The world is a terrible place, filled with terrible people. Now she knew that people were flawed. People make mistakes. No one is perfect.

But Bud freaking Flud had to be the worst person on the entire planet.

I can't believe you let me down.

Kimbra stood at the main entrance of the banquet hall. The room had a large array of windows, which were being overrun by untrimmed vines. She felt eyes on her as soon as she walked through the door. She was never good with meet-ups or gatherings. It just wasn't her thing. The dark blue dress hung off her figure gracefully, but right now, she would rather be in sweatpants and a tank top, in her bed.

No one knew how this night would go. It could be dreadfully boring. She might end up dying of boredom by the end of this. Or it could go well, be fun even.

I doubt it'll be fun.

She watched as even more people began to filter in. Each one awed by the elegance of the banquet hall. The way the lights made the crystal chandeliers glitter. The large bookcase in the front hallway, filled with novels and journals. Nobody here would read them; the books are for decoration.

Her eyes swept over the room, watching people enjoy themselves. If only she could live her life like that. Carefree. Not worrying about deadlines or getting shut down by the city council over experiments and projects.

Before she could stop herself, her eyes met his. Even from this distance, Kimbra could feel his coldness.

What the hell is he here for?

Bud Flud, owner of the Sparkling Crystal Pure Flud Water company. The sponsor for the C.O.R.E project. That's all he was to her. Nothing more.

Of course , he would be there. To torment her further. He was always there, whether she liked it or not. It had been a while since they'd actually spent any real time together. She kept avoiding him at work, considering what Ross had told her.

People don't change, they just pretend to change.

Every once in a while she heard those words again.

'Now, at first, I thought this whole idea was silly. I almost laughed when Dr. Wulfe presented it all those months ago. It seemed absolutely ridiculous and impossible.'

She still couldn't believe Bud said that about her in front of all those people. She wanted to march over to him at this very moment and go off on him. But her words would be used against her if she did speak. The water salesman would just make another public jab at her, humiliating her further.

Never show any weakness.

Putting distance between them was probably the best idea. It would make everything a lot easier.

Lucky for her, Dr. Ainsley distracted her temporarily from that whole ordeal.

Only temporarily.

"Kimbra! Glad you could make it," the elderly man said, taking her hand and giving it a brief shake. Like everyone else there, Dr. Ainsley dressed formally.

"Good evening sir." She faked a smile as she greeted her boss. "I thought you didn't like big social events."

Because I sure don't either.

"Well, I thought, hell, gotta get out of the house sometimes." A thin, amused smile played on Ainsley's lips. "I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing. I'm sure you prefer not to spend the entire night being bothered by an old man."

You're one of the few people I can tolerate here, please for the love of all that is good, don't leave me.

He gave her a pat on the shoulder before heading off on the other side of the room to a group of laughing men.

Guilt gnawed at her. Dread rushed into her stomach at the thought of Ainsley finding out who she was seeing. She felt guilty for it. For all the lying, being secretive, and betraying his trust. He did nothing but support her and gave her a chance. He was like a second father to her. And what did she do? Start dating his sworn enemy. EcoTech's main competitor.

You're the absolute worst.

Kimbra roamed around the room for several minutes, begging silently that Leslie or Neil had come. Out of everyone else at EcoTech, those two were the only other people she could tolerate. With her peripheral vision, she eventually spotted Neil, who kept shoving mini cupcakes in his mouth by the table full of drinks and cakes. Leslie hadn't arrived yet, or she would have been right by his side, doing the same thing.

Making her way over, she saw him .

Bud began to say something as she brushed by him, but Kimbra, however, didn't give him the chance. Headed straight to the refreshment table without a passing glance. Bud's hand dropped to his side, shoulders slumping. He moved on to speak with Dr. Ainsley, opting to try again at another time.

Leaning against one of the tables, Neil glanced over at the water salesman and back to Kimbra. "You and Flud having a lover's quarrel?"

She scrunched her nose in displeasure at his statement. "We aren't having a lover's quarrel."

"You two sure have been acting like it."

Kimbra wasn't exactly on speaking terms with the CEO. More like avoiding him every chance she got.

"We don't like each other like that."

"He might not, but you, on the other hand…"

She quickly looked at the lion. "Are you accusing me of being into Bud?"

His smirk had turned into a boastful grin, "I'm just repeating what everyone else is saying."

Kimbra jabbed him sharply in his side. Neil responded with a loud yelp and smacked her hand.

She denied his accusation, and rubbed her now stinging palm. "I'm not into Bud Flud."

Neil held onto his side, not worrying about what else Kimbra might do to him. "So you don't care that he brought a date."

Please, I couldn't care less at what the hell he does.

"I don't care. And you're lying because I didn't see him walk in with anyone."

"So you noticed when he walked in."

No.

"I don't care about what that tacky and annoying pain-in-the-ass salesman is doing." Kimbra knew her rude remark was biased, solely because she despised the man.

"Are you sure things are fine?"

With a hitch of her breath, Kimbra replied. "Things are fine." It was getting harder for her to work around the truth.

She had been saying that a lot. Things are fine. I'm fine. In hopes of reassuring herself that it was true. That things were fine and that she didn't want to storm out of the room because of Bud. The Samoyed wished things were fine. She wished she didn't want to strangle her sponsor. She wished she didn't have to be at this ridiculous party. She wished that her dress wasn't itchy or that her heels weren't killing her feet.

She wished she wasn't in St. Canard. Not only that, but she wished she were back in Alaska. That her mom hadn't died so young. Or that her own life was at risk because of a stupid genetic disease that no one could find the cure for.

She wished things were fine.

That would've been nice.

Kimbra distantly heard the soft clicks of a camera from somewhere nearby. God, no one better take her picture. She didn't feel like smiling tonight. Or interacting with people in general. She wanted to avoid having to talk to anyone. Hell, she wouldn't even know what to say.

'Oh yeah, well my mom is dead, and my dad pressured me into going to college here, so now I'm stuck in this hellhole.'

Or.

'I don't even want to be here because my sponsor is here, and he humiliated me in front of a large crowd and national television.'

None of the conversation starters she has would go well. She wasn't built for this. She joined EcoTech to do science, not play dress up and swoon rich men into doing something decent like donating to charity. It was humiliating.

"Good afternoon, St. Canard." The sharp dinging of a spoon against a crystal glass silenced the room. Dr. Ainsley began his introduction. "It is my distinct honor to present our annual SciNet Banquet."

Kimbra grew bored with hearing the reptile introduce all the sponsors and donors. She didn't care too much for it. Her eyes wandered around the room, surveying it. Seeing what would be the quickest exit.

And her eyes met Bud's.

Well. This is awkward.

She looked away from him and without a hint of regret in her motions—Kimbra quickly downed a nearby glass of champagne in one swallow. She shouldn't have come to this thing sober.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Kimbra looked down at the now empty glass, rotating it ever so slightly, so it glittered in the subtle lights.

It's hard to know what to do in this situation. Everything was wrong about this.

There's no way this can be real.

The tension between them had gotten to a point where it was unbearable. Kimbra tried her best not to meet Bud's unwavering gaze. She really really did. She wanted to ignore it. Pretend he didn't exist.

And yet, he was the only thing that crossed her mind.

Throughout the night, he'd glance at her. She'd catch him, give him a dirty look, and hope he'd knock it off. But he didn't.

Don't look at me like that. I'm not the bad guy here.

Why was he even doing this? Searching for an opportunity to humiliate her further?

Surely not.

Yet what else could he possibly want?

Maybe he's obsessed with you and just wants your attention. You're just an ornament. It's the only reason why he bothers with you. To help his own image. He's used you before. One time too many. He's gonna do it again.

Not a very reassuring thought.

She, however, found the room suffocating. All of a sudden, this entire situation was just too much.

She had to force herself to walk away.

I need to leave.

Leslie, who had stumbled in at the end of Ainsley's introduction, noticed Kimbra's fidgeting and uneasiness. "Something wrong?"

"No, I just… need a breath of fresh air. I'll be right back."

"I'll be here."

The scientist's heels clicked against the hard marble floor as she headed for the French doors that lead out into the courtyard. Unsurprisingly, to the scientist, no one had noticed her absence. She wasn't important enough for them to care.

Kimbra puffed out a breath filled with exasperation. But the uneasy feeling wouldn't go away. It stuck to her like glue.

Why did he keep looking at her? Did he know she knew he was looking? Is he angry? Is he wanting to talk about something? Why can't he just leave her alone? Did Dr. Ainsley notice? Did anyone else notice?

All these questions swirled in her mind, dizzying her. There was simply no way to explain this.

She didn't care about him. Not at all.

"Kimbra!" She heard him call after her. "Kimbra wait!"

Great, him again. Of course, he caught up with her.

She exhaled through clenched teeth. She wasn't sure what to say in return.

As if he cared. But he didn't.

"Stop following me around." She stopped in front of a large stone fountain, keeping her eyes away from the salesman and focused on the water. The crisp October air blew her purple hair off her shoulders.

Bud could sense a slow anger radiating from Kimbra as he made his way over. "I just wanted to make sure you're okay." He waited with anticipation for her to turn around or say something back.

"No Bud," she spat irritably, finally turning around to glare daggers at him. "I'm not okay because you keep looking at me. You also hurt me the other day with that stunt you pulled."

His voice now hushed to a tone where it's almost completely unrecognizable as his own. "I'm sorry."

He looked absolutely miserable. Still, she was apprehensive.

And Kimbra seriously didn't want to hear it. "I would have never done that to you."

Bud paused and a flash of remorse flashed across his eyes. "I know, and I already said I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Y'know, people make mistakes."

"Not everyone insults their best friend in front of the whole damn city and then acts weird when she gets a boyfriend!" Kimbra was still hurt from the speech incident, but mostly was angry with his attitude towards Ross.

"It was just a joke, and I'm not acting weird."

"Yes you are!" She clenched her fists and raised her voice. Ready to defend herself by all means necessary. "You're passive-aggressive towards Ross and I really don't appreciate it."

"He's a terrible person, and frankly I don't think he's right for you." It's a lie, but it's also the truth.

Bud didn't know Ross Spector on a personal level, but what he did know is the man wasn't right for Kimbra. It would only be a matter of time before she would come to her senses and realize what kind of person the scientist was.

He could see in her eyes that she was angry. Angry at him .

"Oh? And who's right for me? You?"

Apparently, it's what everyone here thinks.

There's a long, long silence.

He looked down, a hint of shame etching his features. "I didn't necessarily say that."

"Please don't tell me you followed me out here just so you can talk me out of dating Ross."

"No, I came to check on you. Why the hell are you being so defensive?" He wanted her to answer, but he couldn't force her.

They both knew there was more to it than that.

"Because I don't trust you! Not after you humiliated and degraded me! And now I think you're trying to sabotage my relationship because once you can't have me, you throw a fit."

"That's not—"

"Admit it," Kimbra dared to take a step towards him. "You're manipulative and worry about how others perceive you, so you threw me under the bus to make you feel better about yourself. You're also afraid I won't need you anymore, and that scares the living hell out of you because for once in your life someone cares about you."

Bud said nothing, only kept his gaze into the scientist's blue eyes. He didn't trust himself to speak.

I hate that you know me so well.

"We still need to talk about your boyfriend."

"I'm still done talking about it."

He wondered why, but didn't ask. "Well I'm not."

"It doesn't concern you and again , I'm done talking about my boyfriend with you."

Once more, Bud kept quiet. Instead, he let her talk.

"You've been looking at me all night." Kimbra continued, not sure what caused his sudden bout of silence. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

She could see the uncertainty on his face as he tried to figure out how to explain.

"Because I don't understand why you despise me out of nowhere."

They were fighting. Not a great sign.

"It's not out of nowhere. I told you from the start that I don't like you!" Kimbra pointed out with a dramatic wave of her hand.

He had known that from the very beginning. Kimbra openly expressed her hatred towards him.

For the third time, Bud said nothing. Leaving room for Kimbra to continue with her outrage.

"We can never be friends again."

" Kimbra ." The words came out hoarse.

"Don't talk or even look at me for the rest of the night. Goodnight Mr. Flud." She felt his eyes on her as she walked back to the banquet hall. A quick wave of her hand and Kimbra was gone.

Bud heard her grumble a few profanities as she went back inside the banquet hall.

Well, this was fun for a minute.

Those last words sent a surprisingly sharp pain through Bud's chest. Goodnight Mr. Flud. She never called him that. Okay, well, that showed how much Kimbra had forgiven him.

He shouldn't be thinking about her.

But he does so anyway.

He didn't really have a real reason to feel the way that he did.

Fine, it's whatever. He'll just go with it.

So, what will you do?

Straightening the sleeves of his suit jacket, the salesman headed back inside the hall. All he wanted to do was get this over and done with, so he could head home. Maybe leaving her alone would be the best option.

Unfortunately for her, he wasn't going to do that.

I hate that I still care what you think about me.

Something had been, off, about her lately. Probably Dr. Spector filling her head with lies, so he can snatch EcoTech secrets.

Stop. Assuming the worst isn't helping.

He just didn't want her to end up hurt.

Was she on the path to shutting him out?

Perhaps. Can you blame her?

She would be so much happier without you around.

So, he'll watch from the sidelines. He'll keep his distance for now. Never mind how much it killed him to do so. He had never suffered from such problems before.

Maybe Bud Flud was much more attached to the purple haired beauty than he realized. Maybe there was a bit of truth to what she had said.

That doesn't mean he's anywhere near ready to admit it out loud.

Last night hadn't exactly gone as planned. Not that she had big plans for it anyway.

For the rest of the event, Bud was nowhere to be seen, as expected. Good because she would rather not be anywhere near him. They aren't talking at all.

And people began to notice. It shouldn't matter, but it does.

Sometimes these things become forgotten, lost to the ever winding spirals of time. More often than not, they are never spoken of again. But not this situation, oh no, the gossiping staff at EcoTech refused to let such a thing die.

Kimbra dreaded going into work. She managed to get through the day so far, only snapping at a few employees who rightfully deserved it. Testing for C.O.R.E went smoothly today. The team managed to stay on schedule and not horribly disappoint their project director.

Kimbra and Leslie walked through the halls, heading back to Kimbra's office. To no one's surprise, Leslie pestered her about the Bud Flud ordeal.

"What's with you and Bud?" Leslie shoved her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. She watched Kimbra's face morph into disgust, and bit back a laugh.

"There's nothing with me and Bud." Nothing. There was nothing there.

She really didn't want to see him today. Not after last night.

It's strange how feelings can change in the blink of an eye. First, she despised him. Wanted nothing to do with him. Then she grew fond of him slowly, and considered him her friend. And then he sabotaged it all, just to make himself look good. Another disappointment to muster through.

God, she really did hate him.

Some things just weren't meant to be.

They could feel the gradual space growing between them. Becoming strangers once more.

And Kimbra hated being the subject of rumors. She had been so very, very tired of it all. Tired of people assuming her and Bud had something going on. That they were having a lover's splat. Someone said she was pregnant and wanted to keep it, but Bud didn't, so that's why they were feuding.

It's been too long of a day for this.

Leslie pressed on the matter even further. "It's just weird that you two aren't talking anymore."

As they walked down the hall, Kimbra couldn't help but reflect as to how she ended up here. Having to explain her weird relationship with that annoying water bottle salesman. The whole thing made her tired.

"It's not weird. He's an ass and I don't want anything to do with someone like that."

"I thought you liked him?"

God, not this again. I'm gonna lose my mind.

"I don't like him!" Kimbra snapped, but the result of not paying attention to where she was going, resulted in her bumping into the broad chest of a tall figure.

"Crap, I am so sorry—" She pulled away slightly and looked up at them.

Looking down at her, the man with the slick black hair and dark eyes. He smelled clean, but the lingering scent of a tacky cologne and hair gel drifted across Kimbra's nose. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but was prompted to close it. Like he was uncomfortable and afraid to say something that would set her off.

Kimbra felt her face grow hot.

A soft blush painted her cheeks. She brushed past him, walking faster through the hall, almost leaving her feline friend behind. She had to get away from Bud. Retreat to her office, which wasn't far away. Hide out there until the workday is over. Or never show her face in public again.

Kimbra heard clipped footsteps coming down the hallway from behind her.

Oh god, what if that's Bud?

It wasn't.

But thankfully, Leslie caught up with the canine, stunned. "Oh my god, what was that?"

Embarrassment. Rage. Who knows?

"Shut it." Kimbra held up the collar of her white lab coat, in an attempt to hide her face.

That certainly didn't help the whole 'Kimbra likes Bud' rumor.

"Your face is so red right now."

"I said, shut it."

The corner of Leslie's mouth curled up slightly. "I'm sure even you noticed he hasn't kept his eyes off you."

Of course, I've noticed. Everyone's noticed.

Kimbra couldn't help the scoff that escaped her.

Why is he looking at me anyway?

He kept looking at her. Of course, he would.

Stop looking at me.

He had no right to look at her like that.

"I'll be in my office if you need me." The words sounded hollow even to her own ears. "I really have a lot of work to do."

She didn't actually have any work to do, but she was out of energy to socialize anymore.

Kimbra slammed her office door and pulled the blinds closed.

What a disaster of a day.

A tired sigh blew through her lips as she sat down at her desk. She wanted to avoid dealing with anything concerning Bud right now. She was sick of him. Her thoughts seemed to circle back around Bud and his recent behavior.

What the hell was going on with him?

What's going on with me?

And most of all, why did he care?

I really can't do this anymore.

Finally, the truth.

It seemed that they were, after all, incapable of working together as a team. They were incapable of being friends. They're too different. She was a woman of science. Lover of nature. She cared for others. Despised capitalism and when people profited off others.

Bud was a man of business. He didn't care for anyone but himself. He thrived off capitalism and profited off the less unfortunate.

Getting involved with Bud Flud was really the dumbest decision Kimbra Wulfe had ever made. And she had regretted every moment of it. All the bickering back and forth. How he had no respect for her or her work. The lies and deception. Not being able to trust his word or that he won't embarrass you for his own gain. The way he made her feel.

But she also liked being around him sometimes. She liked their bantering back and forth. The way he'd look at her and smile. Their mutual love of baseball and wanting more in life than what the world gave them. How she could talk to him about anything without feeling judged (or used to).

Kimbra had never felt more conflicted in her life.

I want this to stop. I'm sorry.