Graaahhh! I really didn't want Cam in this story. Actually, I really didn't want him in here. But in the end, all of the other characters played off of each other. So my evil mind conjured up a "misunderstanding" that made Cam look like a bad guy. You may now throw rocks at me Cam Fan girls. (Ow)

"You rigged the game didn't you?" Laney asked Lillian, who was standing behind Laney. It turns out that it's really hard to glare at someone when they're behind you.

"What? Me? Nah…" Lillian said. She was brushing Laney's long, curly blonde hair. Laney told her she could do it herself, but Lillian insisted, probably to make sure Laney didn't run away and hide in a bush for the rest of the night or something.

Laney had been dreading this day for a week now, and yet she couldn't wait for it to be here. She probably would hide in a bush if she could get away from Lillian, but Laney had been in Lillian's house all day preparing for her date.

A week ago, Laney had been paired with Cam to go on a date. And Laney suspected that Lillian had the whole thing set up. But now, she was positive Lillian rigged the drawing.

"C'mon Lillian just tell me: did you or did you not purposely set me up with Cam?" Laney said, crossing her arms.

Lillian walked around Laney to get the full picture of her and said, "Whoa Laney, turn down the glare. Alright so I rigged a few people's matches. Sue me."

Lillian plopped down on her cushy bed mattress, and Laney joined her. "So now that you've spilled some of the beans, do you mind spilling the rest?" Laney said, lightly nudging Lillian's arm.

Lillian nudged her back and told her, "Okay. Um… let's see now. I purposely paired Ash and I for obvious reasons. Kana and Georgia because they're back together again. Hiro and Nori because I know for a fact he likes her. So... that just left you and Cam. That means I didn't technically set up your date Laney, you and Cam just happened to be the last ones." Lillian smiled evilly.

"But.. We all put our names in the hat…" Laney muttered.

"Laney, I could tell you the couples in my sleep. Pierre's hat was just for show. And I just really wanted to touch his hat…." Lillian trailed off. Then the girls started laughing and giggling until Lillian told her, "Careful Laney! You'll smudge your makeup. Here, put this on." Lillian handed her a tube of red lipstick.

"Ah, I don't want lipstick Lillian."

"YOU WILL PUT ON THIS LIPSTICK."

"I don't want to..."

"I BOUGHT THIS FOR YOU!"

"I'M NOT WEARING IT!"

"PUT IT ON LANEY!"

The two girls fell over laughing and clutching their sides. This went on for a few minutes before Laney gave in and put on the red lipstick.

"So, let's see it!" Lillian called. Laney stepped out of the bathroom, her curls bouncing and her face still pink from laughing.

Lillian had been drinking tea, which she spit out when she saw Laney.

"Laney you're GORGOEUS!" Lillian proclaimed, wiping tea off of her dress. She had Laney put in a full length red gown that accented her curves, but poofed out a little too so it still felt like a dress. And it was complete with a pair of cute high heeled shoes.

Laney had felt awkward in such an extravagant gown, and her hands constantly went to her bare shoulders. She had never worn such revealing clothes.

But what Laney hated most was the shoes. Lillian had brought them here when she moved, but Laney had never even seen shoes like those before. She couldn't even tell they were shoes. But she put them on anyway after Lillian begged her like she was begging for her life.

"Lillian, it's winter, shouldn't I be wearing like, I dunno, sleeves, or stockings?" Laney asked, feeling chilly.

Lillian laughed. "Laney, in the city, the girls there will wear skirts so short they could be belts in the winter, and no, they do not wear stockings."

Laney felt embarrassed just thinking about a skirt that short. "Those girls must be real fighters…."

Lillian just laughed.

She had spent an hour already just walking around in Lillian's house in circles. She hated the clacking sound they made, and they made her feet hurt to the extreme. They were Lillian's, so they were a little too big. But Lillian insisted.

Lillian put a red satin shawl on Laney's pale shoulders and made her twirl till she fell over.

"Alright you crazy girl you, out you go, you've been in my house far too long!" Lillian yelled while pushing Laney out into the snow.

Laney stumbled, and then took a deep breath, and made her way to the café. The cobble stone streets of Bluebell made her shoes clack. It was 7 o'clock, and the air was getting chilly. Laney held the satin shawl in vain, these shoes made her move much too slowly!

Cam looked up at her as she entered the café, he seemed somewhat startled. Laney smiled in spite of herself. Cam wasn't wearing his purple cap, so Laney could see his eyes. He was wearing a fancy dress purple dress shirt and black dress pants. He was stunningly handsome by the lighted candles.

"Laney… You look… just.. Wow." Cam said, making Laney's heart flutter. She managed to make her way to the table without tripping, for some reason she just felt tingly all over. She had never felt this way around Cam before.

Maybe… Maybe she was wrong about Cam. Maybe they could be together.

"So, Cam-" Laney started, but then one of the storage room doors opened (Not Cam's) with a slam.

Laney should have known really. Out popped Lillian and Ash, dressed in white aprons and fake mustaches and eyebrows.

They bounced over to Cam and Laney's table. Ash said, "Eh! What can I get the lovely a lady hmm?" he said in a generic Italian voice.

"I'll have-" Laney tried to say, but she was interrupted by Lillian saying, "An what would the handsome gentleman like huh?" In an equally generic Italian voice.

"Um-" Cam tried to say before Lillian yelled: "Well TOO BAD 'cause we only made one a dish!"

Then they both ran back into the storage room that Laney now realized they were using for a kitchen. They were yelling BEEPIDA BOPADO BOO!

Laney knew that Lillian could kind of cook, and Ash could kind of cook. So if they both cooked as well as half a person, wouldn't that equal at least a full person cooking? There was a banging of pots and pans in the "kitchen", and she was sure she heard glass breaking.

She could probably expect food poisoning. But she didn't get as far as eating anything.

Laney looked back at Cam, his green eyes were smoldering with anger. Laney's eyes widened, she had never seen Cam so angry, and he hadn't even said anything!

"Is this a joke Laney?" He said vehemently.

Whoops, spoke too soon.

"What? Ah, those two are always like that…" And they were, Lillian and Ash were the goofiest people she knew. She would have been surprised if they didn't pull a stunt like this.

"Laney, I know that game was a set up. I mean, I think everyone figured it out once Ash and Lillian were paired up. But I thought you, of all people, wouldn't be a part of it."

Laney was stunned into silence. Cam was mad. He was very mad. And she wasn't sure why.

"Cam you're not making any sense, why are you mad?" Laney asked.

Cam narrowed his eyes at Laney and said, "I can't believe you right now. You spent all day at Lillian's', and Ash got me wear this stuff and come here, and now those two come flailing around in here and you look at them like its fine! Are you trying to make a fool of me?" Cam looked at the point of foaming at the mouth, and Laney actually felt scared.

"Cam, I didn't-" Laney started, tears filled hers eyes and distorting her vision.

"No Laney, I don't have to deal with this. I think you should leave." Cam said, standing up and pointing to the door.

Laney made a sobbing noise, her hands going up to her face to keep the tears and sobs in, but it didn't work. She turned and ran full speed out of the café. She wasn't sure where she was going; she only knew she had to get away.

Laney. Her inner voice called. You can't just run away from your problems.

That voice was so lucky that it wasn't real, or else Laney would've punched it in the gut.

How could she have been so wrong about Cam? She felt numb; the cold wind was biting at her bare skin. Her tears freezing on her face.

She sobbed, that was the worst thing that could have happened to her, that Cam would get mad.

"How could you think that Laney? How could you think anything could go right for you? How could you even think that someone could like you?" Laney muttered to herself in between sobs.

She suddenly collapsed onto a bank of snow, there was a pain in her ankle. She tried to get up, but instead she winced and fell on over on her side. She had twisted her ankle, and Laney couldn't even stand.

"Damn shoes…" She muttered. She mentally slapped herself for saying profane things. And she started to cry again, not because she was hurt, but because she knew she just couldn't fight this hopeless feeling anymore.

What was the point of even dating, if it could end badly? If people could get hurt. And Laney knew it was official now, she was going to end up a lonely spinster, never to be married or know love. Maybe the Oracle would take her in once she couldn't take seeing everyone happy except her.

Laney didn't try to attempt going down the mountain, she instead curled herself up into a ball to shield herself from the howling wind as best as she could, and slowly drifted into a shallow, cold sleep.

She woke up the sound of snow crunching and a voice, it sounded like a man's, but the wind whisked away almost everything she heard.

Before she knew what was happening, she was suddenly wrapped in something warm. A jacket of some sort. Laney felt herself being picked up out of the snow, she was being carried.

"W-where a-are you t-t-taking m-me?" Laney said, trying to make her mouth and voice form words against her chattering teeth. Laney couldn't feel her legs or hands or face, but she curled up against her savior's chest and passed out into a coma-like state.

Oooooo, who hath saved Laney? By the way, Lillian and Ash were trying to act kind of like Mario and Luigi in this chapter in case you didn't get it. This chapter came to me really quickly for some reason, they say you write things easier if you're more passionate about them, and Laney's depressing thoughts came to me easily so… Anyway, please review.