Guess I overestimated you...

Akari couldn't shake Chase's words from her mind. She felt so stupid. His hands could create something as sweet as that perfect red velvet cake, but his words always left a bitter taste. Maybe he had every reason to overestimate her. Back in high school, no one ever doubted her potential—not her family, not her friends. She was a straight-A student, ranked fifth in her class, involved in countless clubs, and held leadership roles in most. But despite their confidence, she was always plagued by insecurity. Deep down, she wished someone would tell her she didn't have to do it all. Her parents, who had so much faith in her, only realized they might have asked too much when she announced her plan: becoming a farmer on a remote island, pushing college aside for the distant future.

That's when they finally said they overestimated her.

But now she hated when people said that to her. She was upset with Chase and wanted to prove him wrong, just like she had done with her parents when she wrote them explaining how happy and successful she was living on the island. Sort of...a little embellishment never hurt anyone. But this time her heart was involved, so it was going to be a little more complicated than that. Logic and common sense are the archenemies of love. Like the saying goes: The heart wants what the heart wants.

She might've believed him if it were the first time, but it wasn't. And honestly, she couldn't entirely blame him for taking advantage of her trust—she was too easy to placate. But that didn't make it right. Maybe she was a doormat, but that didn't mean he had the right to wipe his feet on her. Rubbing her temples, she tried to quiet the noise in her head. She was tired of overthinking, tired of forgiving. So, she made a simple decision: if she caught him drinking again, it was over. Completely over.

But how could she continue this if she couldn't trust him? Always on the edge, waiting for him to screw up...

She buried her face in Scarlett's mane and lifted it as they began to approach the farmland. When her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she found Kathy pounding on her front door and Selena peering into her windows. Her animals, not exactly trained to be guard livestock, simply watched them with curiosity.

"Akari! Please open up!"

"Akari! Open the door before I kick it down!"

That last one had to be Selena. Akari couldn't help but giggle. She knew Kathy had brought her along to intimidate her. Clever, she thought. She kept watching as Selena grabbed Kathy by the shoulder and pulled her away from the door. The words Selena spoke were too far away to hear, but the expression on Kathy's face made Akari's heart sink. Kathy nodded slowly, her hands rubbing at her eyes. Akari had intended to head to Flute Fields and sit quietly by the river, but seeing her best friend like this was unbearable. With a pronounced sigh, she slid off the saddle and called out, "Kathy!"

Kathy's face lit up with relief as she rushed toward Akari, enveloping her in a bone-crushing hug. Owen's embrace had felt cold and distant, but Kathy's was warm and reassuring. It felt comforting to be held by someone who truly understood her, and Akari regretted not seeking out Kathy's support sooner. After a moment, Akari managed to gasp for breath, prompting Kathy to pull back and whack her across the head. The sudden pain made Akari's throbbing temples pulse even more intensely.

"H-hey!" She cried, puzzled by the dramatic shift in emotions.

"You deserve it!" Kathy shot back. "I called you three times yesterday. I was worried sick about you! I only knew you were alive because Chase said that you were!"

Selena strolled over and also smacked the poor girl's head. Akari could only groan in pain. "And that's in the hopes of knocking some sense into you."

"...Can you guys beat me up inside? I need some aspirin."

"Please." Selena wrinkled her nose. "I keep thinking I'm going to step in horse shhh-" Kathy covered her mouth before she could curse.

Akari fished for the key inside her rucksack and opened the door, pausing as she remembered the mountain of dirty laundry in the middle of the floor. Normally she would ask her guests to give her a few hours' notice before they came to visit so she could do a little bit of cleaning. But it was too late for that. Her appearance already screamed for help, so it would probably be understandable if her house did as well. She invited the girls in and offered them a seat on the sofa. Before sitting, Selena flung a pair of plaid boxers into the pile. Akari didn't see the point in wearing sexy underwear. Who was going to see them? Not Owen, that was for sure. She opened her medicine cabinet and shuffled through rows of cold medicine before she grabbed a small white bottle of aspirin. She emptied the contents and frowned as two pills appeared on her hand. Not nearly enough to cure this headache. She drowned the pills down her sore throat with a full glass of water.

Sore throat, bad headache...was she getting sick?

"You can really tell you're depressed, Akari," Selena commented as she glanced around the room, her movements stiff and jerky as if trying not to touch anything by accident.

"You and Chase are the rudest people, I swear," Kathy snapped. "Don't you see she's hurting?"

Akari smiled slightly as she took her spot on the bed. Instinct compelled her to seek the safety of her hot quilt, and she wrapped it around her body until she felt snug. "Can you imagine if they hooked up? Everyone would be miserable."

Selena rolled her eyes and Kathy laughed. After a few moments of silence, Kathy brought her knees to her stomach. "Hey...Owen came by today."

"Oh?" Akari replied, feigning interest. She had already received the information from Chase, but she decided to pretend this was her first time hearing it. It didn't surprise her that Owen came by to talk to Kathy. They had been best friends since birth.

"He told me he talked to you today...and he promised you he wouldn't drink anymore."

"Yeah..."

"He told me to ask my dad not to serve him any more alcohol," she persisted. Akari stopped fiddling with her chipped fingernails and looked up. Did he really go that far in order to keep his promise?

"I'm sorry," Selena chimed in. "But I think you're a fool for taking him back. I would never date an alcoholic, and I sure as hell wouldn't date someone who hit me...even once!"

Akari sighed. She was right. But she wasn't as assertive as Selena. Maybe that was the type of girl Owen needed to straighten him out. She wondered if Selena had ever been in love. Because it's so easy to say those things if you haven't, she thought.

"I don't know what to think," Kathy said. "I want to believe Owen will change, but I want you to be safe and happy, Akari. Maybe you should talk to a therapist or something. Someone unbiased."

"We don't have any therapists here," Selena said.

"Maybe Jin could be her therapist."

Selena snorted. "No. I think he needs a therapist too."

Akari wished they would stop talking. She didn't want anyone telling her what to do. She had already made her decision, even if it was the crazy, foolish thing to do. All Owen needed was motivation to stop drinking and he would. She was going to be his motivation. What he told her on the dock was beginning to make more sense to her, about love making everything easy. Another part of her was telling her she was in very dangerous territory. Chase warned her. Selena warned her. Kathy...well, she was as confused as Akari was. But she seriously wanted to believe in the power of love. Was it crazy to want that? Unrealistic?

"...I'm sorry, Akari. I know you've already thought about this a lot and here we go stressing you out even more," Kathy apologized. Akari nodded in acceptance. "Have you eaten today? You look sick."

Akari brought a clammy hand to her forehead. She felt warm, and she was sweating under her clothes, but that was probably due to the quilt. The aspirin alleviated her headache a little, but her head still felt heavy and full. "I...I ate some cake."

"Come to Harmonica Beach tonight. We're having a get-together, and there will be plenty of food," Kathy said. "Plus, it will get your mind off everything for a few hours. You need to be around people who care about you, okay?"

Akari nodded. She thought solitude was what she wanted, but she already felt a lot better with just Selena and Kathy sitting in her home. "I'll go..."

"You'll have fun. I promise."