Hey guys, I'm not dead! Whoohoo! :D Well this chapter might be kinda short. Honestly, I've been having some writer's block in addition to the truckload of work I've had at school. Let it never be said that college was the least bit easy. :/ Don't worry though, there's plenty in store! It's just a bit difficult to get the ball rolling on this next act. Listening to "Loathing" from Wicked for inspiration. :P
(5/24/14: Thanks to my friend hiyoko-hime, a typo has come to my attention! Put Spring 3rd instead of Summer. It's now fixed. Hope no one was confused.)
Summer 3rd
Of course, no one had bothered to check if he made it back home to his ranch. No one on that dirt road leading back to Flower Bud had bothered to ask if he was alright, or where he was going, or if he needed a ride in the pouring rain. When they held a "Welcome Home" party for that idiot the next day, complete with all sorts of annoying party games and favors and nausea- inducing cake, no one invited him.
He didn't care though. In the end, it was always better to go it alone in life. Yes, it was quiet and peaceful this way, just how it was before she had come there. No more irritating, shrill voice behind his back as he milked his cows first thing in the morning, no more impromptu torture sessions labeled as "matches" or "adventures," Goddess help him, and no more embarrassing instances where he had so easily lost his temper.
They would still be rivals of course, but that didn't require much face-to-face time. Just checking the shipping records each day, reassuring himself with a smirk that she would never catch up in a million years, and those festival days where he could completely annihilate her and say those words to her face.
Anything more than that would just be a waste of time. Unlike some people who had time to slack off and not worry about anything, he had a Goddess to save.
With that in mind, he slipped his rucksack onto his back again and headed out into the already blazing summer heat, Calvervtutrp on his heels. 'Maybe I should think about wearing something else in the summer,' he groaned to himself.
Through the peaceful air of Flower Bud, the brutal crack of a baseball could be heard.
"Wow, Tina," Ellen whistled. "I don't even know where that one went! You're really good at this."
"Seriously!" Joe agreed. "You've got some mad skills. We're you on a team or something?
Tina giggled, adjusting the cap of her tattered pink and white hat ever so slightly. "Yeah, actually, I was. Back in Middle School and High School, I was on the softball team."
"Same here! We never did win any championships, though," Katie sighed.
Tina smiled and nodded knowingly. "Oh we didn't either. Actually we were pretty terrible. Most of the girls on our team were more preoccupied with girly things, like fashion, keeping their nails perfect, boys, you know the drill."
"Hmmm," Nina hummed; "Speaking of boys, Tina…" she trailed off, raising her eyebrows expectantly at her friend.
Tilting her head ever so slightly to the side, Tina blinked. "What?"
Ann caught on quick, and leaned over towards her friend, grinning smugly. "I've been meaning to ask about that myself. You're a bad bestie, keeping secrets from me like that!"
"Guys, c'mon! What are you talking about?! I really don't get it!" Tina huffed, suppressing a smile herself.
"Jamie, duh!" they chorused.
"What about Jamie?" she asked, still not sure what was wrong with her friends.
"Spill the beans, girl!" Katie oozed. "What was up with you two the other day?"
Ann crossed her arms. "Exactly! Did you guys break up or something?"
Tina could have sworn her jaw hit the dirt. "You've got to be kidding me! We didn't break up or anything—"
"You mean you're still dating him?!" Nina shrieked.
Ellen shook her head and sighed. "I don't like to say things like this usually Tina, but he is kind of a jerk."
Tina was waving her arms by now, trying to get a word in edgewise. So this is what was wrong with her pals; the hot summer sun had obviously fried their brains.
"You've got it all wrong. What I mean is, we didn't "break up" because we weren't even dating in the first place!" she said exasperatedly.
"Really? But it seemed like you were always hanging around him. Even some of the guys thought so, right Joe?" Ann supplied, nudging the strangely silent fisherman.
Joe grimaced, twisting his foot in the dirt. "Uhhh, not really so great at this "girl talk" thing. You know, cuz I'm a guy and all?"
"Oh you're such a baby," she pouted.
"But it's awkward! What am I supposed to say, huh?"
"Whatever!" the inventor huffed. "Point is, pretty much everybody thought you guys were going out."
"Well we're not!" Tina frowned. "I've tried making friends with him but he just wouldn't have it. Anyways, I've just lost my patience with him. He's made it clear he doesn't want me to be his friend, so I gave up."
"Aww," Katie moaned. "Well, his loss anyways! Glad to know you're not dating the creep."
Joe laughed heartily. "Now that I can get on board with! The other day, when Tina was back in the city, I had noticed someone was in her house—"
"What?! Oh my Goddess, why didn't you tell me?!"
"I'm getting to that! Anyways, Ray and I checked it out, and apparently he was checking on your dog or something. Long story short, all we did was spook him a little, and he flipped his lid! Chased me around the village and I was scared he was about to pummel me to death! Maria saw the whole thing, she'll tell ya."
"I guess it was nice of him to make sure Mocha was okay, though," Ellen reasoned.
Tina scoffed. "No, that's just the way he is. He likes animals way more than people, and I'm sure he was thinking it'd be wrong to make the innocent animal suffer." It was true, in a way. She just sort of left out the tiny little part about him saying that drowning bit and possibly wanting to ease his conscience about it. Opening that can of worms at this point would probably only fuel the gossip fires, not to mention send Jamie into a fit of rage.
The topic of Jamie soon trickled down into nothing as the small group revived their semi-baseball game, which continued on until late afternoon. As the sun began to set over Flower Bud, the group split, some going home to make dinner, and others getting some odd jobs done while there was still precious daylight left.
Tina walked the dusty path from near the beach back to her home, kicking a rock or two every now and then. Try as she might, just thinking about the whole thing with Jamie got her blood boiling, and she muttered to herself as she walked.
"Oooh, I can't believe him, that snide, good for nothing jerk!" Really, why did he have to be so mean? Would it kill him to make a friend or two? She bit her lip.
'And I can't believe they actually thought I was dating him, of all things! As if I would ever date someone anything like him! I prefer nice guys, thank you! Mature guys, who are sweet, and protective. A guy who will support me, and dote on me. But Jamie? Ugh, never! He's anything but my ideal prince!'
The way he'd stormed off last time she saw him certainly didn't help her mood. Shutting the door like that in her face and blowing up like that over nothing; he really was a creep! She resumed her abuse of the defenseless rocks, this time with more force than before, trying to blow off steam.
"One of these days I swear I'm gonna—Eeeek!" she screeched, suddenly jabbing her foot on a particularly stubborn stone. Hopping up and down and holding the injured appendage, she hissed even more furiously. "Aaahhh, all of this is your fault!" she cried furiously.
"What's all of who's fault?" inquired a smooth, amused voice.
Tina twisted around, still holding her foot. "D-doctor!" He was walking out from the door of his clinic, coat being shrugged onto his shoulders. As he approached her, he waved, and Tina ceased her jumping.
Alex smiled warmly as he stepped onto the road. "It's been a few days, Tina. And just when you get out of the hospital, here you are hurting yourself again!" he laughed.
"Ahahaha, n-no, I was just, uhh- …Nevermind," she stammered lamely as she lowered her foot, embarrassed that someone saw her talking to herself. 'He must think I'm nuts,' she groaned miserably.
"Hm, I see… Well as a doctor, I can't just walk away from someone in pain," he replied, kneeling down.
"Oh, no! Really, you don't have to—" she sputtered, feeling like an idiot by now.
He lifted his head in the glow of the golden sunset, the charming smile still gracing his features.
"I insist. I can't just leave a young lady such as yourself alone like this, now can I? It's not just a job; I would feel terrible if I found out my friend had gotten hurt when I could have prevented it." His warm hand pressed against her ankle with a caring touch as he sat down to inspect it.
Tina followed suit, sitting on the ground meekly and blushing to her ears. 'Someone who would take care of me…'
She lifted her head an inch to peek at the Doctor. Though focused on her foot, he lifted his head for a second to meet her gaze, flashing her yet another grin.
'My… ideal prince…'
Oh my gosh that was so cliched I almost died writing it. xD Well Tina is kind of immature, so I guess this mindset suits her. This was originally going to be called "The Ghetto Baseball Chapter" literally, but then I realized Jamie would never put up with playing a team sport, so the idea got scrapped. :/