A/N: I'll admit to purposefully putting this off since the original draft sucked horribly and I didn't want to work through the pain again. This should be basically entirely different from that horror, though, so we're all good.

This chapter's song is "Troublemaker" by Olly Murs feat. Flo Rida!


You're a troublemaker

You're a troublemaker...

You ain't nothing but a troublemaker, girl

You had me hooked again from the minute you sat down

The way you bite your lip got my head spinnin' around

After a drink or two I was putty in your hands

I don't know if I have the strength to stand, oh oh oh...


I woke up on the day of the cooking festival with a headache from hell. I immediately groaned and rolled over, slamming the alarm clock with my fist. Casper jumped onto my chest and began licking my face, and I gave him a little rub behind the ears.

"Good morning to you too, buddy. Hang on, I'll get your food…" I put the small dog on the floor and crawled out of bed, standing up and stretching… only to stop when my leg began to charley horse. Today was not going to be my day.

At least my shower was hot. I yawned, breathing in the steam. My head continued to pound like someone was doing construction work upstairs, but I pushed through.

My small collection of pill bottles rattled at me as I opened the medicine cabinet. Some sort of law meant I could just go get a new bottle when my old one expired – like a pseudo-refill – if it was medication necessary for my health, however all I really had was the standard stuff – meds for colds and headaches; decent birth control and morning-after pills that didn't screw with my body too badly. Y'know, in the off chance I ever get laid.

I popped one headache pill dry and took another with breakfast. Over the sound of my heart pounding in my ears, I took a sip of water. I didn't drink, so I seriously doubt I'm having a hangover. What were the other causes of a headache again?

The empty plate of what used to be bacon n' eggs was halfway to the sink when I picked up the sound of something being pushed through my mail slot. Dirk would be off work today due to the festival…maybe something happened?

"Dirk? Is that you?" I placed my plate in the sink and hurried over. No response, beyond the sound of someone booking it in the distance. Oh great, a mystery.

On the floor was the plainest-looking white envelope in the world. If there was ever a Perfectly Generic Envelope, this was it – crisp, white envelope with my name on the front in plain black print. Whoever sent me this clearly didn't want to be discovered.

Inside was some real high-quality paper – the "you'll know it when you feel it" kind – that contained a recipe and a haiku written in clean, black-inked cursive. The recipe was for some kind of kebab main dish, in line with the festival today. The haiku said this:

Your words like the sun

Shine quite warmly in my heart

Do you feel the same?

Oh brother.


Trouble troublemaker, yeah

That's your middle name, oh oh oh...

I know you're no good but you're stuck in my brain

And I wanna know...

Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad, oh oh oh?

My mind keeps saying,

"Run as fast as you can."

I say, "I'm done," but then you pull me back, oh oh oh...

I swear you're giving me a heart attack

Troublemaker!


I ended up folding the haiku and tucking it away inside my jacket to be dealt with later. If nothing else, I can ask Laney about it. She practically hid a shipping chart in her apron – if I wanted an educated guess on the identity of this "secret admirer" she'd be the first person to ask. I also went ahead and made the kebabs as well. If nothing else, it tasted like heaven incarnate.

My headache reduced to a small ache approximately around my right temple – something manageable, I guess. I yawned, stretched, and headed outside to face the day.

The sun glared at me from its perch in the sky, but I ignored it and went about my chores as usual. Taking care of the animals, watering the plants…stuff like that. A few radishes were ready for harvest, and I plucked them from the earth, replacing them with some onion seeds. The earth was warm, and my crops seemed to absorb the heat into themselves, as well. I stretched and stood, shoving everything back into my rucksack.

It was a festival day, which meant we would get no reprieve from the glaring sun and its heat. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, and not much of a breeze. This was going to suck.


It's like you're always there in the corners of my mind

I see your silhouette every time I close my eyes

There must be poison in those finger tips of yours

'Cause I keep comin' back again for more, oh oh oh...

Trouble troublemaker, yeah

That's your middle name, oh oh oh...

I know you're no good but you're stuck in my brain


Halfway up the mountainside my vision went dark. I immediately got off the path and into the shade, collapsing onto a rock as the sudden urge to puke welled up. I squeezed my eyes shut and grasped my water bottle, my arms feeling limp and noodley. Not again

I took a few gulps of water, a few shaky breaths, my vision came back, but it was…disoriented, like I was drunk or something. I closed my eyes again and downed the rest of my water bottle, wiping sweat off my brow.

The first time this happened, my mom and I were in line for a roller coaster. The night before I didn't sleep, and I barely drank, so when my vision went dark we moved to a table in the shade and mom got me a few water bottles to guzzle. I slept for a while, but then I was good as new.

My hearing went…fuzzy, like someone had stuffed cotton in my ears. I leaned back on the rock and kept my eyes shut, not daring to move further in case I threw up my breakfast.

I don't know when it happened, but at some point everything just…faded away.


And I wanna know...

Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad, oh oh oh?

My mind keeps saying,

"Run as fast as you can."

I say, "I'm done," but then you pull me back, oh oh oh...

I swear you're giving me a heart attack

Troublemaker

Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad, oh oh (hurt so bad)?

My mind keeps saying,

"Run as fast as you can."

Troublemaker

I say, "I'm done," but then you pull me back, oh oh oh...

I swear you're giving me a heart attack

Troublemaker


"…a"

"-na."

"Diana!"

I let out a groan, trying to sit up before a hand pushes me back into some cold water. "You need to rest." The voice was rough, but I could detect a sense of…panic? I forced my eyes to open, seeing an awful lot of purple.

"Cam? What's going-"

"I found you on my way up the mountain," Cam placed a wet cloth napkin on my forehead, his green eyes filled with a sadness that was hard to place. "You had a heat stroke." I heard a huff.

"It was heat exhaustion, actually, but if Cam hadn't found you in time…" Another voice. Hiro? The doctor-in-training moved into my field of view, sticking a thermometer in my mouth. He looked concerned, his face scrunched up in concentration as he watched the digital numbers on the thermometer in my mouth tick up slowly. "Well…it wouldn't have been pleasant. Did you drink enough water this morning?"

"I…I think I did. How much is enough, again?" My voice was scratchy, and dry. Cam handed me a cup of water, and I sat up to drink it. It was at this point I realized I was sitting in my underwear in a metal tub full of ice water. I felt my face heat up even more. Thank goodness I decided to wear the red stuff today.

I didn't get a reply. Hiro took the thermometer from my mouth and examined it closely. Cam hovered around him, his mouth a thin line. Hiro's expression was unreadable, his stance painfully professional. "You should be fine, but I'd recommend you head back to your farm right away and rest. Cam-"

The florist handed me a soft velvet-colored towel. "I'll take her home. Uh…thanks, doc."

Hiro nodded and scurried out of the door. Dr. Ayame walked in right after him, looking much more at ease. "You all right, kiddo?" She ruffled my hair and extended a hand to help me out of the tub. I took it and stood on slightly uneasy feet.

"I think I'll be fine." I wrapped the towel around my middle, feeling significantly less self-conscious when my midriff wasn't showing. Ayame shooed Cam off with a very stern look and shut the door behind him.

"Your clothes are a bit too icky to wear. The blonde girl – Laney, I think? – offered some of her stuff, but I think it might be a bit too small." Ayame nudged my side with her elbow. "You're a bit too sturdy, don't you think?"

I shrugged. "Beats being fat. So am I supposed to walk home in my underwear?"

"Nope." Ayame tossed me a plain off-white shirt covered in paint splatters and a pair of well-worn jeans. "Put these on and I'm out of here. Normally I'm only in Bluebell for yearly checkups. It's nice to see what it looks like in the summer for a change, you know?"

I pulled the shirt on; pulling the neckline up to keep it from slipping off my right shoulder. The jeans were in the uncanny valley of not quite wide enough to need a belt, but not quite narrow enough that they won't slide off me and puddle on the floor like a cartoon. "I must look really stupid."

"Trust me, Diana, I've seen much worse." Ayame pulled out a folder and examined a few of the documents inside. "I'm prescribing a day of rest for you, extending into tomorrow. You really need to chill out – literally." She laughed at her own dumb joke, and I joined in. "You need to drink twice as much water as you think you need, but that's just in general. It's very hard to get water poisoning. Other than that, we're done here. Careful heading home, okay?" Ayame opened the door and let me walk out first, shutting it behind the both of us.


Maybe I'm insane

'Cause I keep doing the same damn thing

Thinking one day we gon' change

But you know just how to work that back

And make me forget my name

What the hell you do I won't remember

I'll be gone until November

And you'll show up again next summer, yeah!

Typical middle name is Prada

Fit you like a glove, girl

I'm sick of the drama

You're a troublemaker

But damn girl it's like I love the trouble

And I can't even explain why

(Yeah!)


The walk home was…awkward, to say the least. Well, it was awkward on my end, at least. Cam walked at my side in silence, his hands currently digging a cavern into his pockets, not saying a word.

I gave him a few sidelong glances but mostly spent my time adjusting Jessica's pre-Ash clothes. The silence pressed in on me from all sides, and knowing he had seen me in my underwear for god knows how long made me uncomfortable. At least, with Hiro, I could trust him to be professional about it. He's not a gynecologist, but…still. Cam was an unknown variable to me.

The florist caught me in the midst of a glance and smirked. "Red underwear, huh?"

I felt myself growing incredibly warm. "They're not all red!" It was in that moment I knew I had messed up. "Shit, I mean-"

"Diana," Cam placed a hand on my shoulder, turning me to face him and stopping our progress. "It's fine. I live with Laney, remember? You…" he looked so…open, in that moment. It was late afternoon, and the last bit of the sun's rays seemed to shine on his hair. He looked like he was trying very hard to not…do something. Cry, maybe? "You can trust me."

I looked him in the eye, a million unanswered questions swirling around in my head. I smiled and pushed them away. "I…I know, Cam. You can trust me too."

Guilt bubbled in the pit of my stomach, but I forced it out of the way.

The rest of the walk home was silent save for the wind blowing through the trees.


Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad, oh oh oh?

My mind keeps saying,

"Run as fast as you can."

Troublemaker

I say, "I'm done," but then you pull me back, oh oh oh...

I swear you're giving me a heart attack

Troublemaker

Why does it feel so good but hurt so bad, oh oh oh?

(And I can't even explain why)

My mind keeps saying,

"Run as fast as you can."

Troublemaker

I say, "I'm done," but then you pull me back, oh oh oh...

I swear you're giving me a heart attack

Troublemaker


I came home to find someone had already done my afternoon chores for me. Cam and I bid each other farewell, and I stepped into my house; the wooden steps creaking under my weight.

Inside looked just the same as I had left it. Casper and Whisper were curled up on their bed, although Casper looked up at me and wiggled his little butt when he saw me come in.

It wasn't until I started a cold shower that I remembered the haiku. It was still in my bag, left on the counter. Was it possible…?

I shook my head, clearing it of thought. I've only been here for…what, five months? Five months out of four years. It was probably just some dumb prank. Still, it wouldn't hurt to talk to Laney about it. Maybe ask Dirk if he knew, as well…

I crawled into bed that night, sleeping on top of the covers, my mind buzzing with activity. If Cam was the one who wrote the Haiku, that would be a good thing, right? I'd be able to focus more on everyone else. But…would I really be okay with that? With breaking him like that? Cam didn't seem the kind to open up easily. And there was still Mikhail to consider…what would be his deal?

I sighed and shoved my face into my pillow. There was always tomorrow.


FUN FACTS DIDJA KNOW:

-Maybe it's just me, but the ending of this chapter is just really chill. Maybe because I was so chill when writing it

-I'm a bit of an agnostic when it comes to reverse-harem anime (as in, I'm not 100% convinced they actually exist) but damn if the underwear thing isn't a trope. Sorry?

-Jessica used to be an art major in a very prestigious college before she met Ash and Cheryl's father and subsequently fell in love with the country. Her husband is a very jolly "good ol' country boy" type who currently spends much of his time in the city as a surprisingly effective businessman. He helps get deals and haggle for the supplies for the ranch and store, and visits whenever he's able.

NEXT CHAPTER: Fall.