Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who is reviewing. It's what keeps me writing:)

Stacy could be found that afternoon, hanging around the Zephyr shop. That was not surprising, I just hoped that Jay had the sense to stay away a while if he was so mad at me. A pissed off Jay was not a very pretty thing.

"Hey," I smiled to Stacy, closing the front door of the shop behind me. He looked up at me from where he sat on the step between the front floor and behind the counter, tossing me a worried expression and half frowned.

"Hey."

Great, I thought, this is all I need. Stacy seemed just as upset as Jay had been, though slightly less angry.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting down beside him. He shrugged.

"Just… a lot of stuff, I guess?" He sighed heavily and stood up. "I've been waiting to leave for a while, do you want to go do something?"

I nodded and stood up, too. We ended up in an unsurprising location -- the overlook. It was a beautiful place you could pull off to and see the ocean from a better view. It improved upon perfection. Stacy said he couldn't spare long and that he just wanted somewhere to relax before work, so that's where we went.

"What was up with you at the shop?" I asked him, kicking a rock over the edge of the plateau.

He let out another monstrous sigh; "Nothing. I mean, I guess it's this whole team thing. They're not sure I'm cut out for it since I can't promise them one hundred percent of my time. I guess it just meant a lot to me, you know?"

I felt a twinge of sadness for him. Skating meant so much to all the guys, too much not to make the team when surely all of their friends were.

"Stace," I said, not sure that there were any really good words for the situation, "I'm sorry…"

He shrugged again in that typical 'Nothing hurts' fashion many guys do. I knew, however, that having the biggest dream of your life thus far crushed had to hurt.

"I've been training for so long… I mean, it's not my fault I have to work. I'm seventeen; skating and surfing can't be my life forever, you know?" He finally said, after a while.

I could both understand and not understand what he meant; if he worked hard enough and stuck with it, it could possibly be his life, forever. At the same time, he knew how rare that opportunity was. Stacy was pretty levelheaded.

"Anyways, though, let's not waste our time talking about how pathetic I am," he said with a small grin.

"I'm not much less pathetic," I laughed. "I've got Jay mad at me and I'm still drained from last night."

"Why is he mad?" He asked, drawing circles in the dirt underneath him.

"Nothing," I said, not overly eager to spill to him the big story and Jay's theory of me being romantically attracted to Stacy. "He just wanted me to stay awhile longer."

"Why didn't you?" Stacy asked, half curiously.

"I had plans with you," I replied with a smile that he did not return.

"That hasn't really stopped you in the last few weeks, Lily," he said, quietly. The fatal flaw in Stacy Peralta had to be his ability to sulk without sulking. He never looked anything less than pleasant, even when telling you that you'd been a bad friend to him, lately.

"I'm sorry," I said, brushing his arm, "I don't mean to cancel on you. I really don't."

He shrugged, again. The thought crossed my mind that if he was to shrug one more time, I may dislocate his shoulders. Looking at him, though, I honestly felt bad for having bailed on him so much. I liked spending time with him, however strange the sudden requests for it may have

been.

"Are you sure?" He asked, catching me off guard with the icy tone in his question.

"Yeah," I said, in an almost meek way, "I'm sure I'm not meaning to hurt someone's feeling that I've been friends with for five years. I'm a bitch, not a super bitch, Stacy." He laughed, a little.

"You're not a bitch," he said, smiling at me. "You just feel like you've got to take care of Jay."

That last part took some of the happiness from both of our smiles.

"I know. And I do, Stacy. I do have to take care of him," I said, fully aware that what I was saying made me sound absurd. Stacy puffed a bit angrily.

"No, you don't. This whole thing with him isn't going to last forever, Lily," he said, somewhat gravely.

"What do you mean?" I wasn't even sure what 'thing' he was referring to.

"Think about what the two of you are going to do when things change," he instructed, more gently.

"I don't follow," I said, confused. Stacy turned more to face me, looking me dead in the eyes.

"What is he going to do when you aren't there? What are you going to do when he meets a girl he really cares about and it rubs you out of the picture? What is he going to do when you meet a guy that you want to be with, who doesn't want to share you with Jay?" The sentences were strung together in a way that seemed much less rushed in person. Each one hurt a little more than the last, only because I knew he was right. It was something I tried not to think about, but I guess I knew in the back of my mind that a relationship where both parties remain just friends with the other, but are totally dependent on the other, couldn't go on forever. I suppose I hoped Jayboy would grow up.

"And when are you going to realize that he loves you?"

My mind exploded. Well, maybe not exploded, but I was sure that a small implosion had wiped out my memory of basic speech and math functions. Possibly my ability to breathe, too.

"He does not," I protested, weakly. A confidence grew in my voice, however. "Jay doesn't even like me in that way."

"You're so naive," Stacy laughed, bitterly. "Love or like, Jay has had something for you for like… four and a half years. It's obvious. The amount of time you spend together, the stay overs with each other, the way he looks at you and does whatever you ask him to do… you're smart enough to see that he wants more."

Stacy was feeling unusually bold in that moment, I could tell. He never raised his voice, much, though he did while rambling off the list of reasons that I found hard to believe. Jay was overly flirtatious with any girl that was mildly attractive. I may not have been the prettiest girl in the world, but I did fancy myself mildly attractive.

"We're just friends," I said, in my defense. What a great argument, I thought to myself, very convincing.

"Then why was he mad that you wanted to come spend time with me?" He asked, crossing his arms across his chest. He looked awkward, trying to do so while sitting on the ground.

I paused for a moment, for once considering the next words out of my mouth.

"Because he thinks you're the one who likes me in that way," I said, in a small voice. There was something quite intimidating about Stacy laying out all these questionable and probably circumstantial 'truths' in that way. He gave me a examining look.

"He said that?"

"He said I should've been able to see it, just like you're saying about him. I think you're both out of your minds," I told him, trying to find a way to diffuse the situation.

"Do you like either of us in that way?" He asked, eyebrows forming a worried arch.

There was a contaminant in the water, I decided. All the boys in town were going crazy, looking for questions that would put girls under the microscope.

"Stacy, I just had this fight with Jay, can we just… not?" I asked, a certain pleading tone filling my voice.

"Fight with Jay?" He pressed on. I rolled my eyes; I just wanted to drop the subject. It was far too confusing and only put ideas in my head.

"Over you," I replied, almost mechanically.

"Elaborate a bit?" He asked, still prying.

"He asked if I liked you in that way, I said nothing, he assumed the answer, he got upset with me and stormed off. Are you satisfied?" I spat, a little peeved with being pushed for answers from someone who usually was more collected and polite than that.

"Damn it, Lily," he said, throwing his hands up. "Is that not even a big indicator that he likes you? Or is there a better reason that he'd be mad at you for liking me?"

There was a pause, and he became flustered; "Well, not that I'm saying you like me, but that he thought you liked me because you didn't say that it wasn't true…"

"It's probably time for you to go to work," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I just want you to know that I am sorry about everything. I really do want to start hanging out more. You're probably right… I give Jay too much of my time."

I wasn't sure I really believed that, but something inside me really wanted to make Stacy happy at the moment. He was so pitiful looking when he was sad, or angry. It was a controlled anger, which was a nice change from Tony and Jay's brand, where breaking things and fighting were the only way to blow off any steam.

He stood up and offered me a hand, which I took. "I don't want to make you feel… I dunno…uncomfortable or anything. I just enjoy you," he said.

"Hey," I said, giving him a hug, "it's not an issue. What time do you get off today?"

He mentally checked his schedule. "Like… Nine, I think. Why?"

There was yet another party going on in Dogtown. Let's all pause for the absolute shock to settle in. I knew that parties were not necessarily Stacy's scene, but I was probably going to end up going, and if he was going, it would seem like plans were made. Everyone would be happy enough.

"Some chick in Tony's neighborhood is having a party… You going?" I asked, getting into his car. He did the same and nodded.

"Probably, yeah. I think Sid was telling me about that earlier. Will I see you there?"

"Yeah," I said, as we pulled off. "I'm thinking so."