Disclaimer: I do not own any Harvest Moon's characters.
Author's Notes: Prepare for the intense! Hehehe!
The alarm clock rang loudly from the bookshelf. Lillian groaned as she scanned her room with a puzzled expression. She turned to Cam and stared at him.
"Kitty… weird kitty… human kitty…" Lillian murmured. She forced herself up and turned off her alarm clock. Then, she went back to Cam who was still sleeping peacefully. She examined his left cheek that was slightly red.
"Cam…?"
"Hmm?" Cam grunted.
"What happened to your cheek?"
"You moved around a lot last night."
"What?"
Cam opened his eyes slowly and stared at Lillian. He replied, "You were tossing and turning a lot. Then you swung your hand on my face in the middle of the night. It hurts."
"S-sorry. Do you need an ointment?"
"No, but a kiss will make me feel better."
Lillian pushed Cam away to avert his eyes from her flushed cheeks.
"I-I'm gonna get ready for school!"
Cam grabbed her wrist and look at her with his pleasing kitty eyes. "But you didn't give me a kiss!"
"N-no! You need to get ready, too!"
Cam began to make a fake crying sound with his hands covering his face. He whined, "Ow! My cheek huuuurrtt! What a cruel person to slap my face during my sleep!" He crept through the gap between his fingers and watched Lillian's guilty expression.
"Okay! Honestly! You're so annoying sometime!" Lillian yelled as she leaned in slowly to kiss Cam's cheek. He turned his head so their lips touched.
Lillian could feel her beating heart trying to jump out of her chest. She could feel Cam's soft lip against hers and it was a sweet kiss. She immediately shoved Cam away and hid her blushing face.
"I don't like you!" With that, Lillian ran out of the room and went into the bathroom. Her back slid down the door as she clasped her hands to her chest to calm her beating heart. Cam's teasing smile appeared in her mind that made a smile spread on her lip. This is it, she thought. I love you, too, Cam. Then again, four years from now, they wouldn't be able to be together, ever again. Lillian bit her lip and wiped the small tear forming on her bottom eyelashes.
"Stop being a cry baby! I have to accept this!" Lillian muttered.
She quickly washed her face and changed into her school uniform. Then she headed to the living room where Cam was waiting for her.
"I left a new pair of clothes and your old clothes in the bathroom. Lock the door when you leave," Lillian said.
"Thanks, Lillian. I'll pick you after school," Cam smiled.
"Okay. See you later, Cam."
They part each other with a sweet smile. Lillian began her second day at school without Cam.
The awkward tension floated around classroom 2-A. Lillian sat quietly on her desk as she watched Ash's back facing toward her.
"Did you find him, Lillian?" Ash asked with a soft voice.
"Yes… I'm sorry I didn't contact you the moment I found him. I'm sorry I made you worry about us."
"Don't apologize. I knew you're the only person who can find him. So I contacted his parents last night and told him he was staying at my house."
"Thanks, Ash. Sorry for the troubles…"
"It's fine. Where were you two?"
"We stayed at my house since it was raining."
Ash inhaled and exhaled. He gave a small chuckle.
"Look like this is it for me."
"What do you mean?" Lillian asked with her head tilted to a side.
"Your love. I can't win it."
"Ash…"
"Cam is that 'someone else' right? Your heart chose him, right?"
Lillian felt her chest tighten. She bit her lip and replied, "Yes."
"Do I have to tease you and being mean to you for you to like me?"
"I…"
"Was there any chance that you could at least love me the same way?"
"I can't… I'm sorry, Ash."
Ash turned to Lillian with a big smile that seemed so forceful and painful.
"You don't have to apologize. I'm happy if you're happy. Also, thank you for making Cam smiles."
He turned away when the other students entered the classroom. The laughter and the yelling defeated their awkwardness.
"Thank you, Ash," Lillian muttered.
Today was the most fearful day in BlueBell High. Lillian's body shook as fours girl shoved her against the bathroom wall. They held her arms and legs down to keep her from struggling.
"S-stop!" Lillian cried. She was desperate to escape their powers.
"You, filthy, ugly, stinking trash! How dare you act so high and mighty in front of Ash and Cam?! Let this be a lesson for you. Don't you ever, ever dare talk to them again!" A girl said. She had short red hair and dark brown eyes. Her face was colorful with heavy makeup. Lillian was sure the teacher called her Claire before.
"I saw her kissed Cam the other day! How dare she?!" Claire's friend said.
In a moment, Lillian felt an intense pain seared through her face. She watched Claire's eyes became fierce with anger.
"That's it! You're going to learn a big lesson, today! Get ready for it, you filth!"
Lillian once again tried to break away from the girls' grasps. It was no good. Four against one was just too much. Her eyes traced down to Claire's hand where a big scissor was being held. That was Lillian's real fear.
"Hold her down. Don't let her escape," Claire demanded the girls as she pulled the pen out of Lillian's bun.
She began to trim down a big section of the hair on her hand.
"Stop! No!"
One by one, a section of Lillian's hair fell onto the floor. Tears ran down her cheeks and she cried.
"This is what you get! This will teach you to never talk Ash and Cam!" Claire said.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" A girl voice yelled from the door. Nancy entered to the bathroom and stared at Lillian in disbelieved. She then glowered at Claire and the girls. "Get out."
"Who are you to demand us?!" The girls barked.
"I'm the boss of all of you trashes."
"Nancy! How dare you say that to us?!"
"Do you want me to repeat what I said? If you don't get out now, I'm sure you won't be able to leave this place anymore," Nancy glared at them with her malicious eyes. "I am not afraid to have an act of violence. It does not matter to me if I get kick out of this school or not. If you touch her, you'll be hurt."
"This filth kissed Cam! Don't you feel angry toward her, too?! I just did what you would have done!" Claire yelled.
"That's why. No one can bully her except for me! I will count from one to three, if you don't leave now, your hair won't be the only thing you lose today."
"But Nancy!"
"One…"
"FINE! WE'LL LEAVE!"
Claire and her friends left the bathroom with anger. Nancy frowned as she stared at the vulnerable girl with screwed up hair that reached up to her neck.
"Nancy…" Lillian cried.
"Don't worry… I won't do anything to you. Cam is looking for you."
"Thank you… Nancy…"
Lillian listened to Cam's voice calling out her name. He must be near her but she didn't want him to see her like this. Her tears were still running. She could not stop.
"Lillian! Are you in there?" Cam asked.
Without hesitating, Lillian ran outside the bathroom to find Cam standing before her in shock.
"Lillian… your hair…"
She began to run to the school entrance with all her strength to escape Cam's sight.
"W-wait!"
Lillian couldn't turn back because she knew Cam was right behind her. He was there, taking all his energy to catch up to her. At that very minute, she heard a loud honk that rang in her ears. Where was she? Standing in the middle of the road, a truck came closer and closer to her. The last thing she heard was her name being yelled out. The last thing on her mind was his name, Cam.