The next morning I was almost late for work, to my disbelief. I hadn't been thinking the night before; I shouldn't have stayed for the fireworks. Never stay up till two in the morning the night before you go to work at seven in the morning! Even a workaholic like me sometimes can't get their engines started after not enough sleep.

But of course, once I got to the carpenter's - it was times like these when I would've been really thankful if that root blocking the path wasn't there - Luke was having no trouble with his sleep deprivation. In fact, he looked even more excited than usual, if that was even possible. Bo, on the other hand, looked about as well-off as I was. He couldn't stop yawning.

"Hey Audrey, can you guess what day it is today?" Luke asked, beaming.

I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath. When I opened them, Luke was still right in my face. My eyes narrowed at him. "The day you finally realize how obnoxious you are?"

As expected, he just laughed loudly. "Nah, it's my birthday!"

How much you want to bet he didn't hear a single word of that insult? I thought dryly to no one in particular. Then Luke's words sank in. Oh great, his birthday? I hoped he didn't expect me to...

"So, did you get me a present?"

Good thing I had a legitimate excuse. "No. How was I supposed to know your birthday was today? You never mentioned it yesterday."

"Oh, good point..." he agreed, disappointed. But his sunny expression was back in a flash. "Guess how old I am now!"

Four? I wanted to say, but I'd already given him his insult for the hour. "Eighteen," I predicted, feeling pretty sure I was right.

Luke's eyes lit up in delight, telling me I was wrong. "Nope! I'm nineteen now. Woohoo!"

I kept quiet. If he found out I was only seventeen, he'd never let me forget it.

Of course, the next thing that popped out of his mouth was; "Your turn. How old are you?"

I could've lied and told him I was at least eighteen, maybe even nineteen, but I wasn't the kind of person to forsake the truth just to protect my pride. It still pained me, though, to admit I was almost two years younger than this immature dope. "Seventeen," I muttered, not looking at him.

"What?"

I grimaced and fumed on the inside on having to say it louder. "I'm seventeen!" I felt like I was being publicly humiliated, even though Dale and Bo were the only other people around, and they weren't paying attention.

"Oh wow, I thought you were at least eighteen for sure. Ha, so that means I'm older! That's funny! So when do you turn eighteen?"

"Um, Fall eleventh." Well, that was a better reaction than I had feared. I just had time to feel relieved when Bo came, telling me it was time to head outside.

In the forest clearing, my thoughts wandered to the fact that it was Luke's birthday. I kind of felt bad for not getting him a present, actually. He had taken out and bought me a lot of food yesterday - even if I hadn't asked for it. The least I could do to repay him was to get him a present. But I had to do it discreetly. I didn't want Bo thinking I'd gone soft on Luke.

Now the question was what to get him. I furiously wracked my brain for memories of Luke hinting at what he liked, or even straight out telling me. Hm...

Then I remembered. Bananas. One morning I heard him complaining that they were out of the yellow fruit, and then told me they were his favorite. But I couldn't get him just a plain bunch of bananas; that was lame.

So when lunch break came around I told everyone I was going to the Sundae Inn to eat. Of course, Luke jumped up. "Ooh! I'll come with!"

"No!" I said too quickly and too loud. "I mean, no, I kinda want to eat by myself. Plus, you should spend some time with your dad here; it is your birthday, after all..." Crap, that didn't sound like me at all. I winced internally as I felt Bo's questioning eyes on me.

But Luke's lacking comprehension skills came in handy for once. He accepted my weak excuse without question. "Oh, okay. Have fun!"

I was putting forth way too much effort for this.

I proceeded down the path to Waffle Town and entered the Sundae Inn. Luke had introduced me to the innkeeper, his wife, and their ditzy daughter, but I had already forgotten their names. I had also forgotten the old lady cook's and the orange-haired boy's names as well. Hopefully they didn't expect me to remember.

My prospects of avoiding embarrassment seemed to dwindle as practically all thee staff called out my name in welcome. How did they remember so well? All I had done the day before was say "hi" and then we moved on. My head spun with how well-connected this island was. Then again, I knew everyone's name in my hometown. Maybe it was because I was born there.

I ordered a small sandwich for lunch and bought some banana pudding - Luke's present - to go. I almost inhaled the sandwich in my rush to get out of there; I wasn't the only one who had come here for lunch break. My slight agoraphobia didn't agree with so many people. Being surrounded by people I didn't know made me nervous.

That might've been a problem for me when I moved to the city, however, I didn't realize it then. All I had on my mind was escaping from strangers who were too chatty for their own good.

All of that just for a birthday gift for a guy I could barely tolerate. How did I ever talk myself into that? Oh well. Too late to call it quits...

I managed to hide the present the rest of the day until closing time, when I planned to give it to Luke. I made sure that Bo and Dale were out of the room.

My face burning, I held out the plate of pudding towards Luke. I felt ridiculous. Pudding as a birthday present? How dumb could you get? But it was too late to take it back.

"Here, Luke. Happy birthday," I said miserably.

He stared at the pudding, then took it. "Wow, thanks! I thought you said you didn't have a birthday present for me, though."

"I got it when I went to the Inn for lunch," I admitted. "That's why I wouldn't let you come with me."

"Ohhh!" he said. He paused, looking thoughtful, and then a horribly sly grin spread across his face. "So what you're saying is that if you hadn't been going to get me a present, you would've let me come with you?"

My face turned even more red. I shoved him, furious at the implications of his question. "Go away!"

He stumbled but laughed good-naturedly, knowing I wasn't serious. That only made him get under my skin even more. I clenched my teeth together.

"The only reason I even got you the present was because you bought me stuff yesterday," I said indignantly. "I had to pay you back."

With that I stalked out the door, not catching Luke's, "Aw, but birthday presents don't count!"

Drip... Drip... Drip...

One of my eyes peeled open to stare into darkness, but I could still hear drops of water plinking onto the floor. I groaned. Perfect, my house had a leak in the roof.

I drug myself out of bed and made my way to the opposite wall of the room, where the light switch was located. I shielded my eyes from the harsh light until I blinked my grogginess away. A glance at the clock above my dresser told me it was four in the morning. I sighed. Looks like I'm going to be early to work, I decided.

Then I looked around the room to locate the leaky culprit. "Oh, no..." I moaned as I spotted not just one, but four sources where rain was getting through the roof. There went my one day off relaxing on Saturday. Again. I could only be thankful none were over my bed.

Not having any buckets, I stomped over to the kitchen and grabbed some bowls. Those would have to do for then. Hopefully they wouldn't overflow while I was at work.

I prayed that the rain would let up for three days at least, so I wouldn't have to keep using my dishes to collect rainwater and I could have a dry day to repair the roof.

When I made it to work I was soaked and in a foul mood. The boys were concerned and asked me what was wrong. To keep it short, I answered simply with, "The rain." Not the whole story, but I was technically telling the truth.

Luckily Thursday and Friday were just cloudy, so I used my kitchenware for its intended use. On Friday I finally told Bo what had happened Wednesday morning.

"Audrey, if you had told us earlier we could have come over right away and fixed it!" Bo responded, sounding like he felt bad for me.

I shrugged uncomfortably. "It's all right. I'm going to fix it tomorrow." When Bo opened his mouth to speak again, I cut him off, knowing what he was going to offer. "Thanks, Bo, but I'll be all right on my own."

He didn't protest further, but he still looked unsatisfied.

Fixing my roof would be a tedious job on my own, but I refused to lean on others very much. It made me feel weak. Stubbornly pushing aside the thought of how nice it would be to have someone to talk to while I worked, I exited the building and headed back home.

Thankfully Saturday was sunny. I set to work early, right after I dressed. If I finished quickly enough, maybe I would have time to relax and enjoy my weekend later.

I brought out a ladder and some of my carpentry tools from the tool shed, which was really supposed to be a chicken coop.

The wooden ladder rattled against the side of my house as I set it up. Holding my tool kit at my side, I stared up at the roof. How on Earth was I going to carry my supplies up? I scowled fiercely at the ladder.

Behind me I suddenly heard footsteps. I turned to find none other than... Luke? I failed to hide the surprise on my face. "Luke? What are you doing here?"

He smiled and waved. "Good morning to you too! Beautiful day, huh?"

I just stared at him. "What are you doing here?" I repeated.

"To lend a hand in patching up your roof, what else?" he said, looking at me strangely.

"Wha- I never told you about that!"

Luke pulled an innocent face. "Everyone's allowed to walk through the main room."

"Oh, so you eavesdropped on Bo and me!" I accused, seething.

"Nuh-uh!" he protested. "I was walking by, and I happened to overhear what you guys were saying. It's not like I meant to listen in..."

I gave him my best death-glare. He ignored it, switching his golden gaze from my face to my hand holding the toolbox. Then he glanced at the ladder, seeming to piece together my predicament.

"You know," he began, unfastening his leather satchel that hung around his waist; "there's this great thing called a tool belt. It helps a lot with bringing equipment up ladders and stuff like that."

"I know that," I snapped. "Excuse me for not having any extra money to buy one."

Luke held the bag out to me. "Then here. Take this one."

I blinked at it, my snarky attitude dissolving. "Uh? You're giving me yours?"

"Duh," he said, smiling. "I can always go buy myself a new one."

Subdued, I took it. "Th-Thanks..." Why did he always do nice things for me? It made it hard to stay annoyed at him. It also made me feel like a jerk.

"All right, now that that's settled, let's fill it up with your tools and get to work on the roof!"

I was still in a daze from Luke's unexpected generosity, so I mutely followed his directions. I didn't notice it at first, but the tool bag had been empty when Luke gave it to me. Had he been intending to give it to me before he came?

The question bothered me as we set to work, two holes to patch up each, but I couldn't find the courage to ask him about it for some reason. Instead I finally choked out, "Why are you helping me with this? There's no benefit for you."

He cast me a sidelong glance. "Because I want to be your friend."

I shouldn't have said anything. This was a social recluse's worst nightmare when it came to awkward situations.

Feeling incredibly horrible about this whole thing, I didn't reply and focused even harder on patching up the roof. I almost wished there were more holes to work on. I was already near being done with the first one.

But alas, we were finished within another hour. We stood on the ground and looked up at the roof to admire our work, and then Luke turned to me and held up his hand. I looked at him in confusion.

"High-five!" he laughed. "For a job well-done."

Oh. I reluctantly slapped his gloved hand.

"That was pretty wimpy," he noted. "But you're getting there."

I wondered what he meant by that last statement, but he continued on before I could even think of inquiring.

"So I see the Mother Tree root is blocking your way to the Ganache Mine District," he said. "Was that why you asked about it when we first met?"

I was surprised he remembered that. I nodded. "Yeah, it's kind of a pain to have to take the long way to work everyday..."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Luke asked, sounding a bit like Bo had the other day. "I would've taken care of it a long time ago." He looked earnest.

"Oh, well..." I said, actually wondering why I hadn't told him. Then I remembered Bo's description of the Mother Tree. "But isn't it kind of important to the island?" I didn't want something bad happening because of my need of a shortcut to work. That would definitely get me disliked.

"You're not the only one pushing for it to be removed," Luke assured me. "Gill's been bugging Pops about it for some time now. But he keeps procrastinating."

"Still..."

"If the Goddess doesn't want her tree being hurt, then she shouldn't have let it grow over a path in the first place!"

He does have a point, I thought as I gazed up the curving pathway where the humongous root sat. I wasn't all that familiar with this island's goddess, but I knew you could get in some big trouble for messing with sacred stuff. No matter how much I thought Luke was annoying, I didn't want him getting hurt.

"Even so, maybe you shouldn't," I insisted.

"Bah, you're just like Bo," he said dismissively.

I sighed and frowned. "You don't have to do it for me. I'll survive having to take the long way to work. I've been doing it since I got here." I tried a different approach.

"But isn't that what friends are for? Helping each other out?" he said, surprising me again. I glanced down at this tool belt - my tool belt - now hanging from my own waist. When I averted my gaze back to him, he was heading back down the path, the long way to the carpenter's.

He glanced back and waved at me. "See ya tomorrow, Audrey!" he called, leaving me to stare after him helplessly, feeling more guilty and confused than ever.

The next few days were rainy, of course, so I was stuck inside with Luke all day at work. Can you say "awkward"? It didn't help that I wore the tool belt every day. I had to keep reminding myself that I wore it just for practicality. The fact that it was the first gift I'd ever received from someone outside of my family had nothing to do with it.

Apparently Luke hadn't confided to Bo that he had given me the belt, because I could feel the younger boy's curious green gaze on me every time I took something out of it. He probably recognized it as his fellow apprentice's. It was starting to annoy me, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him it was a gift from Luke. I couldn't think of a legitimate excuse why, though.

On Tuesday, I was sanding some wood by the window when I happened to look up. When I saw what was looming outside, my stomach did a sickening flip. "Oh, no..."

Luke and Bo raised their heads from their own projects. "What is it, Audrey?" Bo asked, concerned. When I didn't answer and just continued to stare outside, both of the boys came over, crowding to see what I was so worked up about.

"Aw, jeez," Luke said. "I knew there was a big one due any time now. We've been lucky this Summer till now." Bo nodded silently in agreement.

I'd heard about Waffle Island's hurricanes, but I had forgotten about them until I saw the massive storm clouds hanging menacingly over us. The wind was also starting to pick up. Trees were already swaying, and when I listened closely I could hear it whistling by.

"Well." Dale's gruff voice sounded from behind me. Startled, I tried to hide my jump as I turned to face my boss. "Let's board up the windows and get into the back room."

Luke and Bo sprang up and got to work, but I stayed sitting. "What about me? I need to get home."

Dale raised his eyebrows. "Audrey, I can't let you go outside in this weather."

My eyes flashed indignantly. Was he trying to say I was too weak to handle a little storm? "I'll be fine!"

But Luke's father already knew me well enough from working with me for three weeks. "This isn't just a storm, Audrey; it's a typhoon. Anyone could get seriously hurt out there."

"And you're our friend, so we don't want you to get hurt," Bo added. He and Luke had temporarily paused in their work when they saw I wasn't helping.

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes, desperately wanting to protest, but they were right. They'd never let me live it down if I did go outside and got myself crippled. Also, for my own sake, if I got myself hurt badly enough it might've slowed me down to the point where I'd have to stay on Waffle Island another year. No way that was happening.

"Fine," I sighed. "But what now?"

I was suddenly aware of Luke standing closer to me than he was before. A devious grin decorated his face. "Looks like you'll have to spend the night here, huh?"

I smacked him upside the head. "Pervert," I growled.

"Ow!" He rubbed his head. "I didn't mean it like that..."

Dale rolled his eyes at his son. "Anyways, I'm afraid Luke is right; you'll have to spend the night here." He waited for me to disagree, but I was thinking the same thing. There was really no other option if I couldn't go outside. "I'll arrange a sleeping mat in the back room," he said.

I sighed and looked through a section in the window that hadn't been boarded yet. The wind was more howling than whistling now. Leaves and pebbles and huge rain drops slapped against the glass. This would be the ultimate test for the patch-ups on my roof.

I snapped out of my daze and got up to help Bo and Luke with the windows.

At six we say down to eat dinner. It was a bit awkward, though better than that first day I had joined them for breakfast. I guessed Luke was making extra effort to remember his manners; several times he opened his mouth wide, probably to belch, but then slapped his hand over his mouth at the last second - only after Bo and Dale shot him alarmed looks, of course. I almost didn't want to imagine dinner at the carpenter's without a guest.

"So, Audrey," Dale spoke up. "For all your time working here, you haven't told us much about yourself."

What's there to know? I wondered, dreading this. To my disappointment both Luke and Bo were nodding in agreement with Dale. "Uh..." I frowned. "What exactly do you want to hear?"

"How about your family?" Dale prompted.

Great. Touchy subject. But there was no way out of this that I could see. "Well," I reluctantly started, "my mom's name is Jennifer... She works as a receptionist for our town's clinic. And my brother's name is Shawn-"

"Whoa, you have a brother?" Luke cut in. Just like Shawn would have done to someone else. "How old is he?"

"I was getting there," I said, exasperated. "Shawn is seven years older than me, so that'd make him twenty... four. Actually, he just turned twenty-five. I'm not exactly sure what he's been up to; he travels from village to village a lot."

I'd meant to end it there, but of course, the inevitable, "Wait, who's your dad?" came. Surprisingly, the question came from Bo.

My mouth formed a tight, straight line. "His name was Dan. He died when I was six. Work accident."

All three of the guys' faces softened, but I looked down, not wanting their pity. There was a pause, and then, "Hey, uh..." Luke cleared his throat. "Anyone want seconds?"

I was grateful for the change of subject, but I remained silent throughout the rest of the meal. After I was done eating, I went back into the main room to finish sanding the project I had been working on earlier. I didn't know what else to do with myself.

"Yo," Luke announced his entrance into the room. I kept my attention on my work but grunted in acknowledgement. "Didn't Pops say we should all be in the back room?" A boom of thunder outside enforced his statement.

I sat back to admire my progress. "Yeah, I guess he did. But how is the back room any safer than out here?" I looked over at him.

Luke shrugged. "Smaller windows?" He strolled over to sit on the workbench next to my project, leaning over to examine it. I tried not to care how close he was. "Is this a chair?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I've been working on it for a few weeks now."

"It looks good," he said sincerely. "Maybe if you have it done soon, we can sell it at the flea market this weekend. Not like any of my designs are gonna get in."

I snorted. I'd seen some of Luke's attempts at designing furniture. He got carried away easily. Instead of making a snide comment on that, though, I shrugged in response to his first suggestion. "Maybe." I wasn't committing to anything; I wanted to make sure my furniture was the best quality possible, so I wasn't sure if I'd have it done by the end of the week.

"Anyways," Luke started again. "The real reason I came to talk to you is because I want you to know that I'm really sorry about your dad. I feel your pain."

I was about to accuse him of not knowing my pain at all, but then I realized right as he said it; "Really, I do. My mom's been gone for a long time too."

I averted my gaze to the ground, not saying anything. I was glad I hadn't snapped at him, and felt kind of bad that I had been about to in the first place.

"So, I also want you to know that I'm here for you."

My gaze flung up to his face in bewilderment. He was smiling. "If you're ever having any trouble, you can talk to me! That's what friends are for, right? Helping each other out." I noticed he repeated the lines he had spoken to me last weekend. And just like the first time he used them, my heart flooded with conflicting emotions.

You're driving me crazy, Luke, were my thoughts, but I managed a "thank you" out loud instead.

That night I had to sleep in my day clothes, so I didn't bother to undo my braids. Kind of gross, I know, but it's not like I had planned on spending the night at work.

I lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling and listening to the wind and thunder outside. The noise wasn't the reason I couldn't go to sleep, though; it was Luke. He was infuriating, the way he kept first getting on my nerves 24/7 and then all of a sudden becoming so freaking nice! I could barely stand it! He made me feel horrible about the way I treated him, and then right as I started to even consider thinking of him as a friend, he'd ruin it by letting one of his perverted or offending remarks slip out and set me off all over again.

But... That was just his personality, I realized. If I was ever serious about categorizing him as a friend in my mind, I wouldn't have let something minor like that throw me off so badly.

I considered my mother my friend. I got annoyed or even angry with her sometimes. Nobody gets along perfectly.

Was it sad that I was going through a complicated thought process to convince myself that Luke was more than just an acquaintance and simply a friend to me? I couldn't have been sure; I was new to this whole friend business. Though I hadn't given myself such a headache trying to decide if Bo was a friend.

Finally, I gave in. It was official in my mind now; Luke was my friend.

To my bewilderment I fell sound asleep almost immediately after I admitted it.

"Audrey! Wake up!" Someone was shouting.

I blearily opened my eyes to see a figure standing over me. Bo...? What's he doing in my house?

Then I came to my senses. The typhoon. Dinner. Luke. Right.

I sat up at the sound of Bo's urgency. "What is it?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

"It's Luke," he vaguely informed me. "Come on, follow me! Hurry!"

My heart lurched at how gravely Bo had spoken Luke's name. Half of me was focused on the question of whether he was hurt or not. The other half was busy freaking out over my reaction. That was a much more severe response than I had liked. The last time my heart had done that was when I was six years old.

Was I going to have that reaction every time I thought a friend was in potential danger? If so, maybe I should've reconsidered this whole thing. But I knew it didn't work like that. Too late to bail now.

I threw off the covers of the makeshift bed Dale had made for me and ran after Bo straight outside, not having to bother with getting changed.

The sun had already risen a ways above the horizon, making me wonder how long they had let me sleep in. There was hardly a cloud in the sea blue sky. If you didn't pay attention to the fallen branches scattered all around, you couldn't have guessed there had been a big storm just the night before.

Bo led me not to Praline Forest, but the other direction, towards the blocked pathway. As we got closer, my fears were pacified as I heard Dale and Luke's voices. Luke didn't sound in pain at all from what I could tell, so if he was hurt, it wasn't very bad.

Jeez, Bo, you nearly gave me a heart attack, I was about to say, but then bit back the words. That sounded like I cared for Luke a little too much.

When the father-son pair came into view, I took in the scene. Luke stood facing his father with his axe slung across his shoulder, a defiant expression on his face. Dale, in turn, had a very stern expression - even more stern than usual, that is. He was irritated, if not a little angry. He had his hands on his hips, then gestured with one at the Mother Tree root. I started to get an idea what was happening before my boss spoke; "You can't just chop a chunk of the Mother Tree off!"

"Who says I can't?" Luke retorted.

"I do, and I'm your father!"

"Well, I'm nineteen! I'm an adult! So I don't have to do what you say!"

"But you live in my house, under my rules."

"This isn't in your house now, is it?"

I watched them banter back and forth with raised eyebrows. I could tell where Luke had gotten his stubbornness from. At my side, Bo leaned over and whispered, "They've been doing this for about an hour now..."

That's just ridiculous! I thought incredulously. "Hey!" I called over to the feuding boys, attempting to distract them.

They both glanced over at me, then my spirits sank as Luke got a triumphant smile on his face. "See, look, Audrey wants the root removed like Gill does! Don't you want a shortcut to work?" He shouted the last part to me.

My hand found my face. I had just made things worse.

Apparently it was a rhetorical question, because Luke went right on back to arguing Dale without waiting for a reply. I turned to Bo, searching for advice. He shrugged helplessly. "If I could stop it, I would have already."

As I stood there wracking my brain for ideas on how to solve their quarrel, Luke suddenly said very loudly, "You know what? I'm not fighting anymore!"

I turned just in time to see him swing his axe at the root with all his strength. Even I was genuinely surprised when the giant thing fell apart with a single stroke.

Dale, Bo, and I stared at the cleared pathway in shocked silence as Luke began insensitively boasting. "Ha, did you see that? One hit! How awesome am I or what?"

"B-But... the Harvest Goddess..." Bo sputtered in disbelief.

"If the Harvest Goddess is really mad about it, she can come and spank me!" Luke proclaimed confidently.

Nice way of putting it... I thought, exasperated, as I broke out of the daze.

Dale's eyes were alight with fury. He didn't say anything as he stormed away, back to the shop.

Bo sighed. "Well, there's nothing to be done now... On the bright side, looks like you have a shortcut, Audrey."

Oh great, that was right. This whole situation was partly my fault. I grimaced.

"Exactly right, Bo!" Luke said proudly. "All right, let's get to actual work now." He strode back to the building. Bo started to follow, but I hung back a little. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be around Dale right then. He looked really ticked off.

Bo noticed my reluctance. The freckled boy glanced back at me with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Dale won't stay mad for long," he said, guessing at what I was thinking. I stiffened, embarrassed by my hesitance and be consoled by someone younger than me. I walked faster.

He was right. Inside, Dale's anger seemed to have dissipated into bitter disappointment in Luke. He looked plain sad. That tree must have meant a lot to him. I felt bad.

His son, though, was oblivious to his sorrow. I had to keep telling myself that I couldn't just revoke his status as my friend anytime I wanted. But I was still annoyed.

And yet... he had done that almost solely for my wellbeing. There was no way he couldn't have known his father would get angry, and he still cut the root. I didn't know whether to admire him for that or just think he was even more of an idiot than I first thought.

In the end, I found myself more happy with him than criticizing.

Much as I hated to admit it, having a shortcut to work was pretty nice... Okay, it was really nice. I got to sleep in an extra half-hour. Not that I was used to it right away, of course. It took me a couple days to readjust my internal clock.

The upcoming weekend was a long one, since that Sunday was a flea market day. I had finished that chair in time, so it was going up for sale there. I chose not to monitor the stall, but I was anxious to know how the chair would do. I hoped people would like it. I had designed the patterns on it to resemble what I thought Waffle Island represented as a whole; unity and peace. There was no crime, and everybody got along and knew each other personally. In my own hometown people knew each other by name, but it was nothing like here. The kindness there was reserved, while on Waffle Island it was open and flowing. And there was no way you could ever find something like that in the city.

I had to say, Waffle Island was slowly but steadily growing on me. Maybe in the future I would come back for a vacation or something.

Anyways, I finally had the weekend to myself for the first time since I had arrived. Luke did not interfere, miraculously. Unfortunately, he still plagued my thoughts. Okay, "plagued" is a bit strong. He frequently visited my thoughts.

On Monday I returned to work, eager to hear how my chair had done. Dale, with a large smile that was visible even underneath his bushy mustache, informed me it was a big hit. Several customers had wanted it, and in the end the mayor bought it for several hundred G higher than the original price. Even better; the extra money was going straight to my paycheck.

For the first time since I had come to Waffle Island, a happy grin found its way onto my face. People liked my work.

To the side, I caught Luke staring at me with a strange expression. But the moment he saw me looking back at him, he went straight-faced. I did as well.

For my sanity's sake, I told myself he was looking at me in amazement.

After a couple of seconds, he suddenly briskly turned around. I frowned. That wasn't like him.

Bo came over and clapped me on the back. "Great job, Audrey!" he said. "Your skills are really something."

I smiled in thanks and we proceeded outside. When we got to the clearing, I turned around to choose a tree, but instead I saw Luke at the fence. I raised an eyebrow. "Luke? It's not your shift for another two hours."

He was staring at me again, this time with a thoughtful expression on his face. Finally he spoke, pointing his axe at me. "You and me, right now!"

When Bo and I just stared back in confusion, Luke sighed impatiently. "We never settled our score! Our last competition was the stone-skipping contest, remember, and it was a tie. We need to clear this up!"

Ohhh. Well. For once he and I completely agreed about something. I forgot the trivial fact that he wasn't supposed to be here as my competitive spirit flared up. "You're right," I said. "So, any ideas?"

Bo looked like he was going to protest, but Luke and me weren't paying any attention. He realized it was useless and shut his mouth.

Luke grinned challengingly. "Yeah; whoever collects twenty pieces of lumber first wins!"

I quickly did some calculations. Every tree, provided it was tall enough, produced around four or five pieces of standard-sized lumber. So I'd only have to cut down four or five trees to get twenty pieces. Piece of cake.

"The lumber can also be from anywhere on the island," Luke continued. "And we can't be within sight of each other when cutting."

It was tempting to protest that rule, but I saw his point; if we both cut down trees in the clearing, then there'd be none left for actual work. No matter, though, There was a small patch of land right on my property with a few trees that I had been meaning to clear.

Then, of course, there was the obvious worry; would Luke cheat while no one was looking? But that was ruled out as far as I was concerned. If he did cheat, he knew fully well I'd kick his butt from here to next week. That was reason enough not to, but also... I just somehow knew he wasn't the kind to stoop low like that. He could be trusted when it came to competitions.

"Bo will referee," I stated. "He'll make sure the pieces of lumber are exactly the right size. If he says it doesn't make it, no arguing. His word is law."

Bo raised his eyebrows. "You're taking this very seriously, aren't you? Um, I guess I'll do it."

"No one asked you if you didn't want to," both Luke and I said at the same time. We looked back at each other, fire in our eyes.

Our poor younger friend looked almost scared. He nervously adjusted the white bandana that was tied around his forehead.

"Let's begin at the entrance to the mine, to make it fair," I decided. I knew Luke was going for the clearing, and it wouldn't be fair if he got a head-start while I ran back to my place.

Luke nodded, and we started towards the Ganache Mine entrance. Bo walked between us, probably trying to calm some of the tension. He looked uneasy.

Once we were there, we stood equal distance apart from the other end of the district. Bo counted down. "On your mark... Get set... Go!"

I didn't waste any time trying to see what Luke was doing; I sprinted for the shortcut to my house. Suddenly I was very grateful the root was out of the way.

Ha! I thought as I raced past the spot we stood just a few days ago, when Luke cut the root. His nice deed for me might end up being his undoing!

I skidded to a halt when I reached the field to the side of my house. Five good-sized pine trees stood in my wake. Taking out my axe, I took a deep breath to control my breathing. I wouldn't get anywhere if I was panting even before I began. Carefully, I took aim at the perfect spot on the first tree and started chopping.

Back in the clearing, Luke let out a shout as he swiped at a tree. Bo stood a ways behind him, silently shaking his head. He'll never get done fast enough by hitting the tree in random places like that... What happened to all the training he's gone through? It all seems to have disappeared.

Suddenly the younger boy heard his boss' voice coming from down the path. "Luke!" Dale bellowed. "Where is that boy?"

Bo ran to meet the large man at the entrance to the forest. "Hey, Boss," he greeted him. "Sorry about Luke. He and Audrey are doing a contest." He explained it as best as he could.

"Huh. I wouldn't have expected Audrey, with that sensible mind of hers, to get caught up in one of Luke's schemes. She has to know it isn't exactly professional to just abandon work to go and play a game."

Bo's green eyes went wide. "You aren't going to fire her, are you?" He sounded horrified.

Dale had to laugh. "No, no! Don't worry, no need to sound like I was about to murder her. Since we're not exactly a large business, I can afford to be pretty lenient about stuff like this. But it sounds like she has some big goals, and she has to learn that things like this aren't tolerated up the ladder."

"You haven't seen her when she's feeling competitive," Bo replied, wonder in his voice. I seemed insane compared to my normal self whenever Luke challenged me. My usually impassive brown eyes would go alight with excitement. He wondered what got me so riled up when it came to such things.

The sun was high in the sky and starting to dip down towards the west when I finally finished. Feeling triumphant even though I had no idea whether I'd won or not, I bundled up my lumber and jogged back to Bo in the clearing.

"I'm done!" I shouted before I could even see him, just to be safe. But when I reached him, I realized I shouldn't have worried. Luke was still attempting to cut down a tree. When I looked beside him, I saw three piles of wood. He was on his last tree or so.

Either way, I had won. Nobody seemed to remember the measuring aspect of the contest as I grinned for the second time that day. "Yeah! I won!" I shoved my fist in the air.

Luke turned around, blinking at my shouting. Dale and Bo stood to one side, also looking surprised at my outburst. I was too happy to wonder why the boss was there.

I tried to calm down, but I felt exhilarated by my victory. Not only did I beat Luke; I beat a boy who had been training in this sort of thing half his life. I just had to rub it in. "I beat you! Who's the 'star apprentice' now?"

To my own surprise, Luke didn't take offense at my gloating. "So, I got beaten by a girl, huh?" he mused thoughtfully. He paused. "Actually, that's kinda cool. Congratulations, Audrey. You beat me." He gave a smile smaller than his usual energetic grin.

Bo and Dale were too stunned to say anything. Whether they were amazed at me showing excitement or Luke accepting defeat so easily, I couldn't tell.

Finally we all headed back to the shop. Dale and Bo regained their voices and gave me comments like, "Wow, I've never seen you so enthusiastic before," and "That was pretty serious for you, huh?" But I had cooled down considerably. I spent the rest of the work day carving another piece of furniture, silently celebrating my achievement.

Right before closing time, Luke came over and sat on the workbench, like he had the night of the typhoon. I glanced up at him questioningly when he didn't say anything right away.

He had that odd look on his face, identical to the expression he wore earlier that morning, when I was smiling about the news of my chair doing well at the Flea Market. It was beginning to unsettle me.

Just as I was about to snap, "What?" he finally spoke; "You know, Audrey, you have a really great smile. You should show it more often." Without another word he left, a smile of his own on his face.

I stared blankly ahead at the empty spot where he had just sat, heat rising to my cheeks. Nobody had ever complemented me like that before. It felt... nice.

Although, on the other hand, that was weird. A little too weird.

Then a horrible possibility occurred to me. What if Luke had lost the contest on purpose, just to see me smile again? What if my victory was just an illusion? The thought enraged me. How dare he go easy on me?

But then I thought of the true meaning behind my theory. If he had in fact lost for the sole purpose of seeing me smile, that would imply... Oh, no. That was way too far-fetched. I mean, come on, we'd only known each other for a little over four weeks. Plus, I didn't think Luke would give up his pride for something so silly. He already got to see me smile earlier that day. Knowing him, if he had really wanted to see me do it again, he would have asked directly. He wasn't capable of cooking up such a complex plan.

Having firmly reassured myself, I cleaned up my workspace and headed home.

I ignored the small voice at the back of my mind whispering, Or did he?

A few weeks passed without much new happening. I stopped torturing myself with the question of whether Luke had lost on purpose or not since, thankfully, I saw no more of the odd expression he had worn that day. But his words about my smile still resonated through my mind at times, and I found myself maybe a bit more open with my friends at the carpenter's shop. A tentative smile found its way to my mouth once or twice during conversations. Sometimes, though, Luke would drive it away by loudly pointing it out. Way to ruin it.

My birthday was fast approaching. Fall eleventh. A Wednesday. I had been born smack-dab in the middle of the week; a normal workday. I liked to think the fact said something about me.

I didn't say anything about it to my coworkers, though. I didn't want them going through the trouble to do anything for me, just to ultimately embarrass me.

But of course, that was too much to hope for.

On Wednesday morning I was awoken by a sharp rapping on my door. I winced and groaned, not even remembering what day it was. "Coming," I muttered, just loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear. I wondered who it could possibly be. Maybe Mayor Hamilton, come to tell me of the Art Festival which was taking place the next day?

I slid on my warmer outfit for Fall and Winter - a red sweater with darker blue jeans - and finally answered the door.

I should've expected Luke. I really should have.

The bright sunlight temporarily blinded me - how late had I slept in? - but as my eyes adjusted I made out Luke's shape. He was wearing his cold-weather outfit as well; a blue flaming bandana with a black and green jacket. He was grinning, as always.

My eyes widened and I blushed. I hadn't even braided my hair! It fell down my back in thick, wavy locks of green,

"Hey, Sunshine!" he greeted, not taking notice of my hair.

The nickname did not help. My face surely matched my sweater by then. So I quickly carried out the easiest solution I could think of; I slammed the door in his face.

I rushed over to my dresser, desperately attempting to braid my hair as quickly as possible. I wasn't sure why I wasn't okay with him seeing me without it plaited, but it was important to me for some reason. And why had he startled me so badly? I felt color come to my face again as I recalled what he had hailed me by. "Sunshine"? What was that supposed to mean?

"Wait- Audrey! I'm sorry! I take back the nickname!" Luke was calling from outside. "Is that why you shut the door? Come on, open it again, please?"

To my bewilderment, I felt a giggle rise in my chest. I cut it off immediately. What was wrong with me?

I knew he wouldn't leave until I opened the door again, so I didn't bother saying anything until I was done with my hair. I tightened the last bow into place and then strode towards the front door again, confident I wouldn't slip up this time. Frankly, I was surprised Luke hadn't just opened the door himself, like he had a season ago when he wanted to take me to the Ocean Festival. Wow, that had already been a season ago?

My friend looked relieved when I reappeared. "Okay, no more calling you Sunshine. Sorry."

I was a little surprised he wasn't embarrassed by nicknaming me like that, so suddenly too. I savagely beat down the urge to say, "No, it's okay, that's not the reason I slammed the door." Idiot! That'd be giving him permission to call me that ridiculous name! Does he think we're- I stopped myself before I could continue. I'd be even more of a wreck than I already was if I let myself go through with that kind of thinking.

"So, uh," we both started at the same time. I blushed. Then inwardly slapped myself. Seriously? What was my problem?

But Luke had a pink stain to his cheeks as well. I wasn't sure if that made me feel better or worse.

"You go ahead," I said, sounding rushed so we wouldn't accidentally speak at the same moment again.

He chuckled, grinning goofily. "If you insist. Well, you remember it's your birthday, right?"

Oh. No, I hadn't remembered. Obviously. And yet he did...

My blank stare answered his question. That got a laugh out of him. "Of course you forgot; I should've guessed!"

I felt a little defensive. What was that supposed to mean? Before I could retort he continued, though. "Anyways, it is your birthday, and I doubt anyone else got you anything, so I thought I might get you a little something..." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to me. Was it my imagination or was he blushing even more now?

Curious, I pulled off the ribbon and opened it. Inside was a necklace, the one charm on it a beautiful reddish-purple stone. It had a gold chain. My eyes widened.

"I was mining with Owen last week and found some stones," he began explaining. "When Mira refined them, she showed me I got lucky and there was a chunk of garnet in one of them. She asked if I wanted to make a piece of jewelry out of it, and, I dunno... I just thought that you might like it." He shrugged, scuffling the ground with his feet with his hands in his pockets. Instead of his usual grin he wore a sheepish smile, and his eyes didn't meet mine.

After a pause I realized he was waiting for me to say something. I cleared my throat. "I-It's really pretty..." was all I could manage. Truth was, I had never received anything so nice before, not even from my family. Money had never flown freely since my father died.

I removed the pendant from the box and attempted to put it on, but my hands were gloved and weren't made for handling small clasps on jewelry.

A half smile came to Luke's mouth as he saw me struggling with it. "Here, let me help," he said, and before I could protest he walked behind me and took the necklace, brushing his hands against mine. Thankfully he was at my back and couldn't see my face. I stood rigidly until he finished. He then came back in front of me. "It looks great on you," he told me. "Really brings out your eyes. Well, come on, we should probably be getting to work."

It brings out my eyes? But I have brown eyes, not red-purple... I followed Luke up the path, silently fiddling with the necklace. I couldn't believe he'd gotten me something so special.

Suddenly I thought back to his birthday. I had gotten him pudding. Guilt washed over me, what for I wasn't sure. Shouldn't it have been regret?

I stopped walking. "Hey, Luke," I said quietly. He turned around, blinking questioningly. "Thank you."

"Ah, it was no problem!" he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Nobody's ever given me something so nice before... How much did this cost you, anyway?"

He hesitated. "Now, now, it's not very polite to ask how much money a gift was!"

Oh great. It must have been really expensive.

"Hey, are you feeling bad because you didn't get me something worth a lot of money for my birthday?" His eyes narrowed sternly.

I looked away.

"Don't be like that! It's the thought that counts. Money doesn't matter," he tried to persuade me. "Besides, it was really good pudding, I'll have you know."

The corner of my mouth quirked upwards, but I still didn't look at him, ashamed.

"There's that smile. Cheer up, Audrey, it's your birthday!" Luke sounded as though he was coaxing a small child into doing something. That should have bothered me, but for some reason no familiar rise of annoyance occurred. Finally I sighed and met his yellow gaze.

"Come on, you and I both know pudding is a really lousy present," I insisted with a half-smile.

"Okay, it wasn't exactly first on the things I would've put on a list, but it was really yummy."

I laughed, and we continued walking. I was surprised - if not a little glad - that Luke didn't point out that it was the first time I had laughed since I came to Waffle Island. But I did notice his smile seemed a bit bigger.

When we got to the shop, it was nearly nine. I was appalled I had slept in so late, and at first Bo and Dale were a little taken aback as well.

"Give her a break, guys," Luke said. "It's her birthday!"

That only sent Bo on another rant about how I never told him anything. "Audrey," he complained. "The only thing you're accomplishing is making me feel bad!"

"Relax!" I assured him. "I don't want any gifts. It's really okay."

His tirade stopped, but he still didn't look happy.

Then Dale spoke up. "Well, Audrey, I was actually thinking of this before I knew it was your birthday today, so I may as well give it to you now."

I tilted my head inquisitively. Dale leaned down behind the counter and held up what could only be an axe, though it was covered in cloth. I walked up to the counter to see why it was for me.

"Here," he said, handing it to me. "You've earned it."

I pulled the cloth off to reveal... yes, an axe, but not just any axe. A copper axe. I stared at it in surprise. It wasn't cheap to upgrade tools.

"It's a lot lighter than what you're used to," he informed me. "But it's also quite stronger. You'll be able to fell trees a lot quicker with that." He smiled. "And technically, it's not a birthday present. I was going to give it to you soon anyways, birthday or not. If that makes you feel any better."

"Wow, thanks," I said sincerely, giving it a few test swings. Maybe not the smartest thing to do indoors, but I didn't break anything or hurt anyone.

"Why don't you go outside and practice with it?" Dale suggested with a chuckle. I smiled sheepishly and scurried to the clearing with Bo.

After I had left, Luke took a few minutes to get to work - after staring at the doorway for a little while. Dale watched his son closely from his station at the counter, not letting his emotions show. He did let out a quiet sigh, though. Ah, Luke, he thought. If you're going to pursue her, there's going to be trouble down the road. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into.