Dianna was insanely happy when she woke up the next morning. Remembering the night's events, she rolled over in her bed and stretched happily, lightly yawning before getting up for the morning. Harmony seemed to notice, giving her a quizzical glance before sparing her, leaving Dianna to herself while she gathered her things to shower.

At breakfast her mood was the same, and she took her seat next to Chord in a completely opposite manor from the way she had the day before. She was starting to love life with the Overstreets, carefree and easy, a dull moment never crossing the group. Dianna was even more excited for the rest of her stay, waiting anxiously to see what could come from Chord's actions the previous night. She didn't want to push it, though. She had enough experiences with bad relationships to know that sometimes the best things take the longest to develop.

They ate slowly that morning, taking their time with no real agenda for the day. They talked quietly, some still tired from returning home late the night before. Dale Hollow was a longer drive than any of them remembered, most falling asleep in the car on the way home. It was later in the day by the time they all woke, during the period of time right in the middle of breakfast and lunch that often leaves people wondering which meal to eat. They opted for breakfast, the favorite meal of the majority of the family.

The fact that it was later in the day brought a knock on their front door, and Summer, being the closest to it, got up to answer it. When she disappeared from their sight they heard an excited squeal, followed by Summer's rapid talking. She was joined by another voice, and as the pair approached the others began to recognize the voice. Charity, like Summer, was excited, getting up fast from her chair and running to greet the other voice. Harmony rolled her eyes from her place next to Dianna, not even bothering to look up. Facing the mixed reactions of the group, Dianna wondered who the higher pitched nasal voice belonged to. As it got closer, the voice shouted Chord's name, and its owner skipped over to hug him. Dianna was completely sidelined, the girl coming between her and Chord almost forcefully. He wasn't hugging back, though, and Dianna took that as a good sign.

The girl was supermodel skinny, her height matching that standard. Her chestnut hair was obnoxiously long, falling perfectly straight to her hips. Her shorts were more like briefs, the v-neck of her pink top falling just long enough to show what she had. Dianna tried her best not to roll her eyes; whoever this is was clearly a family friend, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset them by being mean to her. The girl clearly had no intention of even acknowledging her, though, Chord being her sole focus. Dianna felt something bubbling up in her, and she wanted to badly to throw some clothes on the scantily clad girl and escort her not so politely from the house. As the girl leaned farther down near Chord Dianna cleared her throat, clearly not liking whatever motive this new girl had. The girl turned around, feigning surprise.

"I'm sorry I didn't even see you there!" Her voice dripped with fake sweetness, Dianna not believing her saint act for one second. "I'm Maya." Taking another look at the girl who had so clearly interrupted her, Maya was taken aback. She recognized the blonde, and she knew exactly who she was. "You don't have to introduce yourself to me, I know you from Chord's show." Dianna bit her lip, trying to be as friendly as possible. The slinky brunette moved to drape her arm around Chord's shoulder but Dianna stopped her, grabbing her hand to shake it.

"Dianna." Her tone had become surprisingly cold and she was shocked with herself. Regretfully, Dianna had to tell herself that this girl deserved the benefit of the doubt, and snubbing her was no way to make a good first impression on the girl that was clearly well liked within the family.

"She's here visiting us for the week. Well, mostly Chord but us too." Harmony stepped in from her place beside Dianna and defended her against Maya, the girl she clearly had no liking for. Unlike Dianna, she didn't care about being nice around her, and she was quick to be harsh toward the tall brunette. Against her better judgment Summer was next to speak, throwing her arm around Maya in a friendly manner, clearly happy to have the girl with them again.

"Maya used to live next door to us, she was pretty much all of our best friend growing up."

"You forgot one little detail, I was his girlfriend too." She pointed her perfectly manicured finger toward the blonde, who was now looking between Maya and Dianna in disbelief.

"Yeah, when we were how old? Fourteen?"

"Still, it was great. I'm just here to visit my best friends, oh, and this cutie too." Maya was being bold and Dianna didn't like it at all, instinctively grabbing onto Chord's arm. Upon seeing this Maya's face changed. It was subtle, but she shot Dianna a quick glare before resuming her sweet façade.

Confused, Chord didn't know what to think about what this little encounter had become-a standoff. Maya was flanked by Summer and Charity, who looked more than happy to have the beautiful brunette back in the picture. Dianna, however, was not alone on her side. She had the increasingly irritable Harmony, who in just two days had become her good friend. She also had Skye, who had never been a big fan of the girl she had deemed the ice queen. But dissimilar to Maya, Dianna was not about to fight, especially if this old flame brought back Chord's old feelings. Instead, she just smiled, Chord awkwardly holding a conversation with Maya, who felt triumphant as ever as Dianna backed down.

As Maya was entertaining the masses downstairs, Harmony and Skye brought Dianna upstairs to talk. Harmony was pacing, freaking out more than Dianna thought she should be. Finally, after a moment of nerve-wracking silence, she pulled on Harmony's shoulders, forcing her to sit.

"She's not that bad, right?" Dianna was hoping for the best but expecting the worst. After seeing Maya in action she had to admit that she was pretty good, probably very used to getting what she wanted.

"She a manipulative bitch and I really don't like the fact that she just showed up here and expected everything to be the same. She and Chord were an item for a really long time but toward the end she got popular and started treating him like shit, and it really crushed him."

"I'm guessing she came back to try and get him back, especially now that he's famous. She's sort of power hungry." The sisters talked in turn on either side of Dianna and she liked having them on her side. Already unsure where she would stand when Maya tried something on Chord, it was nice to have reassurance from his family-especially since Maya had been around a lot longer than she had.

"But why the hell didn't you say something to her?"

"In front of everyone? Like 'oh, we sort of have a thing but it's not really official or anything?" Dianna scoffed, laying on her bed and looking up at the ceiling.

"Well, yeah! Now that she's back she'll probably do anything to get with him, even if she can tell that he's kind of already moved on."

They came back downstairs to Maya, center stage in their living room, telling an elaborate story of a casting call she had been to for modeling. The three girls reluctantly joined them, Dianna having to sit on the opposite side of the room from Chord after Maya's story suddenly became animated, her sitting in the empty seat next to him like she was in line for casting. Dianna rolled her eyes, paying no attention to Maya's far too intricate tale. Summer and Charity seemed more than interested, playing into every word that came from her mouth and nodding their heads eagerly. Upon showing them the pictures from her shoot, Dianna could tell they were home-photo shopped. She could see a little black object, a camera, in one of the corners, and part of a window was barely covered by Maya's poor skills. She didn't say anything, though, and complimented the pictures as though they were real.

After Maya's little show, the group sat in the living room, contemplating what they were going to do for the day. When Maya brought something up, Harmony's nice shield was the first to crack. "I didn't realize you were coming with us."

"Well, I was hoping I could tag along. You guys were my second family after all." She was playing the victim, acting completely innocent and hurt by Harmony's words. Charity fell into the trap, shooting Harmony a nasty look before accepting Maya's plan. There was an awkward silence, and then the rest of the group agreed, some more reluctant than others. Dianna had wanted to stay behind, but with everybody else agreeing she wasn't about to be the party pooper. Instead, she followed everyone to the cars. Chord ended up in the middle of Dianna and Maya suspiciously. He knew there was no need for the car to be so cramped, but he kept his mouth shut. In that moment he knew he was trapped, and anything he said could be taken the wrong way by either girls. Maya, his first love, and Dianna, his new love. He hated the new situation he was in.

It was late July, and the annual county fair had once again taken over an old public field in the heart of town. They could hear the music as they pulled up, parking with the other cars in the grass by the fair before heading over. Lights flashed and kids screamed as rides twisted and turned their stomachs, causing a plethora of laughter laced with some anxious crying from the younger kids. They passed a watermelon eating contest on the way in, just coming to a close. A younger boy won it, holding his ribbon in triumph above his freckled, fruit-stained face.

Dianna and Chord, of course, were in disguise. Not as much as they had been, though. The county fair wasn't somewhere they'd be mobbed by paparazzi, maybe only the occasional fan girl. Still, they liked their privacy, so they kept their hats and glasses on tight. Maya noticed this and snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Are you really that worried about your fans? You could make one of their days by just being here." Her voice held an air of arrogance, as if she was fan-mobbed every day.

"You really don't know what it's like. Plus, that's all we've been doing for the past few months, I think we deserve a break, what do you think Di?"

"Oh, we've definitely earned it." As they walked, the group began to disperse, going off to do their own things until it was just Chord, Dianna, and Maya left. Dianna desperately looked around for one of the other girls, hoping they'd take Maya off of her hands so she could be alone with Chord. She couldn't see anyone else, though, and continued reluctantly along with them.

"How much has that show changed you, Chord? You're not the same person I remember." Dianna almost began to feel sympathetic for the brunette, now looking smaller under the carnival's spinning lights. Her voice was quiet, but the trace of bitterness she had been using since she arrived was still there, reminding Dianna that not everything was what it seemed.

"We were seventeen when you left, Maya. A lot can happen in six years. But the show did change me, just not in the way you think it did."

"Maybe it's the people, then. I heard some of them aren't as friendly as others." Maya was blatantly talking about Dianna now, and they all knew it. She had no trouble hiding her glare now, staring straight past Chord to her. Maya wasn't one for playing nice, even if it meant getting on Chord's good side. It had never been a part of her personality, and clearly she wasn't making an effort to change herself. Chord had had enough now, shooting Maya a glare back and grabbing hold of Dianna's hand defensively. As much as she wanted to, Dianna hid her smirk, keeping her hand firmly interlocked with Chord's.

They both thought Maya would leave, but she was persistent, still strutting along next to Chord as if she hadn't seen his glares. He wanted to shake her off, but he couldn't. Having Maya back in his life brought back memories he hadn't even realized he had, and as annoying as she was, she was good company. Instead of directing her toward his sister, he remained between the two girls, each eager to rid themselves of the other.

Maya didn't leave, but Dianna did. She apologized and told them she'd be right back, heading for the bathroom. Before the tour, she would never have set foot in the bathroom, but being on buses and planes for a long duration had cracked her resolve, and she was slowly getting over her hatred of public bathrooms. As she was washing her hands, she was greeted by a familiar face. Harmony had stopped to fix her hair, which had been windswept and blown in every possible direction. Dianna laughed as she noticed Harmony's reflection in the mirror next to hers.

"What happened to you?"

"One of those stupid rides, it was actually pretty scary. The whole loose-bolted carnival machine thing might have had something to do with it, though." She had been combing her fingers through her hair, but gave up. Harmony threw her hair up into a messy bun and then turned to Dianna, ready to leave. "How's it going with Chord? Did Maya finally leave you alone?"

"No, it's getting worse. She's been vicious to me all afternoon, but I don't think he's paying attention to it." The two continued walking, Harmony planning on pulling Maya away from them for a while. As they walked to where Dianna said she'd meet them, though, she couldn't find them. Scanning the crowd, her eyes landed on a couple sitting on a bench by the carousel. They were in the middle of a lip-lock, and Dianna did a double take. The girl was the one facing her, and it took her a second to register who she was. Supermodel skinny with height to match, her straight brown hair reached her hips. The person she was kissing was wearing a baseball cap over his head of shaggy blonde hair. She froze.

"Oh, Di." Harmony's hand reached over her shoulder, but Dianna didn't feel like being comforted. Not knowing what else to do, she bolted, letting the large floppy hat of her disguise float to the ground behind her.

Waiting for Dianna to come back from the bathroom, Chord decided he and Maya would sit by the carousel to take a break. The chimes floated over them, and for a while they just sat in awkward silence. Finally, an unusually timid Maya was the first to speak.

"Do you…love her?"

"Yeah, I do." He saw Maya's face fall and immediately felt bad. A few years ago, their roles had been reversed. Sure, she had done him far worse than he was about to do to her, but he knew it would probably still hurt. "Listen, you were my first love. As much as I'll try to forget it I know I'll never be able to. You still have a place in my heart, it's just different from hers."

Maya didn't know if it was hurt or the need to be loved, but something inside of her caused her to put both hands on the side of his face, just as she used to, and pull him in for a kiss. She held him there, and he awkwardly tried to squirm away from her. It didn't feel right at all, especially after kissing Dianna the night before. Although they weren't an item, he still felt as though he was cheating. Finally Maya released him. Not caring what she thought, he wiped his lips, clearing his throat and turning away from her.

"Nothing you do can change my mind, Maya. I tried to make this easy for you. Not that it mattered, you didn't do the same for me."

"That's when we were young and stupid, we're older now."

"Exactly, it's time to move on. I could be really mad at you for what you did just then, but I'm not. You just proved to me that my heart really is in the right place. I love her, Maya. I'm sorry." He scanned his surroundings now, wondering when Dianna would get back. She had been in the bathroom for a while now, and he was beginning to get worried. His eyes wandered until they spotted something familiar. Getting up from his place on the bench, Chord walked over to the floppy black hat, staring at it as it bent in his hands. He knew this couldn't be good. Shit.

"Shit…" It was the first word that had escaped Dianna' s mouth since she had found Chord and Maya, and she was still broken up. It had been given a hard time coming out, having to maneuver between Dianna's crying. "Why did I do this to myself?"

"It's not your fault, I told you Maya's a bitch. My brother's the idiot who fell for her act anyway." Harmony was by her side, handing her paper towels and trying to comfort her. She had followed her all the way back to the outside of the bathroom, where they had stationed themselves on an old, worn bench.

"No, it is my fault. I always do this to myself."

"What?"

"Trust people. Everybody in the cast always says that I'm the most trusting. They say that I'm the one who's the most open to new people. I mean, they see it as something good, but maybe it isn't."

"It is a good thing, it's just…"She paused for a moment, seeking the words that would make the once peppy blonde feel better than she currently was. "Sometimes people are selfish. They like to take advantage of the things that make a person great. One day you'll find someone who would never do that."

"I'm sick of looking around, though. This dating thing sucks. I'm sick of getting hurt, and now I have the rest of the week to deal with this. I could book a flight but what would I tell everyone else? Besides, I'm on vacation. I go back early and I get hoarded to start back up again."

"So it's decided. You're staying here. You can hang out with me, it'll be fun." Harmony smiled and Dianna smiled back, throwing her paper towels in the trash and following Harmony back to the main events of the fair. She stuck with her most of the night, switching cars on the way back so she wouldn't have to deal with Chord. She wasn't ready to see him again so soon.

He was ready to see her, though. Finding her hat on the ground had left Chord restless the rest of the night, taking it as a bad sign. He had been hoping to talk to her in the car on the way home, but this time he was in the passenger's seat, Maya, Charity, and Summer in the back. Dianna had switched cars-another bad sign. When they got home she didn't even acknowledge him, heading up to the bedroom with Harmony and Skye right behind her. Sick of worrying, he followed them, knocking lightly on the door. When he got no reply, he tried again, letting his knock ring a bit harder on the door.

"…Di?" Skye answered the door, practically flinging it right into his face.

"What?" Her tone was cold and she wouldn't meet his eyes. Realizing the cold treatment he had been receiving was definitely purposeful, he was immediately curious. What had he done wrong?

"I was kind of hoping I could talk to Dianna."

"Well, she doesn't want to-" Skye was interrupted by a pat on her shoulder. Dianna had changed into her pajamas, boy shorts and large t-shirt making her smaller than she already was. She was hesitant, her voice quiet and restrained.

"It's ok." She passed Skye through the door and stood next to Chord, who began to lead her to the front porch. He sat on the swing and she followed, but instead of sitting close to him like she had been she sat as far away as she could, her body slightly turned toward the wicker arm of the swing.

"What did I do wrong?" Dianna asked the question that Chord had wanted to ask, stealing the words right from his mouth. Taken aback, he reached out to her, trying to comfort her.

"N-Nothing, nothing at all."

"Then why her?" He was confused at first, not really sure what she meant. She was hurt, though, and he was determined to know why.

"Why who? What are you talking about?"

"Why did you kiss her?" Her voice was harsh, yet wavering. It was taking everything in her power not to cry. She wouldn't, not in front of him. Especially if that's what he had wanted all along.

"You mean…Maya? You saw that?"

"Well, fuck, how else would I know?" Dianna had never been one for swearing, so hearing the word come from her mouth shocked him.

"That was just a misunderstanding, Maya-"

"You were just a misunderstanding. I thought you were different, I trusted you. It might not seem like a lot, but it was for me."

"Dianna, I-"

"No, listen!" Her words bit back at him and he sat back in his seat, retracting his hand. Her yelling at him left a strange feeling in his gut, and it upset him. He was the one who had upset her so much. Now his thoughts of murder against whoever had hurt her had supposedly turned to suicide. Dianna's self control had snapped, and seeing Chord so off-kilter was her price. Instead of being mad, she shrunk back in her seat. "I'm sorry…"

"No, I'm sorry. But please just let me explain." She nodded and he took that as the go-ahead, launching into his story with determination. The need to be believed had never felt so great in him, and he just hoped she'd listen. "She'd been bugging me all day, you know. Then when you left she asked me if I loved you. I said yes and she got upset so I told her that she was my first love, a person's first love is never forgotten. Then I told her that she still had a place in my heart, it was just a lot different from the one you have. She didn't seem to like that so she just sort of kissed me. I tried to get away but I didn't want to hurt her physically, so by the time she pulled away I just gave her the same speech again. I guess she got it the second time, but then she left and I found your hat and I knew something was wrong." He stopped, looking back up at her. Her face had been adorned with a pretty little smile, and when she finally spoke to him again, her voice was laced with shyness.

"Did you mean it?"

"What?"

"That you loved me." Chord smiled, taking both of her tiny, smooth hands in his rough, instrument-calloused ones.

"Every word. I love you, Dianna Elise Agron. Nobody else."

"I love you too."

"Good, because you're stuck with me whether you like it or not." He smirked and she whacked him on the arm, scooting over to lay her head on his chest. As the night drew to a close, they sat in comfortable silence, listening to crickets while they rocked back and forth on the porch of his childhood home.