Delia had been oddly quiet ever since she got home from school the day before. Dr. Brown had been quite worried for his usually self-expressive daughter and was worried enough to leave where he was in the kitchen to try to talk to her.

"Delia, is everything okay at school?" Dr. Brown asked walking over to her in the living room. Her head snapped toward him and a quick "yes" escaped her. Dr. Brown was about to continue when the door he was standing in front of opened and his son walked in.

"Hello Ephram," Dr. Brown greeted them. Ephram nodded instead of replied and walked into his room.

He and Jig had talked it out for the last hour. He had asked his dad to look at Colin. Nobody had ever really yelled at him though. Even Amy had been calm, and she had the right to yell at him. It had actually been bothering him no one had ever gotten as mad at him as they should have, but he knew Jig would. His shin still hurt. It was bruising too. If it got much worse he'd have to show it to his father. Of course, he'd have to come up with a good lie first. "A girl kicked me" wouldn't sound to good to his dad, not to mention what Delia would say. She would never shut up. Though she would draw it out to the extent that he got beat up by a girl. Little sisters everywhere probably did stuff like that. He had wanted a brother. But no, he had to have a sister.

At six Amy stood on the Brown household's porch. She straightened her collar, placed a lock of hair behind her ear, and held her breath. She reached up and pressed the doorbell. She heard the footsteps and watched as the doorknob turned and opened. Dr. Brown greeted her with a smile.

"Hello Amy, come in. Ephram! Amy's here," he said backing away and letting her in. Amy walked into the house and stopped just as Ephram walked out of his room. Ephram stopped when he saw her and just stared at her for a few moments. He blinked the sight of her out of his eyes and led her smiling out of the house.

Ephram felt out of place as he and Amy walked through the restaurant. It wasn't the fact that Ephram was neither Italian nor Chinese, it was the fact that he was there with another guy's girlfriend. It wasn't exactly a red-letter offense but he still felt a little off. Amy felt a little weird but you couldn't tell it by looking at her. She was just thanking him for asking his dad to help Colin. It was more than a card-thanking event. Besides it was good for her to get out. Though being out with Ephram probably wasn't the best thing.

They both sat down and gave the waiter their orders. Amy from the Italian side and Ephram from the Chinese. She was in the mood for noodles and he was in the mood for rice. It was an odd place, Everwood, where the two moods could be satisfied. They hadn't spoken much, and nothing to each other. It was odder than either of them had suspected. Ephram was a bit more aware of all of the eyes on them then Amy was. He was used to it. Well, Amy was used to being stared at too, but it wasn't this type of stare. She only got that kind of stare nowadays whenever she was with or talking about Ephram. She liked being with him anyway. Maybe public wasn't the best place though. Then again, a private meeting might give everyone the wrong idea, making things even worse.

"How's your family?" Amy asked him. He nodded at first before answering.

"Good. Delia's class in putting on a play but she hasn't told Dad yet," Ephram said. Amy smiled.

"Why not?" she questioned. Her smile made him smile.

"She's afraid he'll want her to get involved. Or worse yet, she's afraid he'll want to get involved," Ephram said and Amy laughed.

"But she told you?"

"Yea, she tells me everything, at least, I think she does," Ephram answered and chuckled slightly.

"It must be great to have a little sister that looks up to you so," Amy told him smiling. Ephram was smiling until a thought came to his mind.

"I want to try to be nice to Bright," Ephram admitted. Amy's smile slowing faded through shock.

"What?" she asked, completely taken by surprise. Ephram sighed before continuing.

"If I saw Delia hanging around with a guy like me, I'd probably act like an asshole too. His attitude is completely called for considering the situation. And I can't believe I just said that…" he explained to her, a small look of bewilderment in his eyes. Amy smiled sweetly, impressed by his understanding and brotherly watchfulness.

"Don't. My brother has always acted like an asshole; it's not you. Besides, he doesn't deserve the pains you'd have to take to be nice to him. You know he was even mean to Colin a little after Colin first asked me out," Amy said and immediately regretted it. She had spoken the forbidden name. They both fell uncomfortably silent.

"Amy? Ephram? What are you two doing here?" a voice asked them as it approached their table. They both looked up and saw Irv looking at them with a smile but still signs of curiosity in his face.

"Irv! Uh, hi. We, uh, we're just eating. Well, waiting to eat. Where is our food? We're just going to eat…" Amy said nearly in a state of panic. Edna and Jig walked up behind Irv. Edna was pleasantly surprised to see them with a slight smile on her face. Jig was mouthing the words "sorry" over and over again to Ephram, who was the only one looking at her.

"Hey kids, what's going on?" Edna asked them.

"They're waiting to eat," Irv informed her. Edna grinned and glanced from Amy to Ephram. She nodded in some odd way of understanding.

"Don't worry, we won't tell him," she said to Amy, "come on there's a table over there."

Irv and Edna started walking to where Edna had been pointing. Jig was following them when Ephram grabbed her arm and pulled her head close to his.

"What are you doing here?" he asked through his teeth.

"I tried to talk them out of coming but they wanted to show me the restaurant. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" she said before being released and following her great aunt and uncle before being missed. Ephram sighed and turned to Amy, whose eyes were still fixated on her grandparents. From that point on Ephram considered the night ruined.

"Delia? Delia! Delia are you listening to me?" Mrs. Violet demanded. Delia turned her attention from the colorful and informational display on the wall beside her and turned to face her teacher. Mrs. Violet looked like steam was about to shoot out of her ears.

"Yes, Mrs. Violet," Delia answered her. It was a lie, but it was an answer.

"Then will you please tell me what role it is you would like to have in Hansel and Gretel?" the teacher asked. Delia fell silent. The truth was she didn't want to be in the play at all. Her mom went to all of the other plays she had ever been in; a school play without Mom wasn't any fun. Her dad probably wouldn't be able to come, but Ephram would. But her dad's not being there would only make Ephram upset and they'd yell at each other. Delia hated it when they yelled at each other. Even when her mom was alive they yelled. Her mom would hold her and tell her they only yelled because they were a little different. They were the same though, Delia knew that, that's why they fought. Things that are too a like never get along.

"Whatever part needs to be filled, I'll take," Delia answered her teacher, hoping it'd be a candy cane role or something. Maybe even off stage work, no lines or singing at all. Mrs. Violet sighed angrily. It was a sound Delia was coming accustomed too.

"But do you have a preference?" the teacher demanded. Delia shook her head. Mrs. Violet sighed again.

"Delia Brown, I'm beginning to think you don't even want to be in this play!" Mrs. Violet told her. Delia just remained quiet and still.

Ephram and Jig sat across from each other quietly at a table in the library. They didn't sit quietly because it was a library, they sat quietly because dinner last night had been ruined and they both knew it. Ephram didn't blame Jig, he had no reason to, but awkwardness took over them both just the same. Ephram sat reading Cowboy Bebop manga while Jig sat reading a volume of Batman: No Man's Land. Soon a clamor hit them both as Wendell flopped down into the chair next to Ephram. The two already there looked up from their books and stared at him. He was looking at Ephram with a silly looking grin on his face, seemingly not noticing Jig's presence at all.

"So how'd the date go?" Wendell asked him. Ephram scoffed and looked back down at his manga, though not intending to read any more. Jig sighed angrily.

"Will you just go away?" she asked Wendell. This brought Wendell's attention to Jig for the first time. His grin vanished from his face and his eyes widened a considerable amount. This not being the angered and annoyed response she had expected, Jig was a little unnerved.

"You're beautiful…" Wendell said to her. That shoved Jig into a complete stage of shock, and Ephram as well, as his head popped up from the manga to Wendell. Ephram then looked at Jig as if looking for something Wendell had seen but he had missed. He saw nothing but Jig's plain face and tied back pale brown hair. Jig was by no means ugly; she was just plain looking, especially if Amy was standing next to her. Ephram turned back to Wendell, who was still gazing at Jig.

"I was wondering when you'd finally go insane, Wendell…" Ephram told him.

"Wendell?" Jig asked first looking at Ephram and than back at Wendell, "this is Wendell?"

"Yea," Ephram told her. Jig cringed in angered disgust.

"Oh, speak again, bright angel!" Wendell said to her. She yelled out in surprise as he leaned forward slightly and stretched a hand to touch her's. She retracted all of her limbs and pushed herself farther away from the table. Wendell stood up to pursue but thankfully the table was there to block his path. Ephram stood too and placed an arm forbidding Wendell from moving.

"You're a freak!" Jig yelled at Wendell before grabbing her comic and living the library. Wendell sighed and turned to Ephram.

"Women…" he said. Ephram sighed and rubbed the space between his eyes.