"Well, that could have gone worse."

"Hm."

"We could have died. Y'know, in the fire."

"Hm."

The two men sprawled out lazily in the farmhouse living room, both overheated from the fire. Though he tried to keep up a happy demeanor, but even the unsinkable Cliff Kamsey's grin was absent from his face. Jack was destroyed. It was fine and good to pretend the villagers hated him when he never went into town, but he'd put himself on the line this time. And he was rejected again. The fan blew at full speed, rocking ever so slightly. Jack focused on a single blade, trying to follow its circular path. What had happened at the Festival constantly replayed in his mind.

A knock on the door came an hour or so after they returned home. Cliff started for the door, but Jack motioned for him to take a seat, and stepped to the entrance. He unlatched the door. It was Mayor Thomas, but that wasn't what surprised him. Behind the plump politician, the girls Jack and Cliff saved from the fire were standing, somber looks on their faces. Doug and Gray were present. Saibara the blacksmith, Popuri's father Jef, too. Others that he'd not met before were also waiting. It wasn't the full village, not by a long shot. But as his eyes traveled from each person to the next, it began to dawn on him what was happening. "Jack." The Mayor started. "These people have something to say to you and Cliff." Cliff was behind Jack at this point, too confused to ask any questions.

The black haired girl Jack had gone back to help spoke first. "Thank you so much for saving us." Others spoke up, apologies and thanks alike. The girl who kicked down the door caught Jack's eye. She was stunning, with long, light brown hair and blonde bangs, as well as green eyes that looked like they'd been worked out of jade. Her face was young, but had a strong sense of pride, like a soldier who'd returned home. She was, put simply, beautiful. She spoke. "The people of this town owe you an apology. Old habits die hard, but we're going to try our best to help you out." Jack managed to mouth a weak thank you. He spoke with the other villagers, but in his mind he could think only of her. After a while, the group dispersed, leaving only Mayor Thomas, Jack and Cliff.

"Looks like you're a better person than you thought, Jack." The mayor smirked.

"And you're not a terrible mayor, either." All three laughed.

"I want to see you two in town, some. You wouldn't want the townspeople to forget about what you did, would you?"

Cliff spoke for him. "Nope. And I'm tired of sending Ann to do all our shopping."

Jack tried to hide his happiness. "Fine. We'll come by some. But only because you asked."

Mayor Thomas turned without speaking and walked to the edge of the property, a knowing smile on his face. When he reached the gate he waved, and spoke to himself. "I knew you could do it, Jack."

The next day, Jack and Cliff went out. Dressed in their best clothes, the two headed down the road to Flowerbud Village. They passed the flower sign at the entrance without blinking. A woman noticed them, and stopped for a moment. Others in the road followed suit. Several eyes rest on them once again. Jack felt a flash of unease, until he heard a voice. "Mr. Walker, fine day, ain't it?" Saibara had called from his shop. Jack responded. "Yessir, it is." Slowly but surely, the others continued their tasks, ignoring or even saying hello to Jack and Cliff. And so they continued unopposed. The grass had never been so green, sun so bright and sky ever as blue, thought Jack.
Only half a mile away, in the village bar, a bearded man who felt quite the opposite held a cup filled with liquor loosely in one hand. The other placed a cigarette in his oversized mouth. Tendrils of smoke drifted to the ceiling and were dispersed by the ceiling fan. Several men sat at his table, all looking equally down. After a pause and a long drink from his glass, he spoke.

"That boy needs to learn his place." His compatriots nodded sagely. One of the men, a dark-skinned, muscular type, adjusted his bandanna and stood. "I think I might just have to teach him myself." He left the other men in silence, and exited the building.

Jack and Cliff had planned to go to the General Store first, to pick up some supplies for the farm. The last time Jack had been here, a mortified Jeff ordered him out. But things had changed now. The bell on the doorframe jingled as Jack and Cliff entered the store. A man in a purple vest, with salt and pepper hair was arguing with Jeff about something. "I'll pay later, Jeff." The shopkeeper tried to protest. "That's what you said last time, and the time before that, and…" The larger man silenced him. "No need to get all ruffled up, little man. I'll pay when I'm ready." Jeff, too small to really do anything about the situation, sighed and dropped his head. "Fine. Bye, Duke." Duke smiled. "That's the spirit. See you next we-" He was walking for the door when a hand grabbed his collar and yanked him back to the counter. "Not this time, Duke. You're paying today." It was the girl from before, the one with jade eyes. She was a head shorter than Duke, but it didn't seem to affect her one bit. He laughed, and brushed her off with more difficulty than he expected. "Little girl, you're too young to sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Like I said, I'll pay-"

"Today." All three turned to the door, facing the man who spoke. It was Jack. "You'll pay today, and you won't complain, either." Duke started his big-man act again, but quickly shut up when he realized Jack was his height, and just as broad in the shoulders. "I… this is none of your… Who gave you the right to… Urgh!" Finally the man turned around and slammed a wad of bills on the counter. "There, what I owe and then some. See if I ever come around here again." He stormed out, tried to shove by Jack but failed miserably, and then disappeared down the road.

The girl gave Jack a mischievous grin, then turned her gaze to Jeff. "Are you always going to let people like that walk all over you?" The storeowner focused on the floor between his shoes. "What could I do? I can't force him to do anything. I'm just a loser."

"And there's your problem." Said Cliff, stepping forward. "You start thinking like that and you'll never stand up to anyone. What's he gonna do anyway? Not pay his tab and then beat you up for demanding money? I'm sure Mayor Thomas would be just fine with that." Jeff sighed. "You're right. I just need to… work on it. Thank you both." He then realized whom he was talking to. "And uh, Jack. I'm really sorry about that… time. I was stupid to believe all the rumors." Jack shook his head. "The past is the past. For now, I'd like to buy some things."

After purchasing what he needed, Jack leaned on the counter and struck up conversation with the girl. "Well, you've got a pretty hard head on your shoulders." She grinned coyly. "Heh. It runs in the family, I guess. Name's Karen, by the way. Karen Weiss." The two shook hands slowly, each examining the other very, very closely. She was prettier than he'd remembered; in a low cut violet top and blue jeans. Her clothes revealed enough of her figure for Jack to draw conclusions with, and he liked what he saw. Cliff interrupted with a cough. "Oh, that's right. We've got to go, Karen. Business in the town, y'know?" Karen nodded, and left the store after saying her farewells. She turned as the door closed, and Jack swore he saw her wink.

Outside the store, Cliff teased Jack mercilessly. "I thought you two were going to start going at it right in the store, man. And, I got this weird feeling about her. Like, I knew her, or we were related or something." Jack stopped. "You think she might have something to do with why you were coming to Flowerbud?" Cliff thought for a moment. "I think, maybe…"

"Hey! Farmer boys!"

They turned to see a dangerous looking man in a black leather jacket starting towards them. His skin was a chestnut brown, and a purple bandanna covered his hair. A malicious grin split his face in two.

"We've got a score to settle."

Cliffhanger. Thanks to Kingdom Keyblade for the unique review. Next chapter, who is this dark man? Is Karen the reason Cliff is in Flowerbud? Will Jeff ever stop being a wimp? Find out next time. Stay in school, kiddies.