I'd write an author's note, but no one reads these damn things anyway! :DDD
Spring 10th
On most days, Flower Bud was a sun- kissed village, bathed in warmth and soft breezes. On this particular day, however, the sun made no appearance. The first rain of the year had finally come, bringing rest to farmers from watering crops and puddles for children to play in tomorrow. Frogs hopped here and there as the clouds lazily drifted through a grey sky and raindrops pattered softly towards the ground, quiet enveloping the town.
Flower Bud's resident fishing expert, Ray, was especially glad for the rain. When it rained, rare fish were sure to be found shortly after. And as much as Ray loved fishing, it certainly didn't make him rich.
So it was a little bittersweet, he thought to himself, that he loved what the rain brought so much, but couldn't stand to be, well, standing in it.
Kurt, who was making his way home from Starry Hill after the rain began to pour, noticed Ray scanning the area, trying to find trees to sit under as shelter.
"Hey," he greeted. Ray looked up from the tree he was under, which wasn't doing so good at keeping the rain away. "I guess rain is the only thing that'll stop you from fishing, huh?"
He grinned bashfully. "Yeah. I love to fish, but I would hate to catch cold. Plus, there's no use fishing during a rain, because the fish are all asleep then. I can't do anything today, but tomorrow I'm going to look for the King of Sunny Lake."
"Really? I heard no one's ever caught it before. That'll be tough."
He nodded silently, looking out over the lake. There was an awkward silence as both contemplated what to do next. Kurt shifted on his feet. Sure, he and Ray weren't close, but... It would be terrible to be stuck out in the rain like this.
He cleared his throat, getting Ray's attention once more. "Listen, um... You and Little Brother get along so well, and I'd hate to leave you out in the rain like this... Why don't you come spend the night at our place?"
"Huh? O-oh, no, it's really okay. I don't want to impose or anything." he stuttered, embarrassed at the fact he was essentially homeless.
Kurt shook his head. "No, really, it's fine. We always keep a few extra cots, and I'm sure Joe would love to talk about fish with you. Besides, the weather channel says the storm's going to be getting worse. Little Brother would flip if he knew I let one of his friends stay out in a storm."
He smiled, embarrassed again. When in the world did he make such good friends? It was a nice feeling to have someone look out for him. Being a lone fisherman usually kept him away from society. How had he not noticed how lonely it got?
"Well, I suppose if it's no trouble, and I haven't talked to Joe in a while. Alright, I'll stay the night."
The young carpenter returned his own half smile. "It's no problem. Any friend of Joe's is a friend of mine."
Jamie sat in the dry comfort of his barn, meticulously brushing his prized cow, Moomoo. Sure, the cow festival was a long ways off, but it was important to plan ahead, right? In order to keep up with the competition from Blue Ranch, as well as maintain his record of winning the past 3 years in a row, Jamie had to constantly be a step ahead.
"I know you want to go out, but you can't today. We can't have you getting sick, can we? When it clears up, I'll take you outside, Moomoo."
The cow gave a soft grunt as if she understood.
Most would probably think it was strange, for someone to have a conversation with a cow, especially if that someone were Jamie. But the sharp- tongued rancher had a soft spot for animals, and got along with them far better than he did with people. Was it because animals could be trained, and made to obey an owner's command? Was it because they were so silent? Jamie himself didn't really know, they just seemed easier to tolerate than humans. That being said, Jamie preferred his own animals over anyone else's. His were superior; more intelligent because of their exposure to him, and yielded better quality products, which was also due to his care. A picture of what Tina's animals would be like (if she ever was successful enough to get any) flitted through his mind. 'Probably be stupid and loud, just like her,'he snorted to himself.
Jamie continued brushing his cow, and began voicing his thoughts. Without realizing it, he began to give a small smirk "I wonder what's up with that girl, anyway? I haven't seen her since the Egg Festival." Moomoo snorted and shook her head in a way that seemed to portray disdain. Jamie chuckled in spite of himself. 'She seems to have it right,' he thought. Of course, Moomoo was probably the smartest animal he had.
"Oh well, less headache for me," he shrugged, as he put the brush back into his knapsack and walked to the barn door. He picked the door's lock up from a nearby barrel, and began to fasten it around one of the door handles.
"I'm going back to the house now, Moomoo. I'll see you tomorrow." As he closed the door, he linked the lock around the other door's handle, and locked it shut with a key.
Jamie stared up into the cloudy skies from underneath his lopsided hat. 'Humph... Looks like the rain is getting worse. Well the good thing is, I don't have to worry about anyone bothering me today. No one in their right mind would be out in this kind of weather.'
Just as he began to unlock his front door, the calming sound of the rain and thunder rolling in the distance was shattered by an all too familiar voice.
"Jaaaamiiiieee!" it called, holding far too much happiness in it than such a stormy day warranted.
"Oh Harvest Goddess, spare me..." he silently prayed. Trying to go inside and ingnoring her was no use. Once she targeted you, you were done. Doomed.
The petite farmer bounded up the cobbled street, slowing down as she reached the doorstep of her rival. "Oh, whew," she panted. "I was starting to think I wouldn't see you today, seriously though where have you been? Hey, hey! You won't believe-"
"No, I don't think I will," he snapped. "What do you want? It's raining, and I'd like to inside before I catch pneumonia. Or worse, I might catch stupid from you. If you want something, hurry up."
She huffed in exasperation. Catching her breath, she began, "Okay, well, Ray told me that the King fish shows up after rain. I know he's really good at fishing and all, but I just had to ask you because I always see running around with a fishing pole and I figured you would know about something like this. So, is what Ray said true? If I went fishing tomorrow, could a catch a King fish?" 'Geez, what a motor- mouth,' Jamie thought.
"Yes, Pigtails," he sighed, "but the King fish is-"
"Let's go catch it together tomorrow!" she all but yelled, suddenly beaming.
His eyebrows quirked up in amusement. Was she serious? "Hah! Me, go fishing with you? Now why would I do that? You'll just be in the way of what I need to do. To an inexperienced failure like you, catching the King is impossible. But for capable people like me, catching the King fish takes only an hour or two!"
Defying his expectation of anger and having a fit, she began to gasp in wonder. "Wooowww...Really? You mean, you could catch one that quick?"
His lips curled up in a smug smile. Of course someone like Pigtails would be easily impressed, especially by someone so superior to her! Deciding to bask in the pride, he went on.
"Yeah. I've done it lots of times." He glanced back over to her, trying to gauge her thoughts.
The smile faded, and her eyes clouded in a way that let him know she was thinking about something. 'Maybe she's giving up and going home? About time...' He started to turn back towards his door, when she spoke again.
"Then...You can help me catch it!" she declared with a tone of finality.
He spun his head around so fast he almost got whiplash.
"Huh?! No way, Pigtails, I'm not helping you! Ask Ray or Joe to be your teacher. I've got better things to do. And why should I even think of helping you? You're my rival!"
She smirked (which was rare and quite disturbing on Jamie's part) as she hatched an idea.
"I bet you I can catch it before you tomorrow," she offered.
So it was competition she wanted? Jamie was a bit surprised. Any sort of competition between the two was usually instigated by Jamie, and Tina would play along just for the sake of having something to do. She would often mention that their rivalry, while fun, wasn't nearly as fun as a friendship would be. 'What a load of it!' he scoffed.
'And she's so off the wall, too. Happy one minute, then quiet, and suddenly she's hyper again.' Honestly, it must be exhausting to be that emotional on a daily basis.
"Hmm...Alright, if you insist on a pounding. Tomorrow at Sunny Lake, 8:30 a.m. If you're even a minute late, I get an hour head start. Got it?"
She smiled and shook her head. "Got it! I can't wait! Bye Jamie!" The pink vested nightmare twisted on her heel and hastened home, her feet noisily slapping the puddles on the uneven road.
He sighed for the umpteenth time that day. 'By the time tomorrow's over I'll probably have a migraine.'
Tina knelt to the floor of her house, scratching the floppy ears of her dog Mocha. Walking into her cramped bathroom, she grabbed a towel and began setting up a hot shower.
'I can't wait!' she giggled to herself. 'Ray said I was really good at fishing, so I know I can win this time. Prepare to lose, Jamie!'
As they both fell asleep that night, their last thoughts were of the next day and what it would bring. One slept happily and heavily, while the other couldn't help but toss and turn.
Spring 11th
Jamie jolted awake that morning, already wide awake and getting ready as fast as he could. He had spent hours the previous night preparing for the day, even going as far as to estimate the time it took to do his work each morning, walk to Sunny Lake, and still be there before Tina. If his calculations were correct (which he was certain they would be on account of his perfect nature) everything would go smoothly. Just for good measure, he strove to complete his work that morning as fast as he could. After double checking his backpack for fishing gear and a packed lunch, he slung it across one shoulder and set off for Sunny Lake.
At first, he considered using the paved roads, but quickly changed his mind after realizing he may bump into Tina on the way. 'Goodness knows she'll make me walk right next to her and talk the whole way. I don't think I could deal with having to see her before 8:30...'
He wove in between the trees, off of the beaten path that the others in Flower Bud opted to take. With each step, he glided over roots, fallen branches, and other such flora in an almost precise and practiced manner. While the villagers seemed to often have trouble navigating the more wooded areas of town, Jamie found that taking shortcuts here and there through the area made things much faster. Sometimes it even seemed as though the very trees were bending to make way for his path. But that was ridiculous. It must have been the shadows of the forests simply playing tricks on his eyes.
As he reached the shimmering shores of Sunny Lake, though, his anger began to fade. It was another bright day in Flower Bud, and although Jamie never thought much about the weather, he couldn't help it when he was at a place like Sunny Lake. The water's surface was crystal clear, and as aquamarine as the skies above. Birds flew from tree to tree, trilling softly, and the sound of the water lapping gently against the bank was immensely calming. Pure, white clouds drifted through the sky, stirring a warm spring breeze. But it also made Jamie think of how foolish humans could be. Everything in nature was so beautiful, and yet humans were obsessed with oppressing nature but cutting down trees, and filling up rivers all over only to synthetically create a body of water in some other place for the sake of good looks.
Heaving the smallest of sighs, he brought his arm up to his midsection and rolled the sleeve of his poncho.
'Humph. 8:15 a.m., as I suspected. Now I just have to wait for her to show up.'
He chose a dry spot near the bank, and sat down in the prickly grass, breathing in the earthy scent around him. 'I really should come here more often...' he thought.
He looked at his watch again. 'It's only 8:18? Humph, this'll take forever.' He cupped the side of his face with a hand, resting his elbow on his knee. 'Though I wonder why she wants to do this? She's an amateur fisher, so she can't really expect to win this. Maybe she thinks I'll help her? No, that can't be. Pigtails is pretty brainless, but she knows I'll never help her with anything. I must have told her a hundred times already. Surely she wouldn't forget that easily...' Crouching forward more, he furrowed his brow in concentration. 'What could she be getting at?' His other hand wandered toward the ground, and began fiddling with blades of grass.
'Wait! She's always going on about how she wants to be friends, so... Does that mean she asked me here because... That crazy girl, does she actually want... To spend time with me?'
The mere notion struck a wave of ice- cold fear into his belly, but he couldn't dislodge it from his mind. He began pulling at the blades of grass harder, jerking them around in frustration.
'Oh come on, don't be so pessimistic! Maybe she finally realizes that you can't be anything but rivals, so she wants to get serious about competing... In her own, incredibly flawed, terribly thought of way. Either way, as much as I speculate, I don't think I could ever know what goes on in that tiny, jumbled brain of hers...'
Jamie sighed. "I really don't understand women..."
"Why's that?" asked an innocent voice.
"I- Aaaah!" he yelped, jerking upward. As he turned, he saw Tina's eyes, warm and brown, peer into his own. She was bent over, her head cocked to the side, looking at him with curiosity.
"Back off will ya? Geez," he muttered. "Almost gave me a heart attack. Where do you get off, sneaking up behind people like that?"
"Well, at least I don't talkt to myself!" she laughed. 'Humph. That was... surprisingly clever of her,' he surmised. Banishing his brief tolerance, he turned back to the subject at hand- her irritating actions.
"It's not funny, Pigtails!" he scowled. "I don't know how long it's gonna take you to get this, but I am not someone you wanna mess with, so don't do stuff like that anymore or you'll regret it!"
"Can you drop the middle school drama and move on? Gosh, you think I'd kicked your dog in the ribs or something. Let's just fish already," she said as she rolled her eyes.
'I suppose she'll just have to learn on her own. Telling her anything never seems to do any good.' He glanced back to his rival, who was giving him an impatient look, tapping her foot. "Well? Are we gonna fish or not?" she asked with a hint of anger. 'Geez, this girl is so impatient! If she's so eager to be defeated, she can be my guest.'
"Just you wait!" he snarled as he pulled his fishing rod from his backpack. " I'll pulverize you!"
Tina whipped out her fishing pole as well, and leveled him with a glare. "On the count of three, okay? One, two-"
But Jamie decided not to give her the satisfaction, and flung his line far out into the lake. It landed on the water with a faint plop and began to sink.
He looked back to Tina, who was now furious. "Jaaaamieee! That's not fair, you didn't wait 'till I said three!" she pouted.
"Humph! I never said I was gonna wait, dope! Who do you think you are, telling me when to cast? Like one second's gonna even matter. I could give you a whole hour head-start and you'll still lose to me!"
"Oh, whatever," she fumed.
They stopped talking altogether after a while, which Jamie welcomed. As the sun climbed higher into the day, it got warmer and Jamie decided to remove his thick, woolen poncho. Turning back to the water, he almost picked up his rod again when a gasp from Tina shook him from his thoughts.
"J-Jamie! Something's tugging the line!"
"Reel it in, stupid..." he muttered.
"Bu- but I... I forgot how!" she cried, panicked.
"Are you serious?! You ask me to come out here, and you can't even remember how to reel something in?! No way! I do not help people, especially you! Figure it out yourself or fail, I don't care."
He snatched his rod up from the ground and turned back to the lake, trying to ignore the sorry sight next to him, but soon enough it became impossible. Tina was jerking the rod this way and that, pulling and yanking on every knob on the fishing pole. Finally, she grasped the reel. Jamie almost sighed in relief, but felt like screaming when he realized she was trying to pull it straight. When that didn't work, she reached for the line to pull it in with her hands.
"Oh, for goodness' sake!" he snapped, stomping over to her and grabbing the pole. He positioned himself behind her, and held the rod in front of them both, his hands on top of hers.
"Look. It goes like this, moron. You almost had it there. What you're supposed to do is crank this back, not pull it! Like this," he explained, demonstrating the motion.
"O- oh yeah... That was how Ray said to do it... Whoops," she laughed nervously.
"You're hopeless," he sighed, "You know that? Couldn't remember how to reel it in..."
Tina looked down at the reel, noticing he still held his on hers. 'He has surprisingly warm hands... And as much as he yells, he's so gentle.' Blushing and unable to hold in a content smile, she looked back up at her grumpy rival.
"W-what? What are you lookin' at me like that for?" he snapped.
Her smile spread even farther across her face, and she leaned back and snuggled into his chest. "You're so sweet, helping me like this. Thank you, Jamie!"
His eyes almost popped out of his head, and he couldn't help but jolt a little. Why was she doing this to him? Smiling at him like that, like he'd saved her life or something, her petite form pressed against his chest. Her hair, that smelled like lilacs and vanilla, was tickling the bottom of his nose.
Usually, an immediate response would have been to yell at her, or push her away from him. For some reason, though, his brain wouldn't connect to his body, and he was left paralyzed. His head began to swim in a strange dizziness, and he felt his heart beat faster and his face flush. In his shocked state, he neglected to finish reeling Tina's fish in, and it was now flopping through the water trying to escape.
Tina turned back to the lake, still smiling, and began the motion again herself. The renewed motion snapped Jamie out his hazy state, and he quickly realized what he was doing.
'Ew gross, I'm touching the pink wonder's hand!' he grimaced. Scowling, he pushed her away ( 'Finally!' screamed the rational part of his brain), and went to pick up his own rod.
"You might want to go grab that fish. If you try to reel it to the top of the pole, it'll break," he said. It was supposed to come out with more anger and venom, but he guessed he was just to tired to put the effort in it.
Tina nodded back at him, and set her fishing pole down. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Thanks again!" she said cheerfully.
"Humph! Don't get the wrong idea. I just said that because, if you broke your fishing pole, the competition would be over. And I'm not going home until I show you that you're no match for me! So don't think that I was trying to be nice or anything stupid like that," he sneered.
"M-hm, okay" she hummed, and skipped to the water's edge. Pulling the line in, she took a look at the fish she caught. It was green on the top, with yellow fins, and had a white belly.
"Hey, Jamie! What kind of fish is this?" she asked.
He turned his head to look at it, and immediately knew what it was. Having caught many fish in general himself, he was very familiar with every kind that lived in Flower Bud.
"That's a Dace. They're fresh water fish, and they're very common. You can't eat them, and they don't sell for much, especially a small one like this," he explained.
She frowned. "Oh..." There was a splash as the fish was tossed back into the lake, and Tina re- cast her line.
A few hours passed, and the rivals became lost in their thoughts. They didn't speak (for Tina knew Jamie wasn't fond of conversation, and didn't want to push her luck), but the silence was oddly peaceful. It wasn't awkward or thick with tension, but merely a comforting silence where words weren't needed.
Jamie's thoughts wandered to his farm. His crops were sufficiently watered. How were his animals doing? Suddenly, he remembered that he'd rushed to the lake that morning so fast that he forgot to let his animals out to graze. 'I'm sorry, Moomoo. I just can't seem to get rid of this stalker...' he sighed out loud.
Tina glanced over at him, worried. If ever she heard Jamie sigh, it was usually something to do with her. And she hadn't been speaking to him for a while, so he had to be worried about something. 'I wonder what it is he's worried about? It seems important. Maybe I should ask him. And if he tells me what's bothering him, then that means he trusts me, right? If I'm going to be his friend, I should help him when he need it,' she reasoned.
"Is something the matter?" she inquired.
"Nothing. I was just-" his attempted insult was instantly bitten back when he felt something tug the end of his line.
'I've got something! Please be the King, please be the King,' he chanted to himself.
The more he tried to reel it in, the more it fought. Tearing and jerking all over the place, almost pulling Jamie into the water. From the sheer force of it, Jamie could tell it was something big.
Mind racing, he spun the reel with all of his might, excitement like electricity shooting through him. 'It's the King fish, I just know it!'
By now, Tina wasn't even watching her own line. She was too amazed at seeing Jamie fight the mysterious fish, looking as determined and headstrong as she'd ever seen him.
'I can't wait to see the look on her face. Haahaha!' he cackled inwardly.
Finally, with an almighty yank, he ripped the fish from the lake. As it burst through the surface, water rained down in cooling droplets, illuminated by the afternoon sun.
"Hah!" he interjected with pride. "Who's the boss-" but as soon as he saw what was on the end of his line, he was horrified.
There, covered in mud and moss, was a decrepit old wooden box. Looking closer, something was once painted on it, but had been washed away over time.
'Well isn't this humiliating. I suppose I won't live this down for a few months,' he groaned.
But instead of taunts and poorly concealed laughter, Tina was staring at the box in complete wonder. With a smile and wide, bright eyes, she turned to Jamie and said,
"Wooow! I've never seen anything like this in the lake before! What is it Jamie?"
Placing her own fishing pole on the grass, she walked over to the spot where Jamie had dragged it onto the bank. To Tina, it wasn't a box, but a mystery. She wanted to know what the box was, and why it was there.
"Uh, it's..." he tailed off. How could he make her think it was something valuable? If he just told her it was trash, she would definitely tease him for thinking it was the rarest fish for miles. Being wrong meant a blow to his pride, after all. Hell, being wrong was almost as bad as losing against her. If he could distract her with some kind of story, maybe she would forget that minor detail.
From somewhere in the depths of his mind, perhaps form some long forgotten fairy tale he'd read about as a child or a dream he'd forgotten, a story appeared. He latched onto it like a life line and poured his concentration into remembering it.
"This is...The legendary treasure map of The Lotus!" he said, feigning shock.
Her eyes widened even more as she gasped yet again. She was hooked, and they both knew it. 'Got her!' he smirked to himself.
"What's The Lotus, Jamie?" she asked, practically bouncing up and down.
"Well," he began dramatically, "Many many years ago, a man named Captain Stone lived in FlowerBud. He had a beautiful yacht that he went fishing on, which was named The Lotus, with a large crew and very expensive equipment. He was very rich, and had lots of jewels and gold.
He lived in huge mansion up near the mountain, and was almost a recluse. But he was very greedy, and he was mean to everyone too, so he never got married or had any kids. By the time he got old, there was no one he knew of to entrust his fortune to."
They were now both sitting in the ground, the box in between them. Tina had her head tilted to the side, glanced up from the box to Jamie with a puzzled look on her face. Before she could say anything, though, Jamie continued with his story.
"He decided that it would be useless if he just let his fortune rot, so he devised a plan. Whoever could solve the mystery of its location first and find the treasure could keep it. First, he gathered his treasure and buried it in an unknown location. We don't know if it was buried in the ground, or if it's deep in a cave, or even if it's sunken in the ocean somewhere. But he wanted to make it a little more interesting than that, so he drew out a map that lead to various clues. Each clue that was found would bring the scavenger one step closer to finding the true location of the fortune. Shortly after his completion of the map, however, he died of old age," he explained.
By now, Tina was leaning so close to Jamie she almost fell on him. There were practically stars in her eyes as she no doubt started dreaming up visions of solving the mystery and unearthing the treasure. Her face fell quickly, though, and her brow furrowed.
"But Jamie, if that's so, how come no one went looking for the treasure?" she asked.
"It's pretty simple, really," he lied smoothly. "None of the people in Flower Bud wanted his treasure, because they feared it would poison them with the same greed that Captain Stone had. The people left it alone, and as the years passed most people forgot about it. But why is the box that holds the map here, in the lake? I guess it's just one of life's mysteries," he shrugged.
"Are you kidding me? The box is right here, let's open it and check out the map!" she cheered.
Jamie blinked, scrambling for an idea. Thinking up that story off the top of his head was hard enough, now he'd gone and made her think they'd go treasure hunting! 'How am I gonna keep her from opening that?! I am such an idiot.'
"But what about the curse? Aren't you scared that if you open it, you'll be poisoned with his greed?" he asked, with a convincing amount of seriousness in his voice.
"Pffft! Who would believe in some silly old curse?" she laughed, waving it off with her hand. Sitting back upright, she pinned Jamie with a fiery gaze and a smirk that even made him proud.
"It's probably a test, or a joke or something. I don't believe in things like that, and if Captain Stone's going to haunt me for it, well, he can come and get it!"
'She sure can be stubborn when she wants something... What a maniac,' Jamie mused with a small amount of wonder. 'I suppose that would make her a decent rival, someday. Maybe.'
Jamie was unable to stop her as she ran her hand along the edge of the box, found a gap, and pried it open with a flamboyant swing. The two leaned closer in, and peered into the shadowy depths of the crate.
"It's empty," she said quietly. Jamie began to bite his lower lip, trying to think of what to do next. He began to berate himself. 'Of course you knew it was going to be empty, you dolt! You made the whole thing up! Now she's going to figure it out and-'
"Pirates!" she exclaimed suddenly. "Pirates must have taken the map! It's the only plausible explanation! You said so yourself, Jamie. Captain Stone was a rich man. I bet word of his fortune spread to other towns, and when the pirates heard, they must have come in the night and taken it! That's got to be it!"
'Thank goodness she came up with that on her own! For once, it's not so bad that she always gets ahead of herself,' he thought. Hopefully, she wouldn't cook up some plan about chasing the "pirates" down and claiming the fortune, and this could be the end of it. Jamie could have fainted in relief, and he couldn't help but show it on his face.
"I know, I'm totally bummed about it, too, Jamie," she said sagely. "But it's fine. At least we know what happened now!" Pausing for a moment, she looked down at the box again and picked it up. "Say, Jamie... I think there's writing on this box. It's all a bunch of weird symbols."
Taking a gander at it for himself, Jamie could see it was merely another language. Korean, if he guessed right. Of course, if he told her it was another language, it wouldn't add up with the story. 'Might as well go all the way,' he sighed to himself.
"You know, it might be part of the map. Like a code. Maybe the map was coded, and this stuff is the key," he pseudo- speculated.
"That's awesome! I guess it's no use since we don't have the map for it, though. You know Jamie, you're incredibly sharp. You figured pretty much the whole thing out so quick! Hahaha!" she giggled.
He stuttered, trying to regain the confidence he usually had. "Uh, well, yes, of course! I am a genius after all."
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but notice that it was almost sunset by then. The sky bathed the land in golden and red tints, and the sun was slowly creeping below the clouds.
'Wow, I had no idea we'd been out here so long. I guess time flies when you're having fun,' she smiled softly to herself.
"But you know," she said, "I think I'd like to keep this."
"The map's not even there anymore, so it's useless now. Why would you want that smelly piece of trash?" he asked, making a disgusted face.
Tina glared up at Jamie, already defensive about it. It was so like Jamie to see the box as a piece of trash, but Tina thought differently. She saw it as a treasure, and wanted to keep it. Tina knew that each time she saw it, she would remember this day, and she never wanted to forget it.
Besides, Tina wondered, what would be the point if he just threw it away? If she kept it, at least someone would get something out of it.
"Firstly," she quipped, "It's not a piece of trash. I think of it as a memento to remember today. I... I had a lot of fun, so I don't want to forget this..." by the end of it, she was blushing at the ground.
Jamie was confused. So it was for a sentimental reason that she wanted the box?
'It's not as though anything overly special happened today,' he thought.
Women always seemed like such complex creatures to Jamie. The only woman he ever came close to understanding was the Harvest Goddess, but now she was imprisoned in stone. It was painful to think about, and it made him angry when he saw his rival, who supposed to be at least trying to save her, go on about trivial things like emotions and memories. What mattered most was that she was his competition. She was in his way, and they were both fighting to be the one to revive her, or so Jamie thought.
"Neither of us even caught the King, so there was no real competition between us. Why would you want to remember this day so clearly? It has nothing to do with me beating you, or getting notes, or anything like that," he argued.
"Because, Jamie! You always say that you'll never be my friend, but you spent the whole day with me. You helped me when I forgot how to fish, and you told me all about Captain Stone," she smiled as she looked back at the fresh memories, already feeling miles away from them. "You didn't have to do any of that. Even though you kept telling me I would lose to you, you still gave me the chance. It's kind of strange, and I don't really understand it. Every day, you tell me that I'll never be any match for you, but you never turn me down in a competition. When I mess things up, you tell me I'm an idiot and that you won't help me, but you end up doing it anyway."
He scoffed. Why did she continue to believe that he wanted to be her friend? How could he ever get through that thick skull of hers? But just like every other time, he tried to make her understand just how deep his hatred for her ran.
"Listen. I don't turn you down for a match because we're destined to be rivals. You can see the Harvest Sprites, and they say that you're meant to help awaken her. Well, I was here way before you, and no one had to ask me to set her free! The only reason I don't underestimate you is because if I can prove that I'm better than you- if I can gather notes faster, I'll be the one to bring her back!"
He paused to catch his breath, hoping she would looked shocked. He expected to see tears, or anger. Her expression, though, was all but blank. It almost looked disappointed, but it was hard to tell. When he tried to look her in the eyes, he found that he couldn't stand it, and had to look away. Something in them was just too intense, and it almost scared him.
"As for helping you," he said, now calmer, "It's only because you're so pitiful that I can't stand the sound of your whining anymore. Plus, it wouldn't do any good if you started to forget that you can't do anything on your own, would it?"
The pink vested farmer nodded, seeming to come to an understanding. Clasping her hands in front of her, she smiled at Jamie knowingly.
"All of the things you say are believable. They're sound arguments, and I can tell without a doubt that you see them as truth... But I don't. I think you just have a hard time with people, and you don't know what to do about it."
'What?!' he thought, furious. Here was this girl, who barely knew him, and now she was acting like some kind of therapist! It was none of her business how he dealt with people. And who was she to say how he really felt? If he told her he hated her, then he hated her, damn it!
"What the heck do you care, anyway? Why are you so hell-bent on being my friend?!" he snarled.
"I like you," she stated simply.
"You like me?! Why would you like me?! I've been nothing but mean to you!"
For a moment, she paused, and Jamie started to think she had nothing to say. That she was lying about even liking him, and it was all some big joke. He could have lived with that- he hated her. At least then she would have stopped coming around to bother him all the time, and they could finally be what they were supposed to be; rivals. Bitter, hateful, fight- until- the- end- rivals. Then again, Tina never did things his way.
"I like you because you're honest. You don't pretend to like anyone, and you speak your mind about things. Lots of other people will do things like lie to spare someone's feelings, or get roped into doing something they don't want to for one reason or another. But you don't do that. You tell the truth even if it hurts someone because you know they need to hear it, and you never let anyone push you around. And that's just the beginning," she said.
If Jamie were to be truthful, he would have to say he was shocked. Though Jamie had plenty of confidence in himself, he'd rarely ever heard anyone else compliment him. His anger began to melt away, and he found himself wanting to hear more. He also found that he didn't care if it were coming from Tina. Strangely, it felt like hearing her say those things about him made Jamie understand Tina more, and even more strange was the fact that he actually wanted to know more now. She had never seemed so mature before, and it was a refreshing change. 'Maybe there's more to her than I think... just maybe.'
"You're also a hard worker. I've heard from a lot of people that you moved to Flower Bud a few years before I did. You built your farm from the ground up- literally! I'm sure you know this, I mean you talk about how great of a rancher you are constantly, but even though it can get annoying-"
He twitched. 'Did she just call me the annoying one?!'
"- I think it says a lot about how hardworking and dedicated you are. Oh, and if we're talking dedication, there's the whole thing with the Harvest Goddess! I mean, if you're not talking about your ranch, you're talking about her. Your whole reason for staying here is to help her, because you care about her and revere her that much. For all of your venom, I think the fact that you're so religious is a huge indicator of the kind of person you are. And even though I haven't figured that out, well... I'd like to try," she finished softly.
By now, Jamie actually felt himself blushing. 'No one... No one's ever said anything like that to me...' He looked up from the spot on the ground his eyes were glued to, and tried to stomach looking at his rival. The sun was almost gone from the horizon now, and purple and blue twilight colored the sky. A few, faint stars began to emerge, and crickets began to chirp.
"Tha-... That's really nice and all," he said, trying to make his voice sound firm or irritated but only coming out small and soft. For a moment, Tina allowed herself to believe she had finally gotten through to him.
"But I don't think you get it. For one, I don't like you. You said you valued the fact that I didn't pretend to like anyone, well good. Because honestly, I don't like you. You're annoying, you're a second- rate farmer, and most importantly... You're my rival. I don't want anything to do with you besides competing, and I expect it to stay that way."
The space between them, while only a few feet, now felt like a mile, and the cool night air was so quiet it was almost deafening.
Finally the reticence was broken as the soles of Jamie's boots crunched against the soil and he picked up his things, put his poncho back on over his black shirt, and walked away. He didn't bother to look back, but if he did, he would have seen the forlorn look on Tina's face.
When he finally got back home, Jamie was too tired to even check on his animals. The whole experience of the day had just drained him, and not even a hot shower seemed to help. As he lay there in bed that night, scenes from the day replayed in his mind on a loop.
What if she didn't take him seriously this time? What if she kept bothering him until he died?
'I don't like her. I really don't, but...' he flopped over on his other side, trying to sort out his thoughts.
The notion of having a closer relationship with Tina filled him with dread, but when he remembered all those things she'd said about him, he couldn't help but feel... What was it he was feeling? Part of him felt as though that because he didn't like her, it was stupid to be so worked up about something she'd said. After all, she was just his dumb rival. Why should he put any stock in anything she says? He flipped back over to his previous side and sighed.
'But then again,' he realized with a small smile, 'even idiots can have opinions, right? And I suppose... if she's so set on admiring me, I can't really stop her. She can be pretty headstrong-' here he yawned, finally feeling sleepy, '-when she wants to...'
Tina, meanwhile, was tossing and turning herself, but found no relief. After trying to be strong for so long, she started to believe, for the first time, that maybe being friends with Jamie really was impossible.
Just like everyone else in Flower Bud had said.
Good Lord, that was so much longer than I thought it would be! Well, like usual, I'm pretty happy with this chapter, but I'll probably change my mind in two days. :P
Please review! I really appreciate it! Seriously, I feel so depressed when I get no reviews.