Just as I made it to the peak of Mother's Hill, the bright orange light of the sun broke over the horizon. The crisp mountain air felt cool and refreshing as it filled my lungs. I walked to the west side of the mountain's mesa and plopped down on the ground in front of my usual boulder. I leaned back into the icy surface of the rock, a sensation that reminded me of the cold weather I missed so much. My gaze moved to the valley directly below; a sea of green trees shrouding the path to the nearby village became clearer as the sun rose. I looked east down onto Mineral Town, wondering how many others were up watching the sunrise.

I hiked the mountain every Thursday morning, sometimes more often if I had the time or needed the solitude. It had been one of the first places I was shown when I came to Mineral Town, and it quickly became one of my most frequented. The view was beautiful, but most importantly, no one ever bothered me there. There was nowhere else in Mineral Town that compared to the tranquility of this spot. The library had been a close second, even a tie at one point, but not anymore.

I hadn't been back to the library since Monday. Ever since that day, I hadn't been able to face Mary alone. When I wasn't at the library the next day, like I said I would be, she showed up at my room to check up on me. I panicked and lied to her, claiming to be sick to avoid hurting her feelings. It felt terrible being dishonest and making her worry about me, but it was hard to think when she was around. If Cliff hadn't been there to ease the tension, I'm not sure what I would have said. After Mary left, I couldn't help but remember her last words to me.

"I wouldn't change a thing."

I thought about the quiet librarian and… whatever we were doing. Sometimes I could barely reassure myself that there was anything between the two of us. One day Mary would be fascinated with me, and the next, she'd be completely distant, as if I was just another customer at the library. I was tired of feeling this way. I'd been pining after her for over two years now; it was becoming agonizing. Maybe I didn't have the most experience. Still, I did everything I thought an ideal partner would do: took her to all the romantic festivals, gave her cookies on Thanksgiving, spent quality time with her, and yet, here we were in relationship limbo. It always felt like there was a barrier between Mary and me, preventing us from reaching the level of intimacy that I craved. I wasn't sure what else I could do to break through to her.

I stayed at the peak for another hour, lost in thought, enjoying the seclusion. Only the soft chirps of birds could be heard in the distance. As the sun's shape broke free from the horizon, the warm pastel sky faded into a light blue. The air around me began to warm, signaling that it was time to return to town.

As I started my descent down the mountain, I continued to think about my relationship with Mary. How much longer could I do this for? Could I see myself with Mary in the next couple of years? Could I see myself with her for the rest of my life? All these questions seemed relevant but slowly made me doubt my own feelings. It was apparent we didn't want the same things right now. My brain had a lot to process before deciding what to do, which meant I had to find something else to occupy my time.

Though the shop was closed on Thursdays, I figured I could get ahead of my work or even have some time to spend on my projects. Usually, Gramps had me doing the prep for tools, upgrades, and machinery projects commissioned from Mineral Town and the surrounding area. Sometimes he'd even let me do the work itself, under his close supervision, of course. Working as an apprentice was fine, but there wasn't as much room for creativity. I had always loved working with my hands, creating pieces inspired by the world around me. It had been that way since I was young; my woodshop, design, and studio art classes had been among the few I actually attended. I was eager to finally have some time to practice on my own terms.

I headed down the east path in front of Gotz's shop, admiring the multitude of freshly cut stumps that littered his property. Each one I passed gave me a bit more satisfaction, knowing that I'd helped work on the tools that'd cleared the land. It was a stretch, but I'd look for validation in my work anywhere with the way Gramps praised me, or rather, didn't.

I was so lost in thought counting stumps that I forgot to look where I was walking. Before I knew it, I had collided with, and seemingly knocked over, a smaller person. A surprised cry left their mouth as I heard them fall back onto the ground. I braced myself and looked down at the victim of my carelessness as she sat on the dirt path before me. I noticed the heap of golden blonde hair before anything else.

Claire.

"Shit. Sorry," I grumbled, extending my hand to the grounded blonde. While I wasn't in the mood to talk to Claire, I did feel kind of bad for accidentally laying her out. To my surprise, she didn't even look at me.

"I-it's fine," Claire said as she hastily stood up, completely ignoring my hand. She dusted the dirt off her overalls and readjusted the straps of her rucksack. "I was just in a hurry." This was a different Claire; I'd never seen her so quiet and short with her words before. She continued to avert her gaze from mine, scratching at her neck and fidgeting from side to side. Was she… scared?

"Look," I started, tracing the brim of my hat before tugging it down, "I really didn't mean to knock you over. I wasn't paying attention to—"

"It's fine. I should get going," Claire interrupted before sidestepping me and hurrying up the trail towards the base of Mother's Hill.

By now, it wasn't a secret that I went out of my way to avoid Claire. Admittedly, I wasn't the nicest when we did interact. Usually, I just ignored her. I didn't hate her, sure she annoyed me, but my intention wasn't to make her fear me, only to leave me the hell alone. Ultimately, I guess I had accomplished both, though. I didn't understand why, but I felt the smallest tinge of guilt as I watched Claire disappear into the trees. This feeling quickly subsided, though, as I made it to the shop.

.

As the rest of the day rolled on, I kept myself busy with tasks to keep my mind off of Mary. It was an added bonus that Gramps was out of the shop on business today, leaving the entire place to myself. I managed to catch up on all of my work for the week and still had time to play around with side-projects. Even if I didn't have the gemstones I needed to bring my plans to fruition, I could practice until I did.

After hours of slaving away in the forge's heat, I felt like I was going to pass out. I removed the hat from my head and used my sleeve to wipe the growing sweat stream from my hairline. It was nearly time for dinner, and I felt good about calling it a day. After cleaning up my workstation and locking up the shop, I made my way to the inn. I had worked up a fierce appetite on this incredibly productive day.

I pushed open the doors and found my usual bar seat with Kai and Cliff. It appeared they had just gotten there shortly before my arrival. Almost on cue, Doug came by to drop off water and take my order. I turned to my roommates after ordering a plate of fried noodles and a beer.

"What's up, man?" Kai said with his signature smile. He leaned forward onto the bar, looking past Cliff as he talked to me. "Where were you all day?"

"You know," I replied, stretching my neck back and forth, "just some important blacksmith training, as usual."

Kai nodded, "Ah, so that's why you smell like shit?" He chuckled to himself before taking a swig of his drink. Based on the lime green color and the decorative umbrella that rested in the glass Kai held, a girly drink at that. An absolute specimen that Kai was.

I ignored Kai and looked over at Cliff; he had an unusual expressionless look as he stared off into space.

"Uh, hey, Gray. What's up?" Cliff said softly, looking over in my direction but avoiding my eyes entirely. His shoulders were slumped as he rested his arms on the bartop.

"Same old…" I started slowly, inspecting his body language. "The better question is, what's up with you?" I questioningly raised an eyebrow at the traveler. Cliff moped around a lot, but I could tell this wasn't a typical brood.

"Um, n-nothing, just tired," Cliff answered, barely above a whisper.

I rolled my eyes. "You're easier to read than a book," I said with a chuckle. "Something up with…" I looked around to make sure the redheaded waitress wasn't nearby, "Ann?"

"Uh, well…"

"I'll take that as a yes," Kai chimed in with a smirk.

Cliff immediately looked back to his hands. The blush on his cheeks indicated that Kai had hit it dead on.

"What's it this time?" I asked, propping my head up on my hand. It was always something with those two.

Cliff sighed, "I don't even know...she's been avoiding me all day." I couldn't help but notice the way his sorrowful eyes remained fixed on the kitchen doors. He was hopeless. "I just… wish I knew what she was thinking."

"I know how you feel," I said as I placed a reassuring hand on Cliff's shoulder. "I wish I understood women too."

Cliff's attention snapped back towards me. "Why, what's up with you and Mary?" He tilted his head and brought a thoughtful finger to his chin. "Now that you mention it, I did think it was a little strange that you told her you were sick the other day when you clearly aren't."

And goddess, was I thankful that Cliff hadn't said anything to Mary at the time. I hadn't confided in my roommates about what was going on with Mary, and Cliff was not the type to ask unless prompted. I wasn't eager to share my feelings, but I figured now was a better time than ever. It was better than having them float around my head on repeat.

"I think... I'm going to break it off with her," I said without thinking. Both men looked at me with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

"What?" Kai grinned, excitement clear in his voice. "Don't get my hopes up like that. Are you serious?"

"I've just been thinking about it a lot lately," I admitted, letting out a sigh. "It doesn't feel like we want the same thing. I don't know if it's worth it anymore." It was heartbreaking to hear it out loud, but it felt as if a weight was being lifted off my chest.

"Nice!" Kai said with a slap to my back. As usual, he was of no help. "Well, if you're going to be a free man, who're you gonna be gettin' at next?" He winked before finishing his last sentence. Typical Kai, it was almost humorous.

"Ha, I don't know. Maybe I'll get at Popuri," I said with a joking smile. "It seems like you found a new fascination this summer… I wouldn't want Popuri getting lonely." I watched as Kai's face soured and laughed to myself. Getting a rise out of Kai was always entertaining. Popuri was cute, but aside from definitely not being my type, there was Rick. I wasn't sure if any girl was worth putting up with Rick for, but Kai certainly begged to differ.

Kai glared at me as dinner was placed in front of us by Doug. Cliff and I began to dig in.

"Good luck with that," Kai scoffed. It was clear I had struck a nerve. "Popuri is, and always will be mine, dude; she's my main squeeze." He raised his finger, not pointing at anything particular as he explained, "Claire, she's like... the shiny new toy. I wouldn't mind a chance to play with her, but I wouldn't start anything serious." He lowered his voice as he continued, "And I wouldn't tell Popuri about it either."

Cliff and I exchanged confused glances at Kai's words as we ate.

"You never fail to disgust me," I shook my head and reached for my drink. I couldn't tell if Kai was joking or not, but I wasn't very optimistic.

Kai raised an eyebrow, but I ignored him and took another bite of noodles."Oh, whatever, Gray, you can't just sit here and lie to me," Kai narrowed his eyes in my direction, but I pretended not to see. Clearly, I had struck a nerve. "You and I both know you're just as bad as me." A smile grew on his arrogant face.

"I'm not nearly as bad as you, Kai," I retorted before taking a sip of the beer.

He took a long drink of whatever fruity shit was in his cup and didn't acknowledge my comment. "So anyway, onto a better topic since you two keep bringing down the mood," Kai said with a sprinkle of sass. "I think I'm gonna have a lil get together tonight at the Snack Shack. You know, just a little kick back with some of the friends. I invited Ann earlier," Kai nudged Cliff as he said this, and then looked over to me as he continued the thought, "I even invited some girls from the valley; it'll be fun for everybody!"

I turned to meet glances with Cliff, who shrugged. "Yeah, alright, I'll be there," I said, knowing damn well I had nothing better to do tonight. Sure, I had work in the morning, but that'd never stopped me before.

"O-okay, guess it wouldn't hurt," Cliff agreed. The thought of Ann must have caught his attention since Cliff wasn't the type to drink much. His self-control was impressive, considering he didn't have a job or really any other responsibilities besides sulking around the church.

"Can I invite Mary?" I asked. Both the men I was sitting with turned their heads, but it was Kai that gave me a disapproving look.

"Dude!" Kai said exasperatedly, throwing his hands into the air. "What? Why would you even ask me that? You just said you were going to dump her." The man did have a point. She'd been a priority for so long that it felt weird doing anything without her, though.

"I dunno… just feels like I should at least try to invite her," I said, taking a bite of my food. I swallowed and turned back to Kai, "And I said I was thinking about it. I didn't say I was going to do it."

"Yeah… I mean whatever, man, if you want to, it's chill," Kai said in a calmer tone. He tried to be discreet, but his slight eye roll did not go unnoticed. "She probably won't want to, so don't even sweat it."

Kai was, unfortunately, right again. Mary definitely wasn't the type to drink, let alone party. I knew that she wouldn't want to come; she hated Kai because her parents hated Kai. However, I knew that if Mary agreed to go with me despite her feelings towards Kai, it would be clear that she wanted to be with me. If Mary said no, then I guess I knew where we stood. It wasn't a very fair metric to base our relationship off of, but I had convinced myself that it was justified.

Time passed as I chatted with my two roommates over dinner. I spent every few minutes looking over my shoulder, waiting for the librarian to come to the inn for dinner.

Deep down, I knew she would say no, but part of me was hoping she'd surprise me. The truth was, I didn't want to end it. We spent so much time existing in her world; I wanted her at Kai's so we could hang out as a couple in my world. I wanted to be closer to her, share parts of me that I felt like I couldn't otherwise. It felt stupid putting so much weight on a party of all things, but it was an opportunity to spend time away from adults, away from Mary's parents, away from anyone that would judge either of us. I ached so badly for Mary to prove me wrong.

Being the clever man I was, I also knew that it would be easier to ask Mary and potentially break up with her if I had some alcohol in my system. This thought justified slamming a few beers and a shot of tequila, thanks to Kai's pressings. Did he have to press very hard? No. Absolutely not.

Eventually, I saw Mary and her family arrive at the inn for dinner as they usually did on Thursdays. At that exact moment, I jumped up from my spot at the bar and all but ran over to her. My roommates attempted to observe the interaction from the bar just as casually as I had shot out of my seat.

I stopped a few feet away from Mary and her parents, not wanting to get too close to Anna and Basil. As I waited a few seconds for Mary to notice me, I hoped it would be her who saw me first and not her parents. My prayers were heard, and Mary's face lit up as she registered me awkwardly standing before her. It wasn't until moments later that I saw Anna frowning in my direction. Basil had already made his way to an empty table, oblivious to my presence.

"Gray! It's so good to see you," Mary greeted me with a smile, delicately adjusting her glasses on her nose. She took a few steps over towards me, looked back at her mother, and then back at me. I tried to ignore Anna's glare from behind Mary, only succeeding once Mary had blocked her out of view.

"Hey Mare, what's up?" I replied, trying my best to hide the uneasiness in my voice.

She waved over to her mom, signaling to sit down without her. "Dinner as usual," Mary giggled, twirling the end of her long black braid. "Are you feeling better? I've been missing you at the library."

"Oh yeah, ha… definitely better," I lied, scratching the back of my neck.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said as she batted those thick eyelashes at me.

It had felt like years since I looked into her amber eyes last. I'd felt so confident about breaking up with Mary earlier, but now that she stood in front of me looking so cute, speaking so sweetly… I didn't know anymore. It was too late to change course, though; I had to pull myself from my own distracting thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

"Well, anyway," I cleared my throat, "Kai's having a little get together at the shack tonight. You 'ought to come with me." My heartbeat steadily picked up as I waited for her response.

"Oh…" she trailed off, the delight in her voice disappearing. Mary's smile faded into a frown, and her eyes narrowed at me. "And why would I do that?"

"To hang out with me…and my friends..." I said sheepishly, reaching up for my hat. "Together? I thought you liked spending time with me."

"But... you know that I don't like Kai," Mary complained, "he and I are not friends. Why would I want to go to a party that he's having?" She sighed and shook her head, "There's no way Mother would approve." As she spoke the words, I felt each one stab my heart.

I regretted even bringing up the party to Mary. Why I set myself up for failure by asking her in the first place was beyond me, but now I was just pissed off. I understood that she didn't care for Kai; he was an acquired taste for sure. But I sure as hell didn't like Anna, and I still suffered through interactions with her for Mary's sake on multiple occasions over the years. Why was it so hard for her to do the same for me?

"Ah, alright," I sighed, pulling down the bill of my cap to hide my disappointment. "Sorry for asking." I quickly looked away from the librarian and rolled my eyes in frustration. "Next time, I'll just go fuck myself instead," I muttered under my breath, apparently not quietly enough.

Mary crossed her arms and glowered up at me, taken back by what I'd just uttered. "Goddess Gray, you don't have to be so rude," she protested. "You know I don't like Kai or drinking. So why would you even take the time to ask me? Why would you put me in a position to let you down like that?"

I felt my jaw clench as my body stiffened; the way she talked to me was driving me nuts. "You're right, Mary," I snapped, turning back to the girl. The adrenaline and alcohol were taking over, causing my filter to disintegrate. "Why do I waste my time with you?" I wanted to say more but had enough self-control to know I'd regret it. Instead, I turned to walk away.

Mary took a few steps after me and grabbed my wrist with both hands before I got too far. "What is with you?" she questioned, switching back to a gentler voice. There was concern in her tone, but it didn't sound too genuine. "You have an attitude like no other today. I know you didn't mean to snap on me like that."

I couldn't help it; my blood boiled as she talked down to me. I slowly turned my head to Mary, who still had my wrist in her grip. "I'm just…" I managed to push out, my heart now beating a million miles a minute. "I'm done with this shit! I'm fed up!" I snatched my hand back. "I've been waiting around for years, hoping you'd come around, and it finally hit me that I was right." I started to walk away before I gave into the anger completely.

"Wha‒Gray, wait," Mary said, taking a step after me. Her voice sounded timid and confused. "What do you mean? Right about what?"

I stopped and took a deep breath, trying so hard to focus on the right words. I turned my head over my shoulder. "That we shouldn't see each other anymore," I said coldly. I continued walking over to the bar, not wasting a second to look back.

When I arrived and sat down, both men looked at me like a pair of deer in headlights. I grabbed my fork and picked up the last bits of fried noodles.

"That was a scene," Cliff said, obviously dumbfounded. I shrugged and took a bite.

"She'll get over it," I said with a mouthful of noodles. I reached for my half-empty beer and finished it off in one chug.

"I don't know, bro… She looks really upset," Kai said as he looked over his shoulder at Mary and her family. I chose not to look back, knowing it would only make matters worse. Since when did Kai give a fuck about Mary anyway?

"Okay," I said, the frustration in my voice still evident, "let her be upset." I pushed out of my seat, angrily kicked the stool back into place, and stomped towards the stairs. "I'll see you guys later."

"Hey, you're still coming tonight, right?" Kai asked, leaning out of his seat to look at me. I stopped at the base of the stairs and turned to my roommates.

"Absolutely," I said before heading up to the room.

I needed space to process what had just happened. Had I really just broken up with Mary? Did I really just yell in her face like that? I slammed the door behind me as I stormed into my room. The adrenaline was still coursing through my system, only making it harder to get a grip on my temper. I paced back and forth in front of all the beds to release some of the energy. All I could think about was hitting something, anything. I just wanted the anger out of my body; I didn't care how anymore. It took everything in my power to resist punching another hole in the wall. I knew Doug and my roommates would kill me; we had just repaired the last spot.

I looked over to the patched drywall and sighed. The thought of Doug's last warning about controlling my emotions, the disappointment on his and Ann's face when they saw the hole last season, it was enough to bring me to my senses. I had finally calmed down enough to think straight.

I took a deep breath to collect myself. Immediately I realized that Kai was right; I stunk. I headed to the bathroom, hoping I would emerge from the shower as a new man. I wasn't getting my hopes up, though.