After Thanksgiving, Kim worked the double shift at the GreenBean. Mike was out "in the boonies" as he said it, visiting his extended family in some small rural town, where "the only connectivity is the land line and a dial-up." She reassured Mike that he would survive the wilds of modern America and the necessity of talking to people. He was not so sure. The day was busy: everyone was out shopping and the coffee was the fuel of their lives. She smiled, made drinks and run the register like it was a conveyor line and she was obliged to put a Christmas music on. It was not so bad yet: season only started and she hasn't gotten sick of it yet. At some point, she cued in the classical Christmas music album with Handel, Mendelssohn and Bach and the mood in the shop changed a bit from frenetic and festive energy into a quieter contemplation of the season and traditions. This was why she liked music so much: it really could transport people into a different world, transform people's moods, it could help express the emotions, and quiet the minds.

Her next customer was a tall, blonde middle-aged woman, who looked pensive for a second and then said, "Unusual choice for a place like this. Handel, Bach?"

Kim was bowled over that someone could recognize this music just by hearing it. She smiled brightly, "Trying for something different. It's classical, elegant, and has not been overplayed yet, so it won't annoy me after the third repeat."

"A fellow classical musician then. Piano? Violin?"

"Vocal actually, but I play the piano as well. What would you like today?" Kim gave the woman an honest and real smile.

"Cappuccino, please. Name's Zoe." Kim prided herself for not getting startled when she heard the order. Surprising number of people asked for it these days.

She got the message from Grace telling her that she was bored out of his mind and would she, Kim, be interested in some shopping. She could not afford to shop, of course, but she could go with Grace anyway - it gave her an opportunity to work on her match-making. She planned on stopping by Phil's because she knew Jerry worked there today.

Her and Grace met at the mall and the other girl was bemoaning how bloated she felt after the Thanksgiving. She spent it was an extended family that visited and it was plentiful but boring. At least compared to Kim's. She asked Kim if it was true that Kim spent the holiday with the Black Dragons: Brody, Frank and Kai. Once again Kim was amazed how quickly the rumors traveled. She said as much to Grace.

"Oh, its all over the Seaford High. First, Kai lost to Jack and Brody said that it is a big deal in their dojo. Then, Frank said that he and other Black Dragons were going to their sensei house for the Thanksgiving and that you would be there. BTW, you don't want to know all the gross apple pie jokes. And then, Donna threw a massive fit forbidding Brody from going there, because of you. Then, Brody got mad and told her that she does not get to control his life like this and he is free to go where he wants. Donna lost it and accused him of cheating on her with you. And then, Randy tells Donna to chill because you are with him or very soon will be." Grace blurted it all out in the rush and Kim was stunned into silence.

Eventually she recovered, "You know what the difference between the gossip and the rumor?"

Grace only shook her head no.

"Rumor is almost always a lie, but gossip almost always makes sure that it comes true."* The other girl looked at Kim uncomprehendingly and Kim followed up, "I can't speak about the tournament and whether or not it is a big deal. And I have not talked to Brody more than four times so far, but Donna is so worried about Brody straying and she talks so much garbage about me, that she practically created this rumor herself. As for Randy, I don't know what to say. That boy is delusional and is kind of stupid, so really, its all on him."

"But did you have Thanksgiving with them all?"

"Kai and Frank were there, it's true."

"And Brody?"

"Somewhere else? I don't know! Grace, I told you, I don't talk to the guy."

"Fine, fine. It's just Donna is on the warpath and you should probably watch out."

"What she's going to do? Gossip more? Don't care. Trash me on social media? Don't have any of those accounts, so also don't care. Try to physically bully me? I'd like to see her try. She can't turn the entire school against me, because she is hardly that popular. She's been nasty to so many people before, they won't listen to her."

"I don't know... She is kind of devious. But you are right, she is not that popular and now Brody broke up with her... Maybe he'll try to ask you out?" Grace added with a hint of smile that turned into a full laughter, when Kim had a horrified expression on her face.

"No! Please, god, no! If he and Randy ask me out... I'll have an awesome choice between the cheater and the dweeb. No, I'll join the convent."

The two girls chatted some more about goings on of the school and the cheer squad and eventually Kim steered them towards the falafel shop. When they went in, there were some people that Grace knew and she kept being distracted by them, but then she spotted Jerry, gave him an assessing look.

Kim pretended to have something to check on her phone and just sat back and watched.

Grace went to the counter and gave a dramatic sigh.

"Whew, I didn't think I would ever get away from that conversation." Jerry visibly froze in place when he heard Grace's voice. "Hey, do you mind if I stand here for a bit? Maybe if we look like we're talking no one will bother us."

Jerry blinked and stared at her. "Yeah, uh...I mean, no." Grace frowned in confusion. Jerry cleared his throat and flushed. "I mean… Yes, you are more than welcome to join me." Grace laughed quietly.

"You don't get out much or talk to girls, do you?" Grace asked with a shake of her head and a half smile.

"I get out plenty. And girls, pfft. I am Swag Master, yo!"

Grace raised her eyebrows. "Okay, dude. I have been going to the same high school as you." Grace said. She held up a hand before Jerry could stammer a protest. "It's okay! We all have our talents. You dance, right?"

He straightened.

"That's not all I am. I like art. And...and music. And...things." Jerry protested, but trailing off because Grace rested her elbows on the counter and leaned in and he valiantly tried to keep his eyes on her face.

"I know," she muttered to herself.

"What…?" Jerry prompted. He didn't notice himself leaning forward, pinning her with his eyes.

"I know about you liking art. You were doodling on the napkin earlier." Grace said, waving a finger at the white square on the counter. "Kinda a giveaway. Besides, everyone has a deeper side to them. Even Swag Masters like you."

Jerry cocked his head slightly as he observed her.

"And you? Do you have a deeper side?" He raised one brow and suddenly looked very intent and Grace leaned in further.**

"You'll have to find out." She twirled away and flitted out of the shop with Kim on her heels.

When they were out of the shop, Kim turned to her friend and said, "Bravo, Grace, that was a thing of beauty." She was honestly impressed.

"I hope he gets that the ball is in his corner now." Grace was breathing rapidly and her hands were shaking a little.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure."

Grace gave her a grateful smile and Kim felt better about her life. She was sure that Grace was now her friend, not just an acquaintance.

She could face the school and Donna, Randy and Brody, knowing she had friends backing her up.

She also wondered about Jack. Now that Kai sort of confirmed what Julie and Mike were telling her, she wondered if he really did like her. If he did, he went about it in the most bizarre way. He was short with her at first, but then surprisingly was nice and chatty. Then he ignored her until the whole confrontation with his cousin, when he practically dismissed her as beneath his notice. Did he like her? Did she want him to like her? She spent a very frustrating night re-thinking every interactions with Jack and only concluded that he was as frustrating as he was good-looking.


Thanksgiving ended with Jack's father giving him a new car. Because his father was grateful for his son, of whom he was proud and who deserved this extravagant gift after showing that he heeded his father's advice and had applied himself. Jack, still feeling uncomfortable with his own win and the fact that he broke his cousin's hand, tried to return it. Of course, his father wouldn't have it, so Jack asked for something that he felt would make him feel less guilty. He asked for the final word in which charity gets their money. His mom smiled broadly and his father shrugged his shoulders.

Jack tried to stay away from the school gossip as much as possible, but some things would bubble up anyway. Lindsay called him and though he did not answer the phone, she left him a rambling message about some fight between everyone about Thanksgiving and only because she mentioned 'that peroxide blonde' that he actually re-listened to the message again. It was still kind of unclear, although he figured that Brody had a fight with Donna about Kim. He did not understand why though. Wasn't Kim dating Milton? And turned Brody down before?

Brody and Donna were a soap opera couple that went on for at least a year now and they have been 'on/off' the entire time and he really did not think Kim was involved at all. As much as it actually pained him, he had no claim on Kim: she was with Milton and Milton was a decent guy. He still felt like he owed her an apology or at least an explanation about his behavior that afternoon in the GreenBean, but he was not sure he could get a chance to do so without interruptions or her turning away from him on sight.

He focused on the charity selection and decided to visit those on his short list to make the best choice. He scheduled the visits for the next week. All this work for a charitable donation may have been an overkill, but it made him feel good about himself.

He was preparing himself for the school as of it was another tournament. He was going to face Kim again. He knew that she was mad at him, but he was more worried about his own reactions to her. His unruly heart was not listening to the logical arguments and continued to jump and pump at twice the speed every time she was in the vicinity. He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore: ignore her and hope that the feelings would pass, or let go and fall into this, this unexpected emotion. What he knew for sure was this: she did not want anything to do with him and was possibly dating someone else.

The school was just like always and completely different at the same time. For starters, everyone knew about his win in the recent tournament, so all his school friends and mere acquaintances felt the need to congratulate him. That put him ill at ease. He still was reeling from the intensity of his own anger and the ferocity with which he fought his own cousin, so any reminders of that were bound to be unwelcome. Then there was his new car, which generated a lot of talk and interest among his guy friends and renewed Lindsay's determination to win his affections. She fawned over him, his victory, the generous and "absolutely deserved" gift from his father, '"who obviously loves you, Jack, and is very proud." She said it several times during the first day after the break and with each repetition her voice got breathier and breathier and Jack laughed internally at how accurate Carolyn's imitation of Lindsay was.

Then there was the break-up between Brody and Donna, which made things really weird for their lunch group. Donna sat on on end of the table and demonstrably ignored Brody, who sat on the opposite end. Various members of the cheer squad and the athletic teams filled the spaces between putting Jack right next to Lindsay. Donna did not stay quiet too long though. When Randy said something about Thanksgiving, she abruptly butted in.

"I thought you would be spending it with your girl. What happened? Did not get the invitation? I know Frank did." She said with apparent curiosity.

"That was just for Black Dragons only. At their sensei house. Right, Frank?" Randy asked the guy in question.

"Yeah... The food was good. Julz and Kimster can cook."

"Kimster? Oh, you are now on nickname terms. I see." Donna was obviously trying to stir up some trouble, but Brody, for whom this was intended, ignored Donna. Randy, who was sometimes impenetrably obtuse, smiled and repeated Kimster to himself.

"Well, no. She kind of talked to Julie and those dorks, Milton and Jerry." Jack's stomach twisted at Frank's words and he clenched his hands in fists. "Oh and Kai was there." Frank turned to Jack, "Dude, you broke his hand. You are a beast." he gushed and all the attention was on Jack.

"Eh... It was a permissible move. He just was too late to dodge it." Jack tried to downplay the whole thing and failing miserably as everyone looked at him with awe that had less to do with being impressed and more with being apprehensive.

"Kim asked Kai if you looked worse than him, but you don't." Frank added and Jack could not prevent his surprised and pleased expression spreading over his features. She asked about him...

"See, I told you, Kimster cares about me and my team. If Jack is out of commission, we'd lose our next game." Randy exclaimed with a large smile and nearly everyone rolled their eyes.

Jack left the table with mixed feelings. On one hand, the attention and fawning was annoying and Kim has spent the holidays with Milton and Kai. On the other hand, she asked about him...

The whole week he basked in the knowledge that Kim asked about him after the fight. He refused to think it was out of concern for Kai. And he tried to reason with his heart that it had nothing to do with concern for him, but hope rose within him and buoyed him.

He observed her again and while she glared at him whenever she caught him looking, she wasn't avoiding him and once raised a questioning brow at him. He wasn't sure what he thought of that, but he was kind of enjoying catching her glares, glances and even daring looks.

He was in the library, deciding to avoid another awkward lunch, when he spotted Kim by the bookshelf. She was on her tip toes, stretching tall and trying to push the book on the top shelf and failing. She dropped to her heels and huffed, sending a lock of hair flying and he could not stop himself. He came up behind her and next time she tried to put the book in, he laid his hand over hers and pushed it. They stood very close, his chest to her back and the top of the head only came to his chin. She smelled like lavender. It was crisp and light and he stopped himself from taking a deeper inhale. She turned around quickly, nearly losing her balance, and he caught her by her elbows.

"Oh... It's you..." she breathed and he almost did not hear her, the blood was rushing so loudly in his ears.

"Sorry if I startled you. You seemed to struggle with that book." He said unconsciously dropping his voice to almost a whisper - they were so close. His eyes were trained on hers that now looked so light that he could see the pattern in her irises. She blinked and he realized that he was inclining his head closer and closer to hers. He straightened a little, but did not release her arms.

"Nnno... It's fine... And thanks for the help." Was it him or was Kim a little flustered? She seemed to recover quickly though as face took on a cold expression. "Although, I would think it is beneath you to help some barista from a dinky little coffeehouse." She added pointedly and he nearly flinched.

She tried to step away, but the bookcase was behind her and he did not budge. She huffed again and looked at him with a petulant expression. "Did you need anything else?"

"I... I... I wanted to apologize to you for my harsh words the other day. I did not choose them carefully. My goal was to get Kai off your back. I did not mean to offend you. As a friendly warning, you really should avoid him." He finished quickly and her expression softened a little.

"Are we friends then?" she asked and he nodded along.

"Yes, I hope so." His hand rose as if to touch hers and then dropped.

She was thoughtful for a moment looking straight into his eyes as if judging his sincerity. "OK, but warn me next time you playact for your cousin... And I figured that out about him already. He is quite the character." Her expression was cold again and he remembered that she talked to him at his sensei's house.

"I hope he did not bother you too much at Thanksgiving?" She looked at him in disbelief and he rushed on to explain. "I meant what I said. Kai is unscrupulous."

"And such a charmer too." She added sarcastically and he really wanted to know now what they talked about. "Although, surprisingly, he seems like a well-read guy."

What? She and Kai talked about literature? And he impressed her? The anger that swept over him was familiar, but now he knew the name for it: he was jealous, miserably jealous.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly trying to control his anger and ground out his next words straight into Kim's ear. "I would not know. But regardless of his literary knowledge, he has little regard for others and would use you if it suits him."

She shivered a little and turned her head slightly to look at him, "Don't worry. If I had any delusions, he disabused me of them. And besides, his opinions on books were... well... I disagreed with most of them. And his opinion of me..." She stopped and a wry smile twisted her mouth.

Jack was ready to go back to Kai and break his other hand.

"Let's just say that I am slightly above the uninteresting bug, but still am a painfully average girl."

"You... What?! Oh..." He recovered from the shock, slightly relieved that Kai did not fancy Kim after all, but still pissed that he would actually insult her to her face. His next words came unbidden and were the truth that he held in his heart for a while now.

"He is wrong. There is nothing average about you."

*I took this phrase from the story by fairytiger "friday, i am in love." You can find it on ao3.