in the morning, so that I could be ready on time to walk to school with them.
Don't even ask about the arguments over the shower. It wasn't pleasant.
When we got there, it was rather interesting to watch everybody's reactions, as they were all completely different.
Becky was in total disbelief; she almost refused to accept that it was all real. Faye was pretty much glued to Legolas, though Jess wasn't giving him up without a fight. Heather stood ten feet back and drooled over Aragorn. Mandi gaped at the weaponry they were all carrying. Shakira was afraid of all of them. Katie could really care less about the fellowship being here.
Jess took Pippin, Gimli, Legolas, and Sam, and went to first block. So I grabbed Frodo, Merry, Aragorn, Boromir, and Gandalf and headed for the office to get visitor's passes.
It wasn't too hard to get five passes, even if the fellowship looked like they'd just stepped out of the jungle or something.

* * *

The first two blocks went by smoother than expected. My half of the fellowship was perfectly well-behaved. And Frodo stayed by my side the whole time, though I don't understand why. (Wouldn't it be more logical to stay close to your friends than to stick to a girl you'd only known for a few days?)
Lunch was an awesome break though. Everyone was chatting happily, so I didn't think anyone would notice if I slipped outside for a while.
I was missing my sweetie so much. It had been five days since I had last gotten to talk to him. I generally had a problem with going one day without him, let alone five.
So I went out and sat on the steps just outside the cafeteria. They were always a good place to sit and think for a while. Or, in my case, sulk and be miserable.
A few minutes later, the door opened and Frodo stepped out.
'You seen rather down today,' he said as he sat beside me on the steps. A little closer than I was comfortable with, but I didn't pay any attention to it.
'I'm alright,' I said.
'I highly doubt that. Now will you tell me what's wrong? I only want to help,' he looked at me with those impossibly blue eyes, not far from the colour of my own.
'Just missing someone,' I replied, determined not to tell him about my problems.
'Well, that's not much to go on. Tell me who you're missing so much that you would leave your friends to be alone.' . 'My boyfriend,' was all I had to say to that. He paused at this new information before he said, 'You really don't want to tell me much, do you?' 'It's not you, or anything. It's just that I don't go telling my problems to just anyone.' 'So now I'm just anyone?' his answer caught me off guard, especially when I saw the hurt in his eyes. Where had that come from?
'I don't mean it like that. I'm just not an open person. It takes me a long time to warm up to people, and even still it takes a long time before I'll tell them anything. I've known Faye for as long as I can remember and I only just started to open up to her last year. I've known the rest of my friends only a little less time, and I don't tell them everything. And here I am, trying to explain myself to you. This has got to be the weirdest week ever. I'm still trying to accept that you're here. There is no really logical reason that you could even exist in another world, let alone this one. I'm going to have a really hard time trusting any of you. I get betrayed any time I'm open. That's how it's always been. But my sweetie, he almost forced me to be open, because of how much he tells me about everything. And I'd give anything to be with him,' I paused for a moment, 'I've said too much.'
'No, now I'm just closer to understanding you. You really care for this lad don't you? And I take it he lives far away.'
'I don't know why you would want to understand me, but yes, I really care about my sweetie, and he does live very far away. He's the most un- logical decision I've ever made, but I love him regardless. It's so hard that he's so far away,' with this I let out the tears that I had been holding back for so long.
Frodo simply held me close and murmured soothing things in my ear. I don't think that he was paying attention to what he was saying, because I could swear I heard him say 'I could really fall in love with you, just let me near you.'
I chose to ignore it and kept crying. He was comforting to be around, even if he wasn't the shoulder I wanted to be crying on.
I cried for about fifteen minutes before I ran out of tears.
'I'm sorry,' I said.
'For what?' he asked.
'Dumping my problems on you and then crying on your shoulder.'
'I'd say that you needed a good cry. And I'm glad that I'm the one you cried on,' he said.
'Why?' I asked, shocked beyond belief, 'you don't even really know me.'
'Exactly, I want to know you. I want to know how you think and why you do this things you do, why you are the way you are. Crying is basically letting go of everything. If you can catch someone crying, then you can see more of them.'
'Wow. That first part sounded just like something my sweetie would say. And the second part sounded like me,' I said.
He laughed at this and said, 'I love the way you look at things.'
'You like me don't you? As more than a friend. As a girl.' I asked.
'Very much, and I am saddened to hear that you are involved with another lad.'
I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I had been joking when I asked that question. I never expected him to say yes.
'Oh,' was the only thing that I could think of to say. There had to be a logical way to handle this, I just had to find it. Logic. Logic. Logic. For once, I couldn't seem to use it.
'Not the answer you were expecting?'
'Nope.'
The door opened, and Becky stuck her head out, 'Holly, Frodo, didn't you guys hear the bell ring? Holly are you alright? You've been crying,' she stated.
'Yeah,' I said, 'yeah I'm fine. Let's go inside babe. Come on Frodo.'

* * * Later that evening, as I lay in a steaming hot bath, I contemplated what to do about Frodo. I didn't want to avoid him, as I valued his friendship, but it was somewhat awkward to be around him.
It didn't seem like he was feeling awkward about it though. He was still going to sleep on the floor in my room. Along with Sam, Pippin, and Merry.
The sleeping arrangements were a little cramped, I'll admit, but there was no way around it. My house simply wasn't that big.
Aragorn and Boromir were sleeping on the sofa-bed, Legolas and Gimli were sleeping on the two sofas in my living-room. Frodo, Pippin, Merry, and Sam were sleeping on the floor in my room, and Gandalf was staying in my trailer.
Becky was so jealous that Legolas was staying at my house. She had asked earlier if he could stay at her place, and had swatted me when I said that we shouldn't split up the fellowship.
Jess was also convinced that Legolas should stay with her so that she could try to seduce him, which was a laugh and a half. She was just jealous that the fellowship was staying with me. And I can't say that I wasn't proud.

* * *

It took me a while to fall asleep that night. It was nearly midnight before I started to doze off.
I had almost managed to fall asleep when I heard, 'Holly, are you asleep yet?'
'No,' I whispered back.
'Will you come take a walk with me then?' asked the voice.
I rolled over and faced Frodo. He looked so hopeful that I couldn't turn him down.
'Alright. A short walk then,' I replied.
I followed him out of the house and down the driveway. It was a few minutes before either of us said anything. So I broke the silence with, 'Is there a purpose to this walk, or am I out in the cold for no reason?'
'I just wanted some time with you,' he said, 'and hopefully I can change your mind about this other lad that you care so much about.'
'Frodo,' I said and kissed him quickly on the lips, 'I love him. And nothing you can say or do will change my feeling towards him. That kiss was the most you'll ever get from me.'
'That was mean. But, unfortunately for you, I'm going to have to do this,' he murmured as he leaned over and kissed me with all the vigor that he had been saving up since that last Saturday when he showed up in my driveway.
'Wow,' was all I could say.
'A little too un-logical?' he asked.
'A little.'
'Forget logic,' he said and tucked a loose curl behind my ear. 'Forget logic and everything that you have been taught is wrong. Forget about everything but here and now. You can't tell me that you don't want to kiss me again. I can see it in your eyes.'