Saturday, August 20, 2005

Oh gosh, it's been awhile since I've updated. I tried to write, believe me, but I didn't have a lot of free time lately. Plus, Ididn't want to force myself to write, otherwise it's no fun, and the chapter won't be as good. I don't know why, but I wasn't completely satisfied with this chapter, but that's just me. I hope you all think otherwise though!

Anyways, I'd love to be able to thank all of my reviewers like I usually do, but unfortunately, there's a new rule, so I can't. (If someone would be so kind as to let me know if it's still ok to have the thanks to the reviewers in my older chapters, that would help me out a lot, thanks!) Instead, I'll thank you all as a group (if this is still allowed. I really don't know!) So… Thanks everyone who reviewed, your support means so much to me!

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.

On with chapter seven! Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Three Small Words

As soon as Hillary heard the sound of the door closing, she opened her eyes. She suddenly wasn't tired anymore. She couldn't believe what had just happened; her heart was racing just thinking about it. When Hillary had gazed into Noel's beautiful brown eyes, something came over her, but she didn't know what. Hillary thought that Noel had wanted to kiss her, and when she looked back on it, Hillary realized that she wanted to kiss him too.

"Get those thoughts out of your head," Hillary told herself. "You have a boyfriend, remember?" She sighed as she thought of Jake; things just weren't the same with him anymore. At the beginning, he was so sweet and caring; he always made her feel special. These past few days, however, Jake was quiet and conservative, and it seemed as if he was hiding something… or someone. Hillary didn't even want to think about it. Although Jake hadn't been the best boyfriend lately, Hillary still liked him a lot, and definitely did not want their relationship to be over. She would miss him too much.

"Why do boys have to be so complicated?" Hillary said aloud. This whole situation was too stressful for Hillary to deal with right now. She closed her eyes, trying to forget about all her problems. One word came out of her mouth in a whisper, just before she drifted off to sleep. "Noel…"

Sandy, who had been watching intently from her cage the entire time, was stunned. "Noel? NOEL? Have you totally forgotten about Jake?" Sandy shushed herself when she realized that she was shouting. She had no idea how this happened. "I thought things were going so well with Jake… So why did Hillary suddenly start liking Noel?" Sandy had a vague idea, and vowed to get to the bottom of this, before it was too late.

- - - - - - - - - -

The next morning, Hillary woke up feeling refreshed. Her cold was gone, with the exception of a few remaining sniffles, and it was a sunny day, so she couldn't be happier. She immediately thought of Jake, but her heart sank when she remembered everything that happened the night before. Hillary decided that it was time to have a talk with her boyfriend.

- - - - - - - - - -

Sandy entered the clubhouse and took a seat at the table next to her brother. Stan took a sip of tea then greeted her. "Hey Sandy, what's up?"

"Stan, like what do you think you're doing?" Sandy asked, still angry about the previous night's events.

"Err… I'm drinking my tea," Stan said, a bit confused at his sister's outburst.

Sandy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "You know what I'm talking about."

"Do you really think so?" Stan retorted, getting annoyed.

"Stan, Noel tried to kiss Hillary last night." Sandy said, frowning.

"He did?" A wide grin suddenly appeared on Stan's face. "That's great! Aww, I'm so proud, he's finally learning from the master!" He stopped talking when he noticed the expression of disapproval on Sandy's face. "Oh, I mean… How could he do such a thing? Sheesh, some people have absolutely no control!"

"Yeah, as if you do?" Sandy snapped. "You promised you wouldleave Hillary and Jake alone!"

'Hey, I had nothing to do with this," Stan replied defensively. "I can't help it if Noel likes Hillary, and whatever he chooses to do is totally his decision."

"I don't care if he likes her! But can't he see that Hillary is perfectly happy with Jake?"

"Oh really? Because that's not what I've heard," Stan said with a smirk. "According to Noel, Hillary's been having second thoughts about her relationship. Jake hasn't been treating her the way he should be. Did Hillary ever tell you this? Because she told Noel, and believe me, she is definitely not happy!"

Tears were forming in Sandy's eyes. Neither twin noticed that most of the other Ham-hams were staring at them.

"What do you have against Hillary and Noel?" Stan asked loudly. "Is Noel not good enough for her? Hmm?"

"I… I don't…"

"It's just because Jake is Maxwell's owner, isn't it? You only care that you're happy with him. If Jake had any other hamster, I know you'd be on my side, one hundred percent," Stan continued bitterly.

Sandy froze. Was she being selfish and ignoring Hillary's feelings just because Jake was Maxwell's owner? Maybe she had imagined the four of them as a happy family, and blocked out everything else. Sandy didn't want to face the truth, even though she knew Stan was right. She ran out of the clubhouse, tears streaming from her eyes. "Maybe this was all justa big mistake."

- - - - - - - - - -

A million thoughts were going through Hillary's mind as she rang Jake's doorbell. Thoughts of Jake; how he had been acting lately, the dates they had been on, and what he could possibly be hiding. "It better not be another girl..." A few memories of Noel also found their way in betweenHillary's thoughts about Jake. When Jake finally opened the door, he looked more surprised than happy to see his girlfriend.

"Hillary! I didn't expect –"

"Save it. We need to talk."

Jake could tell by Hillary's tone that she meant business, so he led her upstairs to his room. As soon as they entered, Jake rushed around, trying to tidy up. He closed the Internet browsers that were visible on his computer screen, and shoved some loose papers into his desk, wherever he could find space. "Yup, he is definitely hiding something," Hillary thought as she bent down to pick up one of the many books that lay on the floor. Out of nowhere, Jake rushed over and quickly grabbed the book out of Hillary's hand.

"Don't worry, I've got that," Jake said quickly, and proceeded to pick up the other books that were strewn around the room.

Hillary sat down on Jake's bed as she waited for him to finish cleaning up. She was getting impatient, and finally cracked. "Jake, don't take this the wrong way or anything, but I've noticed that… lately things seem… different between us."

Jake dropped the last few books he was holding and looked at Hillary. "Different? What do you mean?"

"Right, like he doesn't know," Hillary thought bitterly. However, she managed to keep her anger hidden. "Well, when we're together, I sometimes feel as if you don't really want to be there. It's like your heart isn't in this relationship anymore."

Jake took a seat on the bed next to Hillary and put one of his hands on her lap. He looked her in the eyes and said, "My heart is still in this relationship baby, believe me." Jake leaned over and kissed Hillary softly on the lips.

Hillary loved the feeling of Jake's kisses, but she hadn't said everything she came to say. She stopped Jake, mid-kiss, and backed away. "Jake, I'm beginning to think that you're hiding something from me."

Jake's eyes widened and he looked down at his feet. "I… I… I'm not hiding anything, I've just been really busy lately, that's all."

Hillary wasn't impressed with Jake's lame attempt to cover things up. Her temper was rising, and she couldn't help herself from showing it. "So you're telling me that you're not trying to keep any other relationships a secret from me?"

"There's no one else, Hillary." Jake said, both defensively and devotedly.

"Yeah, I'm so sure," Hillary said sarcastically, getting up and heading for the door. Jake grabbed her hand, stopping her. "Can't he see that I'm trying to make a dramatic exit?" She sighed, then turned to face Jake. She crossed her arms, and her face displayed a frown that said, "Just try and defend yourself now."

Jake got up, bringing himself to Hillary's level. "No other girl could even compare to you. You're beautiful and smart and talented and…" Jake trailed off, trying to look Hillary in the eyes as he thought of what to say next. "There's no way I would even think of being with another girl when I'm so… in love with you."

Hillary really wasn't expecting this sort of response. "Did you… just say…"

Jake took Hillary's hands in his, and looked her in the eyes. "Yes. I love you, Hillary."

Hillary was speechless. She kissed him for a moment, but broke away once again. "I… I don't know what to say… I should be happy, but… I really don't know… I need some time to think things over." Hillary gave Jake a quick kiss on the cheek, then ran as fast as she could, away from Jake, his room, and his house.

Yeah, I know, it was kinda short, but if I added any of the stuff that's supposed to happen next chapter, it'd be too long. (Lucky I added in the part with the hamsters last minute, otherwise it would be super-short!) Next chapter, you get to find out what Jake's secret it! (Yes, he does have a secret! Surprising, eh?) And… Well, I can't really say any more because even I don't know how it'll turn out (I blame my lack of planning and organization for this!)

I look forward to your comments! Until next time,

sparkleshine101