Author's Note Thingy: Little bad word here.

"You're getting better at this," Ephram said. Jig was sitting on the piano bench and Ephram was barely sitting on it next to her. Jig's hands moved slowly over the keys, but had they moved at a better speed the song would have sounded perfect.

"No, you're ears are just getting worse," she corrected him with a slight laugh. Jig hit a wrong key and groaned.

"Isn't that the key though?" she asked him. He shook his head and pressed the key next to the one she had hit.

"No, 'A,'" he told her. She sighed and hit that one then continued playing slowly.

"Did you ever imagine you'd be teaching piano?" Jig asked him. He shook his head, knowing she was too preoccupied to notice.

"No. Kind of hope I never would, actually," he confessed.

"Sorry."

"Not your fault."

"So what ever happened to that play related lie? It was a week ago," Jig asked him. Ephram frowned.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? He must know."

"I'm sure he does. He just hasn't mentioned it."

"Not even to Delia?"

"Not a word."

"That's weird. Maybe he's waiting for one of you to admit it."

"Well Delia can do it, I'm not going to."

"I never thought you would. Oh hey, I gotta go. Orrie's showing me around his dark room," Jig said standing up and grabbing her bag. Ephram stood up too.

"So you and Orrie are really getting along?" Ephram asked her as Jig put all of her outer wear on. She nodded with a smile.

"I really like him."

"You know if you marry him, Star will be your mother-in-law?" Ephram told her. She laughed.

"Marriage? No. I don't like him that much. Anyway, see you later Ephram," she said.

"Bye Jig," he replied as she opened the door and let herself out.

"Ephram!" she yelled from outside. Ephram ran to the door and opened it. Jig was standing halfway down the stairs and Ephram walked down next to her.

"What?" he asked. She made no response so he followed where her eyes were leading. He turned around and jumped in shock of what he saw.

"Holy crap it's a raccoon!" he said. Surely enough, sitting on the ground, staring at them, was a raccoon. It raised its paw in the air as if waving to Ephram.

"I told you!" Jig yelled in a whisper.

"Jig you're being stalked by a raccoon!" Ephram told her and she sighed.

"I know!" Jig said taking a few steps side to side. The raccoon's eyes followed her.

"That's weird."

"Do raccoons usually follow people?"

"I don't know!"

"Is he dangerous?"

"Is he a he?"

"He's probably hungry, right?"

"Animals are always hungry."

"So do we, like, call someone."

"No! Uh, no."

"Okay, then what so we do?"

"Scare it away I guess," Ephram said and they both started yelling and screaming at the raccoon. In unison they took a step forward in an attempt to scare the animal. In response the raccoon took a step closer to them in interest, causing the two humans to flee in fright back up the stairs and into the house.

Delia lay on her bed with her eyes making their way down the pages of her book. The play was now over, and rest could be had. Delia stopped reading as she heard the footsteps pass her door from the hallway. It wasn't Ephram. Ephram's walk she knew. This was her dad passing by her door. Ever since that first play she would notice the saddened expression on her father's face. The way he looked at her was different. Oh he knew all right. She had hurt him. Delia closed her book, gathered her courage, and opened her door.

"Dad," she called out. She had caught him at the end of the hallway. Eagerly he turned around.

"Yea?" he asked her. She shifted a little nervously.

"Can we go see a movie tonight?" she asked him. He nodded, a smile lifting the sides of him mouth.

"Sure. We can do that," he said. Delia smiled.

Desi tightened the hood around her head, compressing her hair to help hide her face. She reached her hand out and turned the knob. Unlike every other door on Everwood's Main Street, the opening of this door was not accompanied with a bell, announcing an entrance. The secretary looked up and smiled as Desi entered the waiting room. She sat in a wooden rocking chair for a few moments before a door suddenly burst open and a tall, leggy, domineering woman rushed out. The secretary handed her something, the woman read through it a bit, and turned to Desi.

"Hm. The rocking chair… Follow me," Star said walking back into her office. Desi stood up and followed her, knowing the door might slam shut before she was through it.

"Okay, so your brother is dead, your parents use you but don't care about you, and you have no friends but retain an interesting relationship with Ephram?" Star asked her. Desi nodded. It was an odd summary of her life, but none the less accurate. Star moved her head from side to side in thought.

"Okay, here's what you do. Kiss Ephram," Star said. Desi tensed in shock and felt her eyes widen.

"What?"

"Kiss him. His lips, your lips. Maybe a little tongue-"

"Are you crazy!" Desi yelled at her.

"No, you are, that's why you're here. Listen, you want friends, you have to go get them. If you kiss Ephram, just once, never talk to him afterward, he'll start talking casually to you. You act like you never kissed him, he won't mention that, but he will try to get to know you, and you can get to know him. Instant friends. Easy," Star explained. Desi just listened to her, her mouth gapping open.

"Yo- you're so-" Desi started.

"Yes I know."

"How'd you know what I was going to say?"

"I've heard it before. Now let's move on."

"Uh, yea, yea good idea. What about my parents?"

"Lose them. Forget them. Put them in your past. They don't love you and never will," Star said. Desi sighed.

"How can you still have your license?"

"Because people don't know who to complain to. Now, our time is up. So please leave and tell… uh, oh whatever her name is! Tell her to send in my next paycheck. I mean patient. Good," Star said. Desi nodded standing up and walked out of the room.

Desi had instructed the secretary, Katie, to send in Star's next "paycheck." Desi saw the next person briefly, but there was a glimmer of something she recognized. The way the new paycheck walked and held the hood close around their face, Desi knew her.

"Goddamn Ephram gets around!" Star yelled when Amy was finished. Amy chewed a little on her lower lip. She had debated with herself rather or not she should even come here today. But Star was a professional and probably wouldn't mention Amy's predicament to anyone, and Amy really needed help. She had no idea what to do. Who to choose. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"Dump Ephram," Star told her confidently.

"What?" Amy asked, surprised by the direct answer. Star couldn't have had more than five minutes to think about it.

"Dump him, lose him, what do I need to get you a dictionary?"

"A- are you sure?" Amy asked her.

"Amy, that other boy was in a coma! He has amnesia! Don't be a bitch and dump him Amy," Star told her.

"I- but I'm worried about hurting Ephram," Amy explained.

"Really! Well that's completely different! Dump them both!"

"What!"

"Dump them both! Ephram and coma boy!"

"Why?"

"You don't love either of them. Leave them; let them move on, you move on. Find someone you do love, marry him."

"How can I not love either of them. I love both."

"No you don't. Love is a very selfish thing, Amy. It doesn't care about anybody else's feelings. If you're worried about hurting Ephram, they you're not in love. So move on."

"But-"

"Jesus Amy! Let them go! Let yourself go. This isn't hard to understand. There's no love here."

"What if they, what if they love me?" Amy asked shyly, like the idea was impossible.

"Better they know you don't love them now than later, right?"

"How can you be so sure I don't love either of them?"

"Do you see that?" Star asked pointing to the wall behind her. Amy's eyes found a diploma hanging on the wall in a frame covered in buttons.

"Yea…"

"That's how I can be sure. Now, don't worry about Ephram or coma boy. As I hear it, Ephram is surrounded by girls, one of whom is going to kiss him if she knows what's good for her. The other, who's this, Waltz person?"

"Jig."

"Yes, who is she?"

"My second cousin, Ephram's best friend. She's been hanging out with Orrie…" Amy said surprised Star wouldn't know about Jig already.

"Oh! Oh the brown haired girl with the nice laugh!"

"Yes."

"Oh, she's nice. A little weird. Orrie likes her. Anyway! Back to you and your miniscule little problems. Where were we, oh, yes, yes, um, worried about other people. Well, uh, stop that, they don't matter. They just make you crazy. I know. So um, times up. Leave…" Star said getting up and walking behind her desk. Amy sighed, stood up, and walked out of the room. This was not a normal office. Certainly not a normal shrink. Freud would be appalled, just, appalled.