A/N: Sorry this took a while, I actually finished it before my summer ended… just needed to fix a rough spot. Vaguely had to ask my brother for help, and I'm pretty sure he didn't understand half of what I said. So… tell me if you see any problems.

Thanks goes out to Christin, DaddysGirl81, Moonlight Serenity, chicago77, Unfunny Joke, Nat, Musee.Picasso, Sony89, Bayleef and JuppieJutsu for taking the time to review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade. There's also a Lassie joke – so I don't own that either – just thought I'd point out that. It's either you'll get it, or you won't.

Chapter One: Truth Shmoof

Beautiful days, they had this overwhelming desire to make people deliriously happy. The sun was high in the sky, lining puffy white clouds with golden curves, and calling children out to play. Optimism was in the air, beckoning bright futures and holding heads high.

Boy did Hilary hate the smell.

Exhausted, she dragged her feet across the pavement, dreading the moment she would come face to face with the Granger dojo. That was how she had spent the better part of her night after the dinner; lying in bed, wide eyed as her brain wrapped around the thought frantically.

Boyfriend. Tyson. Laughingstock. Hilary.

And when she thought she had escaped her full throttle panic, it decided to absorb into her dreams. Twisting what were once lovely fantasies into morbid cruelties; a nightmare that preyed with interesting actions.

Her eyes had opened slowly, fluttering with confusion as she realized she was no longer at home. Loud murmuring had caught her attention, directing her to a crowd that was seated in fancy clothing. It took a second, but it registered, these people were her family – grinning, subtly pointing to her, some were even crying – and she had no idea what she was doing.

"Please don't tell me you're getting cold feet."

Relief had washed over her when she heard the familiar voice, warmness wrapped within nonchalance. Turning around, she faced Kai as he folded his arms; the sight of him didn't make sense.

"What…?" Hilary had uttered quietly, staring at the teen that was for some reason wearing a tuxedo.

"Second thoughts," he rephrased with a shrug.

"On what, what do you mean?" she tilted her head, surveying his appearance, "And why are you dressed up like that?"

"You asked me to be your best man."

"My best what?"

Kai hadn't repeated himself. So Hilary hung her head with a sigh, thoughts swimming in different directions. That was, until it dawned on her she was also wearing a suit and everything froze. Her head jerked up, staring at the slate haired boy with wide eyes.

"What's going on?"

Organ music had unfortunately begun to play, silencing Kai's unmoving lips. He merely took a step back, leaving Hilary alone in the center of a raised platform. At once, everybody stood and had turned their backs to the brunette as massive doors began to open.

The aisle formed was long, and Hilary had strained to see who had been revealed. Cameras had been raised, flashes going off from both sides respectively, while amused murmurs danced amongst the crowd. Regardless, she stood silenced as Daichi marched towards her, waving and posing for the attention.

Smiling, the younger boy had skipped up the steps with his coat tails flying behind. "Time to take the plunge," he urged, digging into his pocket, "It's either sink or swim."

"What are you talking about…?"

"Face the music," Daichi told her, grabbing her hand and shoving something into her grasp. "Never say things you don't mean. Don't mess this up."

Her gaze had fallen to her open palm, a golden band now laid in her grasp. She was about to question the red head when the organ music picked up, playing a well known tune that silenced her family. And just as Kai had done, Daichi merely took a step back.

Turning cautiously towards the doors, Hilary had gaped when a figure came into view; or rather, three. A veil covered the identity of the first person coming down the aisle; an elegant white gown that trailed to the floor, Max and Ray following close behind, holding the train within their hands.

"What are all of you guys doing here?" she questioned when they had approached, taking the steps to the altar slowly.

"Well if it wasn't for you, none of us would be here in the first place," Max stated with a smile.

"Will someone please just tell me what's going on?"

Ray and Max had exchanged a worried glance; the hidden figure though remained unfazed, gripping a bouquet that it held. "If anyone knows what's going on Hilary, it's you," Ray had answered, dropping the train along with Max, "You're the one who said it after all."

"Said what…?"

Both boys had merely smiled, taking their place with their friends. Hilary let out a grunt, her gaze falling back to the third party of their group. The hidden figure.

Flowers had scattered to their feet when the bouquet was dropped, and slowly the now free hands of the person rose to touch the veil. Pausing, the fabric was pushed back; Hilary nearly lost her footing, behind the beautiful wedding dress had been none other than Tyson. And to say the least, he had not looked impressed.

"Mind telling me what I'm doing here?"

Luckily, she hadn't woken up screaming. Hilary was thankful for that, not having to explain why her subconscious decided to torture her to her parents. She had merely sat in the darkened room, easing herself into calm breaths.

Taking a street corner on this deliriously happy day, Hilary faltered slightly. The dojo was just up ahead and remembering last night's dream hadn't eased her in the least. Tyson in a dress could really do a number on someone.

Nonetheless, she inhaled deeply, striding with as much confidence she could muster towards her destination. Her dread filled footfalls echoed louder with every advancement, vibrating within her ears and forcing further pressure upon her already present headache. Fortunately, there were no greetings when she reached the yard, and she was left to find her own way.

Having been friends with Tyson for a few years now, his Grandpa never really had a problem when Hilary made herself welcomed. She was, after all, his grandson's home girl. Whatever exactly that meant; it included walking through the front door, no knocking necessary.

But she knew where they would be, and her legs guided her mindlessly around the dojo's exterior, a short cut to the main hall where they still liked to hang out. All of them, as strained as it may seem now.

Holding her breath, Hilary slid the door open. Relief engulfed her quickly though, when she realized only three boys were within the room. None of which were a navy haired boy wearing a wedding gown.

"Hilary?" Ray said surprised, he had turned to look at her from his spot on the floor. Sitting with his legs crossed, he threw her a gentle smile, "You know, we didn't expect you. It's well into the afternoon."

"Yeah," Max agreed, cracking a grin, "Must've been fun hanging out with the family if you're coming this late."

Grunting in reply, she hung her head. She closed the door behind her safely before moving slowly towards her friends, still bowing in the direction of her ever so fascinating shoes.

"Or it could've been horrible…," Kenny deduced while he busily typed away. He offered her a glance, not that she noticed.

"Oh, it couldn't have been that bad," Max stated, leaning back on his palms, "It's family."

Hilary met his gaze, giving him a dubious look. "It's not really important," she lied, shuffling her feet as she forced a smile, "So… where's Tyson?"

The blond became sheepish, "Promise not to get mad?"

"Is he still in bed?"

"Um… sorta… yeah."

"Good."

"It was all Ray…," Max started, but his words trailed off in disbelief. "What? Good, are you sure?"

"Of course," she shrugged, pleased that she still had time on her hands. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's noon," Ray reminded, quirking an eyebrow at the brunette. "Who are you, and what did you do with Hilary?"

"Everything's fine. I just… let him have some extra sleep, it will do him some good," she explained.

"Is this because you came a little late?" Max asked knowingly, although it was quite the opposite. "He's not going to throw it back in your face; Ray and I'll even wake him up for you now if you want."

"No!" Hilary shouted suddenly, she then of course slapped a hand over her mouth, sealing it shut. Ridiculing herself, she watched her three friends exchange concerned glances.

"Are you trying to tell us something…?" Max wondered, tilting his head to the side.

"What is it, Hilary?" Ray frowned.

Kenny snorted at how they sounded, shaking his head in bemusement. "Yeah Hil, what's wrong? Is lil' Timmy stuck in a well?"

Glaring at the genius, she lowered her hand. "No, but lil' Kenny will be if he doesn't watch himself."

"Understood."

"Did Tyson do something wrong?" Ray inquired, watching the brunette shuffle her feet. Her gaze softened when she looked at him, and she suddenly seemed tired. "Anything at all?"

She drew in her bottom lip, biting it absently before a loud sigh escaped her. "He got in my head."

"Oh," Max acknowledged, nodding slowly.

"Did you get enough sleep last night, Hilary?" Kenny questioned. Receiving another glare, he quickly added, "Staying out of the conversation."

"What do you mean he got in your head?" Ray frowned, completely confused. "What exactly happened?"

"It was terrible Ray, absolutely terrible," Hilary stressed, crossing her arms as she began to pace. "I… I didn't know what to do…. First it was playful… now it's mean! I just… I had to… it just came out. He was the first name – I swear… I don't believe I said Tyson…. They said yet Ray, yet!"

"Yet?" he repeated blankly. She nodded in confirmation, leaving him to draw his gaze to Max; he appeared just as lost.

The blond simply shrugged. "I don't get it."

Hunched over his computer, Kenny looked cautiously at the brunette. "I think you need a little more detail; we're not exactly following…," he said nervously.

"My Dad's family came over for dinner, we don't exactly see each other a lot… so they only say so much to me," Hilary stopped pacing, starting over. "Including something that really bothers me: their insistent need of me to be dating."

"What's this got to do with…?" Max trailed off again, his eyes widening. He leaned forward, gaping at the thought, "You didn't…."

"Mean to," she finished his sentence, grimacing as the details flowed through her mind once more. "They asked me if I had a boyfriend yet. Yet! So I had to shut them up, I didn't know they were going to ask who, or that I was going to say his name."

They were speechless to say the least, wearing similar expressions of a dumbfounded nature. She tried her best to keep her patience through their silence, waiting for what they had to say to be released.

"You're kidding…," Max said, his lips curving into an amused smile, "That's awesome!"

"How is that awesome?" Hilary demanded, her hands balling at her sides. She could feel her nails pricking her skin, trying to stifle her temper. "This can't even qualify as awesome."

"It's not that bad, Hilary," Ray shrugged good naturedly; he thinned his smile in an attempt to calm her down. "It's kind of funny if you think about it."

"I have thought about it," she told him, "About a million times. And every time it's the same, I want to go crawl under a rock and be left alone."

"As fun as that sounds…," he replied evenly, giving her a sigh, "Don't you think you're over-reacting… just a little?"

"Ray's right," Max nodded, "You're acting like you have to tell him. Just keep it to yourself, how will he ever know otherwise?"

She took a deep breath, swinging her arms before entwining her fingers. She folded them politely in front of herself, forcing a pleasant smile onto her face. "Wedding," she stated simply, allowing it to ring swiftly through the air.

"Wedding?" Kenny repeated skeptically, presenting it far less tastefully. Coming from him it sounded almost accidental, as if this absurd idea had just been discovered.

"Man, your parents don't waste time…," Max frowned, arching his eyebrow in surprise. "No wonder you're all shook up."

"It's not my wedding," she corrected, thankful for that fact. "It's one of my Aunt's; my Mom was just trying to be helpful… I guess."

"Helpful is nice," Kenny said, nodding. "Although, what she did, I'm assuming, wasn't so great for your huge lie?"

"She thought including Tyson would make him feel more welcomed; apparently I somehow neglected him or something…," Hilary sighed, "So guess who has mail?"

"Nobody even asked you?" Ray asked curiously.

"Why would they have? Boyfriends should be enjoyable to be around; they probably thought I'd be ecstatic," the brunette stated, "I should've kept my mouth shut."

"Obviously," Kenny agreed. "Have you tried… I don't know… the post office? Maybe you can get the invitation back?"

"They sent it express, so it should be here today, if not already. Just waiting to destroy my life as we know it…."

"Why don't we just take it back then?" Max offered, "Technically, it is yours… kind of, so it isn't stealing. We're just rightfully claiming something that shouldn't have gotten out."

"That two people are getting married under holy matrimony? Yeah… we should keep that hush hush," Ray smirked, shaking his head. "Grandpa might get a little suspicious if we start going through his mail; besides if your family is set on inviting Tyson, Hilary they might just call."

"I hate it when you're right…," the brunette frowned, hanging her head again.

"The best thing you can do now is tell him the truth," he continued, "Face to face; you never know, he could surprise you."

"Tyson?" Max asked skeptically.

"I have to agree with Max, Ray," Kenny decided, "I can't exactly see him coming from Hilary's side; he never usually does after all. Let's be blunt, Tyson will either think this is hilarious or he'll be furious. Both not so great sides of the same coin."

The brunette groaned, falling to her knees sadly. She pounded the floor with her closed fists, silently cursing the truth her friend held and how it was everything she was expecting. "Why me…?"

"Great job, Chief," Ray sighed, eyeing Hilary as she continued to mutter to herself. "I think you really helped her out there…."

"Sorry," the boy apologized, fiddling with his glasses sheepishly. "I'm a man of Science; I had to lay out the facts."

"Well whatever you do Hilary, you can forget what I said," Max told her sympathetically, giving her a bright smile. "It's not like you have any other choices, Tyson has to know. I can't see him going to a wedding for all the fame in the world if he didn't know why he was invited."

She paused, laying her hands flat on the floor boards. Her self pity quickly disappeared, vanishing into wonderment. "All the fame in the world…?" she repeated, looking to the blond for confirmation.

"Yeah, you know Tyson. He may have a big head, but he's not a sell out," Max explained, "If someone offered him the ultimate fame for his appearance at a wedding, I don't think he'd go. He has his integrity."

"But for the ultimate fan…?" Hilary challenged, smiling as everything came together. He had always been a sucker for those, anything to feed his ego. "Max, you're a genius."

"I am?" he asked surprised, his eyebrows shot upwards as he titled his head. "What did I do exactly?"

"Tyson is going to this wedding," she declared confidently, clapping her hands together. The boys, unfortunately, didn't seem to share her enthusiasm.

"How…?" Ray questioned suspiciously, "And please tell me that it includes you informing Tyson about his… involvement; you know, the truth about what happened?"

"Well," she drew the word out, giving him a thoughtful look, "It all really depends on your view of the truth…."

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me get this straight," Kenny interrupted, waving his arms around to grab everyone's attention. He took a deep breath, his frown creasing further when he looked at Hilary. "You're going to fix a lie with another lie…? Is this because it worked so well last time, or because you haven't learned your lesson?"

She waved him off, "It's not lying per se… I'm just not going to tell him why he's really coming."

"By telling him something else instead?" the brunette deduced, causing Hilary to nod. "That's a lie!"

She denied the statement, shaking her head with a smile. "Technically, what I'm going to tell him could be true; I wouldn't know," she let out a relieved sigh, feeling tense no longer. "Relax Chief, I'm practically a politician."

"That's reassuring…."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ray said calmly, "You'll have to tell two different stories at the same time, and they're not exactly going to match up."

"I'll be with Tyson the whole time," Hilary explained, "There's no way something will get passed me. It's a wedding anyways, everyone will be focused on the groom and bride to pay us any attention."

"How about the mandatory 'so and so will be next' jargon?" Kenny reminded, "Nothing says freak out Tyson like telling him he'll be getting married to you."

"How about telling him he's dating her? That should be pretty high on the freak out scale," Max suggested.

"Especially if it blindsides him," Ray added.

"I'm getting the impression you guys don't agree with what I'm doing," Hilary rolled her eyes.

"We're not exactly sure what's going through your head," Ray stated, "I really think you should tell him the truth, he'd understand better now than later when everything gets out of hand."

"He's never going to know," the brunette reasoned, "Everything's going to be fine."

"You're really going to go through with this?" he let out a sigh, his shoulders slumped. Nodding in agreement, she abruptly stopped when she heard footfalls. They echoed from outside, repelling against the wood as they came closer; she suddenly felt nervous again. Giving her a thoughtful look, Ray shrugged, "Time to sink or swim."

She wished he hadn't said that.