Friday, August 5, 2005

This chapter is again, one of my better ones! At least I think so… Here, Hillary does a lot of thinking about Jake AND Noel, and you'll get a glimpse into her childhood days (which is the part in italics… you'll know it when you get to it). I hope you all find at least part of my chapter a little bit funny... I was in a humorous mood as I was writing part of it... But if you don't, it's perfectly alright.

Before I move on to the chapter, I'd like to give a big shout-out to my amazing loyal reviewers, as well as my great new ones! Thanks guys! All your reviews mean so much to me!

Sayiangirl – Thanks, I'm really glad you like it!

MST3KForever – lol, Stan trying to stop global terrorism. That, I'd like to see. Stan did get off a little easy, but I didn't want him to get too hurt. Anyways, thanks for all your comments!

JMS-Hamham – that's funny. Here's chapter six for you!

InspiredByMiyazaki – Yeah, after I realized how inspiring and helpful some reviews can be, I decided to start reviewing other stories! I'm glad you liked the chapter!

Crystalgurl101 – sorry to say it, but there's no hamsters in the chapter. Not even a mention of them. Shocking, I know. Next chapter there probably will be though.

Lil'PieceOfCrap – Yay, thanks so much! I hope that this next chapter also makes my story better!

Alice – I started out with lots of details, but I kind of stopped, because I figured that it's a bit distracting. But now I realized that maybe it's not so distracting, so I tried to find a balance. Thanks for all your comments, and I understand how you didn't like the fighting. Then again, the ham-hams probably wouldn't do half the stuff in my story, lol!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hamtaro, any of the Hamtaro characters, or anything related to the show. Anything in this story that is similar to something already in existence is purely coincidental, and unintentional. A quick note in case some readers don't know: baby's breath is the white stuff that comes in a bouquet of flowers. I don't really know how to describe it, so hopefully everyone knows what it is! It's kinda important later in the chapter. Oh, and please don't laugh at my poetry! (Once again, you'll know it when you get to it!) Yes, I did write it!

Chapter 6: Cursed With a Cold

"Ah-choo!" Hillary sneezed for about the hundredth time that day. She reached for a tissue off the coffee table, and nearly rolled off the couch in the process. Oh, how she hated being sick. She wanted to blame someone for this, but Hillary knew that it technically was her fault for not bringing a jacket with her when she went out with Jake the other day. The two of them had gone to the beach to watch the sunset, but ended up getting caught in a sudden rainstorm. Hillary and Jake had run under a nearby bridge to stay dry, but the cold winds still made Hillary shiver. The fact that she was wearing a tank top and miniskirt didn't help either. Hillary had hoped that Jake would let her use his coat, she had even hinted at it – but Jake just didn't get the message. Hillary just shrugged the incident off; after all, Jake did hold her close to keep her warm. Then again, now Hillary was sick with a cold in the middle of summer; stuck inside, lying on the couch, surrounded inused tissues.

She wanted to give Jake the benefit of the doubt, but this wasn't exactly the first time this sort of thing happened. The two of them were officially a couple for over a month now, and Hillary had already started to notice that Jake seemed to be less… gentlemanly now than when they first met. Like the time Hillary and Jake had gone to the beach on one particularly hot and sunny day. Hillary had asked her boyfriend to put sunscreen on her back, but Jake tried to avoid the task by making up an excuse about a phobia of lotion. Hillary had ended up putting the lotion on herself, but didn't do a very good job since she was left with a horrible sunburn the next day.

Then there was that time when Jake promised to take Hillary to the new romantic restaurant in town for their one-month anniversary. Hillary was devastated when she found out that Jake forgot to make reservations, and the restaurant was booked solid for months. There was nowhere else to go, so they ended up eating at a fast food restaurant. Sure, they had a good time and all, but Hillary had expected a bit… more. She thought that maybe, just maybe her expectations were too high… Then again, maybe not.

Jake originally seemed like the perfect boyfriend; he always held doors open for Hillary, he was thoughtful, and he said and did the sweetest things. Lately though, Hillary couldn't help feeling like something was missing. None of Hillary's previous relationships had lasted very long, which made her wonder if she was setting her standards too high. As she pondered that thought, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Hillary said through a stuffed nose, frowning at the sound of her own voice. She quickly blew her nose and looked up to see Noel poking his head through the partially open door.

"Hey there," he said gently, letting himself in. He walked towards the couch Hillary was laying on, and she noticed that he was carrying a grocery bag that was almost overflowing with contents. "Feeling any better?"

Hillary sniffled. "Not really, I'm still cursed with this cold."

"Not for long," Noel said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I brought sustenance." Noel indicated the grocery bag he was holding. "Your cold will be gone before you know it, trust me." Hillary smiled at this; Noel could always make her feel better, no matter how bad she was feeling. "And I brought these for you," he said, handing Hillary a small bouquet of handpicked daisies and a card, both of which he had been hiding behind his back.

Hillary's face lit up with a smile as she accepted the gifts. "Aww thanks so much Noel, that's so sweet of you!" Noel was blushing furiously, but Hillary didn't notice; she was busy fiddling with the bow that was tied delicately around the bouquet. Daisies were Hillary's favorite flower, and she knew Noel would never forget why. Hillary suddenly became lost in thoughts of her childhood…

It was a warm day in September: the first day of school. Hillary, who was eight years old at the time, stood alone in the middle of the playground. Her family had just moved to the city, and Hillary had yet to make any friends. She nervously twirled her finger around one of her pigtails as she looked around for someone to play with.

"Come play tag with us!" a girl with curly blonde hair said, grabbing Hillary's hand and pulling her towards her group of friends.

Hillary smiled as she ran away from Lisa, the girl who was "it". As she looked over her shoulder to see where Lisa was, she slid on the pavement and fell down, scraping her knee. As the girls all gathered around her, asking if she was okay, Hillary struggled to hold back tears.

"Lemme help you," a boy's voice said from within the crowd. He held out his hand, and Hillary grabbed on to it as he helped her up.

"Thanks," Hillary said quietly, looking into his big brown eyes.

"Come on, I'll take you to the nurse's office," the boy said, still clutching Hillary's hand.

"Kay"

The two of them slowly walked together towards the school, still holding hands. The boy stopped suddenly and bent down to pick a flower from the grass: a daisy. "Here, for you," the boy said, handing Hillary the little white flower.

"Thanks," Hillary said, smiling slightly. Neither of them said a word, until Hillary finally broke the silence. "I'm Hillary," she said softly.

"I'm Noel."

Hillary loved remembering her childhood. Even though she and Noel were one year apart, the two had become close friends quite quickly. No matter what they went through together, both would always remember the day they first met.

Hillary's thoughts were interrupted by none other than Noel, who had already put the daisies in a vase on the kitchen table. "I brought some soup along. I could heat it up for you now, if you want," Noel said, unloading the contents of his grocery bag onto the table.

"Thanks, that would be great," Hillary replied, as Noel turned on the stove and began warming the soup in a saucepan. As Hillary waited, she carefully opened up the envelope from Noel, and found a hand-made card inside. She smiled at the picture drawn on the front: it was a sketch of Hillary holding what else, but a daisy. She knew Noel was an amazing artist, but could never resist his drawings of her. She opened the card to find a short poem written inside.

Your face may be pale

And your nose may be stuffed,

But you don't have to wail

'cause your pillows will be fluffed.

I'll help fight your cold

With chicken noodle stew,

And I want you to know

That I'm always here for you.

I hope you get well soon Hillary. I'll always be here for you, don't you forget it! I know the poem was cheesy, but I was hoping it would make you smile.

Love always,

Noel.

Hillary's cheeks turned pink; Noel always had a way of making her feel special. She was grinning from ear as she put the card on the coffee table. The card really cheered her up. No, Noel cheered her up. Hillary pulled her blanket over her arms and closed her eyes, letting Noel's words sink in.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Hillary… Hillary…"

Hillary woke up to a voice calling her name. She opened her eyes to see Jake standing in front of her. Well, on the other side of the coffee table, same difference. Surprisingly, the first thought that crossed her mind was, "Where's Noel?"

"Ah, you're awake," Jake said, and handed Hillary a large bouquet of flowers. Compared to Noel's daisies, this bouquet was the Eiffel Tower. Yes, it really was the ultimate bouquet, containing carnations, chrysanthemums, roses, and baby's breath. Too bad Hillary just so happened to be allergic to baby's breath. Severely allergic. Hillary started sneezing all over the place, and quicklythrew the bouquet on the table.

"I'll take care of those." Hillary watched as Noel came over from the kitchen and took Jake's bouquet with him, clearly going to put them in some water.

"I got this card for you too," Jake said. He was obviously still oblivious to the fact that he nearly caused Hillary to sneeze to deathjust moments ago.

Hillary took the card from Jake and looked at the front. Sure enough, the card was store bought. The picture on the front was of a bouquet of flowers – with baby's breath. "Curse you, baby's breath," Hillary thought to herself as she opened the card to read the inside.

Dear Hillary,

Get well soon.

Love, Jake.

Hillary almost burst out laughing. "This is what he wrote? Hilarious, absolutely hilarious!" Hillary thought to herself. She should have anticipated this, but alas, even she would not have guessed that her own boyfriend - the "poetry expert" - could write so little in a get-well card. Heck, she could have written a longer get-well card when she wassix years old.

"Thanks," Hillary said sweetly - maybe a little too sweetly. But she didn't care; her good mood had quickly faded.

"I'm glad you like it," Jake replied. Hillary thought he might give her a hug or something at this point, but no such luck, Jake stayed glued to his spot. Obviously he was afraid of catching Hillary's cold. "Anyways, it looks like Noel's got things under control here, so I'm heading off to work. Get better soon, Hill."

"Bye," Hillary said quietly. "He can't even stay with me while I'm awake for more than 5 minutes? Geez, what's up with him?"

Jake blew a kiss to Hillary from the doorway, then shut the door behind him.

The angry thing wasn't working for Hillary right now. She had been hurt, and nothing could hide that. The tears flowed from Hillary's eyes before she could stop them; she tried to wipe them away with her hands, but they continued to flow. She reached for a tissue, but was startled to see Noel standing next to her, holding a clean tissue out for her.

"Thanks," Hillary managed to say through sobs.

"Shh, it'll all be okay," Noel said softly, sitting next to Hillary on the couch and putting one arm around her. Hillary brought herself closer to Noel, threw one arm around him, and began to cry on his shoulder. Noel didn't even try to move away; he wasn't afraid of getting his shirt wet or getting sick, all he cared about was Hillary. He was there for her, just like he promised. Noel's warm, strong touch made Hillary calm down quickly, yet she still clung tightly onto him.

"Thanks… for everything," Hillary said, trying not to make herself cry again.

"Anytime," Noel replied, hugging Hillary tighter. At that moment, neither of them wanted to be anywhere else than with each other. It felt so… right. Yet to Noel, Hillary was still "the one that got away", and he knew he couldn't do anything about it. "I think you need to sleep," he said quietly, breaking apart from Hillary.

Hillary, though slightly disappointed,went back into her original position on the couch. Noel got up, fluffed Hillary's pillows, and pulled the blanket up to Hillary's arms. The two smiled at each other for a moment, and Noel slowly leaned in. He came closer, and closer to Hillary, and stroked her hair with his hand. Hillary's eyes did not break their gaze from Noel's as he inched closer. Noel suddenly stopped himself; he couldn't do this – not now, not today. Instead, he gently kissed Hillary's forehead and stood back up.

"Goodnight Hillary," He said softly, watching Hillary close her eyes. "You know where to find me." He quietly walked away, and out the door. Outside Hillary's door, Noel took a deep breath, then sighed. "I'll never be able to tell her," he thought sadly, and trudged across the street to his apartment.

THIS is now officially my second-longest chapter! I hope you liked it! Looks like Hillary is having some second thoughts about her relationship with Jake… Well really, what guy does those kind of stupid things to his girlfriend? If you ask me, Hillary's definitely got a reason to be upset! And I bet you all thought Noel and Hillary were gonna kiss, didn't you? Well, they weren't… not yet anyways. Oh, and don't ask about the part about the flowers being the Eiffel Tower. I dunno what came over me when I was writing this, but it just sounded right!

I loved writing this chapter, I don't know why. Expect an update soon, but not too soon, I'm really busy for the next little while. I think there will only be about one or two more chapters, then an epilogue! Exciting! In the next chapter, Hillary does some more deep thinking, and the hamsters do some talking. Not very eventful, but maybe I'll think of something interesting. Oh, and I've moved up to a grade 6.2 level! It's gotta be the dialogue, since this chapter didn't have too much.

Anyways, until next time,

sparkleshine101