Ann rattled her soda bottle once again and her friends stopped talking. She looked at the empty drink container with a satisfied grin, content that she was able to command such attention with what was essentially a piece of garbage. "Alright, everyone! I decree that a ballad be written in my honor. Two teams. Fifteen minutes until performance time. Losers have to take a shot of a 'special concoction' I will create as punishment." Ann stuck out her tongue and giggled. "I'm gonna run downstairs and make it. I'll be back in fifteen minutes to listen to my songs of glory!" She bounded toward the door.

"Teams?" Karen halted her.

Ann shrugged. "Surprise me." She twisted the doorknob and gave them a smirk as she rested her hand on the cool metal. "Better get started, because the punishment cocktail is going to be awful!" The young woman let out a sadistic laugh as she closed the door behind her.

Karen stood up and her eyes darted around the room. She wasn't quite sure if she trusted Claire to not want to be on a team with Gray. She knew that her girl friend was having a hard time getting over her crush. The last thing this party needed was a scene, and Karen didn't have enough faith to believe that Gray wouldn't say something stupid.

"Ooh, I wanna be with you, Karen!" Popuri squealed, grabbing her arm. "I'm actually really good with rhymes!"

"Sure!" The older woman ruffled her friend's hair. Her gaze moved to Claire, who was seated beside her, but she was already humming melody ideas with Cliff. Karen got up and moved to another side of the room, Popuri trailing behind. She noticed Gray looking around the room nervously and beckoned him over with her hand. "Oi, Gray! Over here!"

He gave her a relieved look as he approached them – he was half grateful that Karen no longer appeared to be hostile and half thankful that he didn't have to be near Claire. Popuri puffed out her cheeks in protest as he came their way. "But I wanted Kai to be with us," she whined.

Karen looked over to see the man in question already sitting down eagerly beside Claire and Cliff. "Uh… Sorry, Poppy. I guess I should've asked," she pretended to seriously consider this. Her main goal had been to keep Claire and Gray away from each other and she had succeeded. "Oh, well. Gray's good with rhymes." He plopped down beside them and Karen gave him an overly cheery smile. "Aren't you?"

"Good with rhymes?" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he seemed to seriously consider this. "Uh… not really. That's Cliff's thing; he always begins spouting off really bad puns once he starts drinking, and that bastard Kai encourages it." He shuddered at the very thought of his friend's campy jokes.

Popuri frowned and shot Karen a dirty look as if to suggest that her friend couldn't have picked a worse partner for their team. "Well, I guess we'd better get started…" Karen said, popping open a fresh wine cooler and took a deep drink.

"So… what kinds of things should we include?" Gray asked.

Karen swallowed and stared at him curiously; she was surprised he was actually participating without complaining. She let out a sharp laugh and gave him an impish grin. "Actually, I was referring to this!" She pointed at her bottle. Things were always funnier when she was a little looser, anyway. "Gotta get the creative juices flowing, you know!"

"Well, I'm gonna get us something to write with." The young man stood up, eager to be of some help. Maybe if they all could work together on a team, things would start to go back to normal again. His eyes drifted to the other side of the room and fell on a certain blonde. Claire was busy working on her own song, but Gray couldn't forget that pained look her eyes just a few minutes ago. "And… another beer wouldn't hurt, either."

Popuri shooed him off with the wave of a hand and giggled a little too loudly. "Alright, go then! But hurry up! If we don't write a song that's long enough, we'll have to end up singing it reallllly sloooowly and we'll look stupid!"

Gray looked at her curiously.

"Like this!" Popuri cleared her throat and placed a hand on her chest. "And AAAAAANNNNN~ will alwaaaays love fooooooood~!" her voice rang out clearly and beautifully, the squeakiness gone and the pure melody filling the room. When the last echoes of the song left her lips, the room was left in complete silence. The opposing team was staring at her, their jaws dropped, blinking in shock. A small hiccup from the young woman broke the spell.

"Dang, girl…" Karen slapped her on the shoulder as Gray shook his head and returned to his senses, continuing on his quest for a pencil.

A frown crossed Popuri's mouth. "That bad, huh?"

"Nah! Pretty good, actually!" It was definitely a surprise to hear how improved her friend's singing skills became now that she had been exposed to liquid courage.

The brunette raised her eyebrows as she peeked over at the other team. A few empty alcohol bottles sat beside them, and Karen took another sip from her own vessel as she mulled over a few potential song lyrics in her head. Kai, Cliff, and Claire were huddled together in a group and they already looked hard at work. The young woman was using wild arm gestures and her teammates were laughing heartily. Kai gave her a friendly ruffle of the hair and Cliff leaned over to whisper into her ear, his loose ponytail tumbling across her shoulder. The blonde was giggling so hard her eyes were welling up with tears. Cliff stopped whispering and watched his friend for a brief moment, enjoying her mirth, a pleased grin creeping across his face. He caught Karen watching him and the young man sat upright, blushing deeply. Karen rolled her eyes; Claire seemed quite oblivious to it herself, but she was lapping up all of the attention the men were giving her.

"Hey, Poppy, thanks for going with the teams," Karen whispered. "I know you wanted to be with Kai…"

The young woman snatched the bottle from Karen and finished off the beverage, figuring it was the least her friend owed her. The drink was sweet, but it made her mind feel a little foggy. She let out a sigh as she looked over at the other group. She bit her lip, frustration crossing her features all over again as her eyes focused on the object of her affections. She'd make sure Kai was with her for the next team game. "Well, I guess it's not all bad… I mean, Claire seems pretty happy," she twisted a piece of pink hair around her fingers and a small smile found its way on her face. She had noticed the farmer seemed out of sorts lately. She often saw Claire working in her fields from over the fence and her motivation seemed to be lacking over the past week or so. When she had come over to buy a couple of hens the other day, a cloud of gloom seemed to hang over her despite her weak smile. "Kai's good at cheering people up, and it looks like he's not the only one," Popuri watched as the brown-haired young man sitting beside Claire let out a genuine laugh, scribbling something down on their sheet of paper. The farmer's eyes lit up as she rested a light hand on her friend's forearm, nodding emphatically. Cliff's command on Claire's attention, whether intentional or not, was enough for Popuri's jealousy to fade over the fact that Kai was on their team. "Cliff's usually so quiet…"

Her friend noticed the empty bottle sitting between him and Claire. "He's usually sober," Karen replied with a snort, taking a swig from her bottle of wine.

0o0o0o0

"Wooo, doggie!" Ann slammed the door behind her and brandished a tray of beverages. "I hope you all are up for something disgusting!" She set the drinks on the table and gave them a wicked grin. "This stuff is certifiably nasty! I had Duke help me pick out the ingredients and everyone at the bar gagged on it except for Saibara." She cast Gray a sideways glance. "I don't think your grandpa has any sense of taste."

A smirk crossed his lips. "In more ways than one."

Karen gave him a swift smack on the back of the head and he just shrugged.

Even if Gray made a valid point, Ann refused to let an insult like that slide; she was rather fond of Saibara. "Alright, smarty pants, your team is up first!"

He groaned while Popuri bounced up to her feet and Karen beamed. It seemed what was a reward for them was a punishment for Gray. Ann smirked; she was fine with that.

Claire took comfort in the fact that they didn't have to go first. She let out a tiny sigh of relief and leaned against her friend's arm.

"Are you nervous?" Cliff's voice was soft.

"A little…" She gave a small nod as she watched the other team huddle around their page of lyrics. While she had a lot of fun helping write the song, the fact that they were going to sing it to Ann never really crossed her mind. Claire was never one for performing much, and even though it was in front of her friends, she still felt a little uneasy. Despite her nerves, she was quite proud with the way she was handling her stress; if she had been asked to do this half a year ago, she would be hyperventilating. The young woman closed her eyes and focused on her heartbeat. It was a little elevated, but nothing like it had been in the past with her panic attacks. A gentle touch on her arm brought her back to reality.

"Everything's going to be alright," Cliff gave her a warm smile. "You don't need to worry."

She opened her mouth to explain that what she was feeling wasn't as intense as it used to be when Kai hugged her other arm and ruffled her hair. "He's right, you know," he winked at her, "we're lyrical geniuses, after all."

Now that she was aware of all of the attention being focused on her, Claire's cheeks felt a little warm. It felt kind of nice to be fussed over, she realized. She took a moment to enjoy her friends' kind sentiments as she observed Karen's quiet command of her team. She found that she was looking forward to the other group's performance. "I hope our songs aren't too similar," she whispered.

Kai shrugged. "Eh, if they're both songs to boost Ann's ego, I don't think she'll mind too much."

The trio snickered, but they stopped when they heard the song start.

"She's always serving up drinks with a smile

And an attitude that makes the trip worth the while

She cooks up wondrous things like scrambled eggs

And can break down a solid oak door with her legs

And she's a wonderful friend

Gutsy and smart, there's no end!

Her earlier days set Ann in her ways

And now that she's turned twenty-three

An even pluckier, strong girl is living

With Doug as the best innkeep!

She is better, we mean it

Than that Inner Inn's lazy boy named Rock

She's the best all around the clock!

Ann McKinley, Ann McKinley

Such an upbeat attitude!

Ann McKinley, Ann McKinley-"

"She's Mineral Town's biggest mood~!" Gray sang this last line rather loudly all by himself and his teammates each slapped him.

"We were kidding about that last line, Gray, remember?" Popuri hissed.

Ann stood up from her seat and glowered at him, drawing herself to her full height. She was the shortest one in the room, but her squared shoulders could have fooled anyone. "What… did you call me?" Ann stared unblinkingly at the young man.

"It was just a slip of the tongue," Karen rolled her eyes at the young man. "Because you're definitely a, um... well...-!"

Her words didn't have any effect; Ann stood up and slowly made her way to the center of the room. "Oh, my dear Grayson, I'm afraid you've gone and upset me…" The corners of her mouth twitched, betraying her overly solemn demeanor. A grin cracked across his face at the sight of this and Ann immediately tackled him to the ground, the shot glasses on the table clanking together from the impact, threatening to spill their dangerous contents. Karen and Popuri couldn't help but laugh at their teammate's misfortune. While they had thought of the same exact line Gray had sung, he had the audacity to utter it aloud, and he deserved punishment for it.

Claire found herself laughing as well – she had rarely seen Gray joke around and she found that she rather liked what she saw. Her heart hammered in her chest a bit as her cheeks burned, forgetting for the moment that he was no longer a viable romantic option.

"Oh, come on, Ann! It was a joke!" he laughed, trying to wrestle her off.

She pinned down his shoulders and fought her best against the smile that was threatening to cross her face. "You are such a turd!" A small chuckle escaped from her lips.

"See, you're laughing, too!" he insisted with a combination of a chuckle and a whine.

Claire watched them silently, her eyes widening with nostalgia. She was at home, and her younger brothers, Byron and Lucas, were roughhousing in the living room. She had often been put in charge of them while her parents were at work, and she would be quietly trying to stop them amid the name calling, biting, and kicking. Their mother would be home any minute from the office and if she caught the two of them fighting, Claire would be punished for letting things get out of hand, being reminded that she should know better than to let them get to that point. Claire would fruitlessly try to break them up, half amused by their antics, half dreading the fact that she would inevitably be scolded in the minutes to come…

"A turd? Really, that's the worst insult you can come up with?" Kai looked up from their page of lyrics for a moment and laughed, and Claire looked over at him with interest. There were no parents around to punish her for not breaking up the fight; she was one of the adults now, she realized with surprise. "'Cuz me and Cliff here have an entire arsenal of names we call him on a regular basis!"

Cliff tapped him on the shoulder and Kai nodded silently as the young man's hand flew across the paper. Claire saw that they had been adding extra lyrics as she had been daydreaming and she leaned in to see what last-minute changes had been made.

"Oh, shaddap, you doofus!" Gray turned his head in Kai's direction and rolled his eyes. The room was filled with laughter.

"That's enough!" Ann bopped Gray on the nose with the end of her braid and hoisted herself back up, using Gray's body as a springboard of sorts. She sat back down in her chair with a huff and folded her arms across her chest. She was becoming more eager than ever to dole out the punishment cocktails. "I am ready to hear the next ballad dedicated in my honor!" She sat back in her chair, legs crossed, chin resting on her hand as she gave the next team a smug smile.

Claire's heart throbbed uncomfortably. She attempted to swallow as she realized that she hadn't read the new lines that had been added in Cliff's scratchy handwriting.

"We've got this." Cliff gave her a reassuring grin. "Kai's going to extend his solo at the beginning and then we'll join in at our regular chorus just like we planned," he whispered, patting her hand.

She relaxed a bit, grateful that she wasn't going to have to adapt to the changes.

Kai stood up and bowed melodramatically to the subject of their song, eliciting a few giggles from the room. "An ode to milady," he stood up and importantly ruffled the tattered paper in his hands. Claire was startled when he started off with a confident, strong voice:

"The gods wanted to leave their mark on the world;

They concocted a marvelous plan,

They gifted good Doug with a spirited girl

And decided her name would be Ann!

It's a shame to observe such a blasphemous show,

The gods' gift called 'a mood' by Sir Grumps-"

("Hey!" Gray sulked, slamming his fist on the table in mock belligerence, while Kai shot him a smirk and continued the song without missing a beat.)

"We've got a much better song, so you know

Than the one that was sung by those chuuuuumps~!"

Kai set the paper in between his group members and Claire found herself eager to sing when her time came; she shot Cliff a pleased grin and his face lit up at her expression.

"Noooo oooooone~

Brawls just like Ann

Sweeps the halls just like Ann

No one threatens to kick down the walls just like Ann

Her fists keep the bar fights from escalating!

Pow!

Ten gold tip just for Ann!

When Ann was a lass, she ate four dozen eggs

Didn't chew them – she swallowed them whole

And now that she's grown, she eats five dozen eggs

And her stomach's a gaping black hole!

Noooo oooooone~

Fights just like Ann

No one smites just like Ann

Packs a sandwich away in two bites just like Ann

She's especially good at masticating~!

My, what a gal, that AAAAAAAnn~!"

Claire let out a sigh of relief. She had actually sung in front of her friends, and it wasn't that scary. Her eyes moved gratefully to Kai and Cliff; she probably would have had a much harder time if she had to sing all by herself. Their friends gave them a round of applause and she let out a tiny shriek when Kai pushed on her back to make her take a bow with her team. A delighted giggle rose in her throat as she came back up, her face flushed.

"Well, who won?" Popuri asked impatiently, bouncing in her seat.

"They both were good." Ann rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she recalled both songs in her head. She looked over to see Popuri offering her a handful of candy, which she eagerly accepted.

"Hey, you can't bribe her!" Kai pouted, but Popuri just stuck out her tongue at him and giggled.

Ann popped the handful of jellybeans into her mouth. "I didn't take it as a bribe. They lost anyway because of Gray." Popuri's face fell and both her and Karen stared daggers at their teammate. Ann walked over to the tray of shots. "So, who is ready for a drink?" She teasingly held one up.

"Gray is!" Karen and Popuri yelled in unison.

He knew that his fate had been sealed the moment he decided to ad lib the final line of their song. It had been worth it. A smile crept across his face, but he did his best to hide it. "Fine, fine," he pretended to grumble, walking over to the table.

"Oh, hey, we won," Claire realized with a small swell of pride.

Kai stood back up. "She's right. So, what do we get for winning?"

While this was a birthday party, it wasn't one for children where gifts were handed out left and right. Ann shrugged. "You don't have to drink this garbage. That's your prize." She gave him a big smirk in response to the overdramatic disappointed look on Kai's face.

"Gray's drinking it all!" Popuri pouted, nudging the shot glasses toward him as he picked up the first.

"So what is in it?" Cliff asked as he stood up and walked over to the table. Claire found herself following him to study the strange color of the contents of the glasses.

"Hmmm… Whiskey, gin, pickle juice, hot sauce, and a dash of mouthwash," Ann rattled off proudly with a nod. "I was going to add some dishwater, but Dad said that he didn't want anyone to sue."

Everyone in the room visibly cringed and Gray felt his stomach turn over. He cautiously picked up the glass and noticed everyone was watching him with wide eyes.

"Drink it, ya weenie," Popuri whispered.

He gave it a sniff and felt a little dizzy. He began to wonder what possessed him to screw up the song on purpose. Ann's reaction had been fantastic, but was it worth this? By now, the entire room was chanting for him to drink the beverage. He downed the drink in one go amid the gagging and squealing.

"So?" Karen smirked at him.

The young man contemplated the curious taste left behind in his mouth and picked up another glass. Elli occasionally brought over vitamin drinks to the library to share with him and Mary. Gray always accepted a drink out of politeness and the librarian would discreetly giggle at the tears forming in the corners of his eyes; while nutritious, there were few things on earth that tasted viler than those awful concoctions of Trent's. "Meh, not that bad. I guess I've had worse." He drank the remaining drinks without complaint.

"It looks like he's the one with no sense of taste," Kai gave Claire a playful nudge, bringing a smile to her face.

She was a little startled when Cliff leaned in close to whisper into her ear. "In more ways than one," he echoed from earlier, a teasing tone to his voice.

He snuck a look at her and a huge grin spread across her lips as she gazed up at him, any sort of disapproval or discomfort gone from her expression. She let out a loud, hearty laugh and her eyes grew misty with mirth. Had it really only been a few months ago that his implication of Gray not being perfect made her get defensive and short with him? Cliff had a hard time forgetting the day that they shared a bar of chocolate on the bench in front of Jeff's shop. Claire had changed so much from that day. The young woman rested a hand on his arm with a giggle. Her touch was warm and comforting. Perhaps he had changed quite a bit as well, he realized.

Popuri took a seat on the edge of the table and swung her feet, humming the tune she had just heard. Gray gave her a dirty look. "What are you doing, singing the enemy's song?"

"It's catchy." She shrugged and continued to hum. She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening in horror as she looked over at the other team, the color draining from her face. "W-wait! Did you guys say that she's especially good at mast-"

Karen cut her off with the smack of a pillow and smirked at Ann. "Well… What can I say except you're welcome?"

Ann massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers and let out a mock-exasperated sigh, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Thank you!"

0o0o0o0

"And then Zack tells me that he's been so busy shipping stuff from Mystic Acres that he doesn't have time to fish as much. Can you believe it? I guess Claire has been sending some fish his way, but I'd like a steady supply, y'know?" Kai let out a sigh as he unwrapped a caramel and popped it into his mouth. His stuffed rice balls had been a big seller last year, and the smoked fish was the most popular filling.

Cliff's heart pounded at the opportunity. "Well, the fish he's getting from her are probably the ones I'm putting in there myself. I can sell to you directly. Just tell me the kind you want and how many you need." He tried not to sound too eager and desperate. He knew it wouldn't be too long into fall before herbs started dying off and he'd be living off of his savings until deer season.

"Sounds good, but what I really need is smoked fish. I don't really have the time to do it myself. Would you be able to do that?"

Cliff nodded enthusiastically. "Sure! I can brine and smoke it and bring it to you in the evenings."

Kai's face lit up. "Awesome. Just bring me as much as you can. With the Fireworks Festival coming up, I'll need a ton of it; there's always a huge crowd. I promise I'll pay you well for it."

"Okay!" Cliff and Kai toasted their glasses together with a loud clank.

Gray didn't contribute to the conversation – he was lost in thought. The young man set down his beverage and stood up as he saw Claire go to the table by herself to have a snack. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about those wide blue eyes all evening. She had been so distant from him since their talk together, and while he could understand why, he noticed he was uncomfortable with it. He had come to the realization that he was in danger of losing Claire as a friend. The thought had never really bothered him before – she often annoyed him with her silly gifts and her constant pestering, but now the thought of her not being a part of his life at all filled him with a mysterious depression.

"What are you doing?!" Kai hissed, but his friend didn't hear him. Gray was already at the table, nervously standing behind the farmer. Kai shot Cliff an apprehensive look, as if to ask him if he was going to do anything about it. Cliff didn't say anything in reply, but he could feel his blood boiling as he sat in silence, watching his roommate wring his hands nervously behind the blonde. Hadn't Gray caused Claire enough trouble and heartache? If he embarrassed Claire in front of everyone tonight… Cliff drank deeply from his glass of wine, keeping the pair in his sight. He was not one for causing a scene, but if he made Claire cry… He found himself stretching his wrists and cracking his knuckles.

Gray's heart pounded in his ears as he forced himself to approach the young woman a little more closely. He had no idea how she was going to react, but he needed to do something. The thought of losing her made his throat tighten, and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt anything like this.

Claire was startled by the apprentice shakily clearing his throat behind her. "Ah, Claire… h-hi."

Her eyes widened; she had assumed Gray would be avoiding her until further notice. She wasn't exactly sure what he had left to say to her, but the last time their eyes had met, he had been talking about the horse races. Was he going to attempt to train with Tucker some more? How did she even feel about that? Her heart began to race. Why was he putting so much pressure on her right now? She'd have no choice but to agree in order to avoid getting upset, but she wasn't sure if having him on her farm again right away was the best idea.

"Hello." She saw no reason why she couldn't be civil, but she wasn't about to have him attempt to walk all over her again. The young woman straightened her posture in response to Gray's sloped shoulders. His face was pale and he anxiously wrung his hands. Claire couldn't keep herself from looking at him curiously. He had always carried himself with the presence of someone larger than he really was. This wasn't the Gray she was used to seeing. He also looked so different without his hat. Having a view of his entire face was a new experience; he looked much younger without the headgear, as his face wasn't masked in shadows. Standing in such a meek posture with large repentant eyes made him look like an apologetic child. Claire bit her tongue. Part of her hated the fact that she still found him attractive.

His throat closed up as their eyes locked. How could he possibly put what he had been brooding about for the last week into words? "I've been doing a lot of thinking…" Gray nervously shuffled his feet as he moved his gaze to the floor. "It was wrong of me to wait so long to tell you how I felt…" his voice trailed off.

Claire looked at the opposite side of the room and watched Ann and Popuri laughing at the cat pawing at an empty bottle on the floor, causing it to spin. Karen was with them, but the blonde could tell that her friend was watching them carefully out of the corner of her eye.

Gray patiently awaited some sort of response, but she gave none. Why did he have to put her in this position? She felt her eyes threaten to mist up, but she quickly blinked it away.

"So, uh…" he had been expecting some sort of reaction and it made him uncomfortable that she was giving him nothing to work with. This had been a terrible idea, he realized. Surely his friends were furious at him for doing this… He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and avoided eye contact.

Claire was surprised at how level she managed to keep her voice. "Are you asking me to agree with you? Because I do." Despite her choice of words, he could detect no hint of malice or bitterness behind them – she simply agreed that he had made a bad choice. The young woman felt a small swell of confidence as she looked back at her friends. She didn't want to spend this evening caught up in her emotions about her lost love. "I… I don't want to talk about this now, Gray. Tonight is about Ann, and I want to celebrate with her."

He blinked at her, slightly taken aback. Her words were not at all what he was expecting. He wasn't sure what he had been hoping for. Forgiveness, he supposed, and maybe a promise that they could still remain friends. He had been wishing for something that would not happen – not tonight, anyway. She hadn't been unfriendly to him, but he wasn't used to her not fawning over him; it would take some getting used to. He could see that they weren't going to get anywhere tonight. He had been wrong in believing that the more laid-back casual atmosphere would make it a good setting for them to come to an understanding. Surely Cliff and Karen were staring daggers at his back at the moment – this wasn't the right time. "… You're right. My apologies." His heart broke a little bit more as he bowed his head politely at her and he returned back to his roommates.

Claire watched him go, not without a pang of guilt. Had she been too harsh on him? A frown found its way on her face as she mulled the conversation over in her head. She had asked him to leave last week when he was trying to apologize to her. Maybe if she would have just let him stay and listened to him… She suddenly felt so exposed in this room full of people, as if her emotions had been on full display for all to see. Her throat began to close up and she hated herself for always being so emotional…

Cliff bounced up from his seat as Gray was returning and quickly walked over to Claire, paying no notice to his roommate's presence. Gray took a seat on the floor next to Kai and let out a big sigh as he did so. He couldn't tell if he was frustrated or depressed.

Kai handed Gray a bottle of beer. "You really pissed him off, you know," he took a thoughtful sip from his own beverage, cocking his head toward Cliff.

While he had left Claire partially out of fear that he would get punched in the face by Cliff, Gray had other things to worry about at the moment than his overly-defensive roommate. "Don't care. This isn't about him," he mumbled his half-lie, reaching for the bottle opener and cracking open his drink. He was far more concerned with Claire's feelings at the moment, and mostly his own, he realized with a nagging twinge of embarrassment. Perhaps he was being selfish, and maybe that fact bothered him… Gray shook his head; it didn't help to dwell on those things right now.

"Did I make you mad?" Gray kept his voice low as he stared into his drink.

Kai looked at him curiously. "Not really. I was just trying to stop you from doing something stupid. Why would I be angry at you?"

He took a long swig from his bottle. "Everyone hates me right now because of this stupid thing with Claire." He let out a deep sigh and buried his forehead in his hands.

His friend reached into his friend's stash of candy and unwrapped a toffee, popping the entire thing in his mouth. It had become an uncomfortable topic back in their shared room with Cliff around, and Kai had once jokingly told them they should just let each other have one free punch. At this suggestion, both roommates gave Kai a look that made him begin to fear for his own safety. "No one hates you, man. You did what you needed to do. I mean sure, Claire's feelings got hurt, but what else are you going to do at this point?"

"But Karen and Cliff hate me, too." He threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling with a melodramatic moan. He hadn't seen too much of Karen lately, but the cold treatment he had been receiving from Cliff reminded him of their first days as awkward roommates.

Kai sighed. "No one hates you," he repeated. "They're her best friends, so it's their job to worry about her. It's out of your hands now. You told her how you felt and you apologized. That should be enough."

Gray frowned. It didn't feel like it had been enough. If it was, he wouldn't be wracked with this guilt. He thought things would be so much easier after he shot her down…

"What does Mary think of the whole thing?" Kai asked, his mouth full.

"Yeesh…" Gray buried his face in his hands. "She… wasn't happy at how I handled things. Let's just leave it at that." He didn't think someone as soft spoken as Mary could say things that hurt so much, but that was one of the disadvantages of dating a writer, he realized with a sigh. The worst part was the fact that he knew everything she said was true, and perhaps the thing that hurt the most was her shame in his selfishness. Gray's face reddened; he didn't want Kai to know that his girlfriend's words had actually made him cry.

His friend opened another candy and noisily rolled the wrapper between his fingers. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, eh?" Kai gave him a rueful smile.

"I guess. I'm terrible with women," he groaned, absentmindedly swirling the amber liquid in his bottle and watching the bubbles rise to the surface. He observed the two friends standing beside the snack table. The strain from Claire's face faded as she laughed at something Cliff had said – no doubt it was a bad pun. Gray couldn't help but notice there was a space between the two of them that Claire was quickly closing. He had seen this little scenario play out several times and he knew what was to come. "But at least I'm not the only one…"

"Huh?" Kai looked at him curiously.

Gray nudged his head in the direction of the two friends. "I swear that kid makes things difficult for himself. I mean, how hard is it to reach over and take her hand or give her a kiss? She's practically throwing herself at him." It sure would solve his problems. A happy Claire would stop looking at him with those soul-crushing eyes and he'd be able to stop feeling so damn guilty about what happened. Perhaps they could be friends… And maybe, with time, she'd even invite him over to her stable. It was probably a little too optimistic, and he didn't want to get too ahead of himself, but he didn't want to lose hope. This latest thought caused a wave of guilt in the pit of his stomach. There he was, thinking about his own feelings again… He imagined Mary's disappointed brown eyes and frowned.

Kai bit his tongue. Gray was unaware of how hypocritical his remarks were – Kai had been pressuring his roommate to make a move on the librarian for a few summers now to no avail. It seemed Claire's presence and interest in him was the catalyst for Gray finally asking Mary to be his girlfriend. Still, Kai would never understand this strange one-sided competitiveness Gray had with Cliff. He stared at Claire and Cliff and noted the pure joy in their faces as they talked together. Gray was never one for subtleties, and his unusual behavior concerned him. Kai kept his voice low – he had to know. "Hey man, tell me… are you jealous of them?"

Kai could hardly say he was surprised when Gray turned toward him and stared at him incredulously, his face flushing. "Of course not! I have a girlfriend!" he hissed as his face threatened to turn burgundy.

Kai didn't press any further; he had a feeling that would be Gray's response no matter how he felt. He watched the pair converse and rolled his eyes. Gray's description of Claire throwing herself at Cliff was a little extreme, but Kai found that he had to admire Cliff's approach. There was definitely an element of flirtation there, but it was very subtle. He got the distinct feeling that Claire was unaware of the way she was twisting a lock of her hair in her fingers the way she did when she came to visit at the inn to see Gray. Cliff had definitely picked up on the gesture, as his cheeks flushed pink. Claire turned her head and Gray caught a flash of longing in Cliff's eyes as he took a small step back.

Kai looked over at Gray and the apprentice's frustration seemed to be channeled into watching the two friends for the moment. "See? He's always doing that!" he scoffed at Cliff. "Why's he always moving away? I swear he's clueless about women. No wonder he's never had a girlfriend and he's twenty-four."

Kai raised his eyebrows. "He seems to be doing just fine to me. He's got some good instincts; it seems he knows better than to make a move so soon." A smirk spread across his lips. "He'd… actually make a pretty good player if he wasn't a one-woman man." He was also aware that if the pair started drinking much more, it was likely they'd be hanging all over each other.

Gray rolled his eyes, his anger diffusing. "You say that like it's a bad thing! You know… you've changed a lot in the past couple of years. If you're not too careful, you might become one, too."

Kai's face began to feel a little warm. He was no stranger to dating, but something about the woman on the other side of the room made his heart pound a little faster than usual. It was a new sensation to him, and he didn't like Gray calling attention to it. He set down his glass with a clank and looked up at him in fake curiosity. "Become what, now?"

Gray slapped him on the back of his head. "Wow, you are an idiot sometimes," he laughed.

0o0o0o0

Author's Note: Wooo, doggie, what a chapter! It took me a little longer to write on account of the song lyrics, the little subplots and developments, and the sheer length of the thing. Disney fans may notice the song parodies – Team Karen, Popuri, and Gray sang a parody of "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" from one of my personal favorite Disney films, The Great Mouse Detective. Team Claire, Kai, and Cliff sang "Gaston", or what I affectionately refer to as "Gastann" from Beauty and the Beast. Those with keen eyes might spot a line from a certain Moana song as well. In case you can't tell, I like Disney. And I like writing song parodies, haha.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this one. I hope I was able to balance out the humor with the more serious moments, along with giving a little more of an insight of what is going on through Gray's head. I hope y'all are enjoying the party games – there's still a few more to come!

I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has been reading and supporting this story – you guys are awesome! :)