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Neo was walking down the street. It was a bright and sunny day in Burbank but lacked the high temperatures that would relentlessly assault all those who would be outside and instead emitted a gentle warmth almost like a blanket consuming one half of her body in the light while the heat gently wrapped itself around the rest of her. The plaza was abuzz with people selling their wares as the weekly local market reached its peak for the day.

"Y'know, if you keep being lost in thought like that, your ice cream will melt," Roman smirked. He was wearing a simple outfit consisting of a simple short sleeved shirt with alternating horizontal bars and black pants with some simple slip-on loafers.

Almost as if on queue Neo's ice cream began to dribble to which in her minor alarm she quickly took action cleaning the drips off of her ice cream cone only to hear further chuckling from her father.

Neo's brow furrowed and gave her best attempt at a pout "you try not getting lost in what's going on all around" she whined. "It's a beautiful day and the farmer's market has so many cool things!"

Roman just smiled apologetically and patted the air with his hands. "Okay okay kiddo I'm sorry. But hey it could be worse."

Neo frowned for a moment feeling tendrils of solemnity starting to grasp her "I really really like him, y'know. Even though it's been two weeks, I feel like something is missing when he's not there or when we aren't texting or-" Neo was interrupted as a firm hand rested on her shoulder "You're obsessed with him. I get it. It's never bad to have something that makes you happy. But you have to remember that you're about to be a high school graduate. Your life is going to change in so many ways, people who you are emotionally moored to are going to be swept by. Friends who you thought you would never stop seeing no longer there. Promises made with the greatest sincerity. Hollow." He had a neutral tone in his voice but his face betrayed a sense of pain wrapped in a bow of nostalgia.

Neo contemplates this. She knew that life would be different after high school. Every class she goes to at this point has the same conversation happening.

"What college are you going to?"

"Yeah, I'm going to Europe for the summer."

"I actually have an apprenticeship set up"

Meanwhile, all Neo has been wrapping her head around is when she is going to play video games with her friends next and Jaune.

"I'm not trying to rob you of your happiness today by talking about tomorrow," Roman said with an edge of concern in his otherwise placid tone. "I want your happiness to be long-lasting. And most importantly I don't want you to get hurt." Roman rubbed her shoulder and then continued walking as Neo kept pace.

"What am I going to do in the future?" Neo pondered. "And how long will Jaune be there for it?"

Thoughts flashed in her head. All of them not good.

"What do you mean you troll people online?" Jaune glared accusingly.

"You and your friends were the ones who ruined my night?!" He exclaimed in another instance.

"What are you even doing with your life?" Said a bitter Jaune. Disgust dripping from the last word so venomous that it could corrode steel.

Neo woke up shuddering. She felt like her body had just fallen out of her dream and back into the real world. As she took in several deep breaths her heartbeat slowed. Neo reached up to her cheek. It was damp. As she wiped away her tears she thought about the dream that turned nightmare. 'Would he accept me for who I entirely am?'

Neo wondered this for a few moments as Jaune's arm wrapped around her back. A gentle sigh escaping him and he smiled and tied to pull her closer atop his body. Neo then thought of how their night ended. Not only did her face warm up but so did the pit in her stomach.

"Good morning little lady" Jaune mumbled, his eyes not even open yet. As Jaune took in a deep sigh he released it saying "How did you sleep?"

Although Neo could have gone without the dream last night she felt more rested than she had in a very long time. Despite Jaune's lean figure, it was not muscular meaning there was still some cushion his body gave allowing her to sleep comfortably.

As Neo opened her mouth no noise came out. 'Right… I'm not dreaming anymore' she internally lamented.

Jaune opened one eye with concern looking up at her immediately followed the dawning if realization upon him. "Riiiiiight. Sorry" he smiled nervously and chuckled.

'Maybe things will last' Neo thought to herself.

After the two untangled from each other, they finished off the remaining food from their partying last night. Jaune checked his phone only for his eyes to become saucers in shock as he looked at his phone

23 missed calls

It took some time but he finally convinces his parents that not only was he safe but he also slept on the couch and will be home for dinner. Neo giggles in silence hearing him promising to mow the lawn for the next month as an apology. Eventually, the two could return to their day together. The two played LoL for the good part of the morning into lunchtime to which the two agreed to go out.

The couple walked along the plaza as the weekly farmer's market was in full stride along with the intense heat. Neo tugged at her clothing nervously as she recalled in grand detail the dream she had and was snapped out of it as Jaune led her to an eatery. After that, the two drove back to her home and spent some time packing away Jaune's things. They kissed briefly and as Jaune picks up the carrier for his PC he received the all too familiar ding! His phone would pronounce to the world as a declaration that he indeed have a social life.

Hey… I've been thinking. Neo looked on nervously as Jaune read. His face had been wrapped in a complexion of confusion and lack of clarity. "Oookaaay?" His eyebrow arched suspiciously. "What's up?

Neo types and then deleted several messages feeling though as she was taking ages

What do you think about me?

No… too self-centered sounding

What are we as a couple?

Getting closer, but still a loaded question. Neo's mind whirred till she finally sent a message

Never mind, I forgot, hehe!

She feigned a giggle and a smile and she leaned up on her tippy toes to give him a kiss to which he responded to in kind. As he held her in an embrace and said gently in her ear "well if you remember what it was, I'm all ears." To which he pulled back and smiled as they parted ways and Jaune went home.

'There is no love!' She proclaimed to herself. The girl lay face down in her pillow as she cried. The room is small, simple, and elegantly spaced as not to constrict the girl's limited space in her bedroom, optimizing the area she had at her disposal.

Pyrrha has felt like this for the last two weeks since she entered his life. Pyrrha should have been happy, supportive even. Jaune has gone through so much, so why not she celebrate his happiness?

It's because of HER that I can't! It should be me who he looks at adoringly! Pyrrha screamed internally to the unblinking, unfeeling cosmos. All that responded was more despondent and discordant heaving of breath into a now well-abused pillow she used for emotional support.

Pyrrha decided except for Senior's week she could just skip school. She had good grades not to mention plenty of days she can use for absences so she could just walk in for her finals and coast on by.

Grrrrrmmmmbl is all that Pyrrha's stomach responded with. Begrudgingly she put on a plain, gray hoodie along with her black leggings and left her house to find the nearest convenience store or fast food place. After walking a block or so she had already regretted the hoodie in this weather but it was too late to turn back empty-handed. As she turned the corner she heard footsteps rapidly approaching her from behind. Before she could respond, Pyrrha was lifted into the air with such a clean jerk that it could be only one powerlifter she knew.

"OH MY GOD, YOUR NOT DEEEEEAAAAAD" Nora exclaimed all to high heaven.

"Please.. put me down.." Pyrrha wheezed. "You're making a scene!" A plethora of people had stopped to watch this event go down. After a dissatisfied whine, Nora reluctantly put her friend down.

"Where have you been?!" The bombastic bombshell of a woman practically shouted to Phyrra who was not further than ten inches away from Nora's face.

After wincing momentarily Phyrra put on a fake smile and her normal voice to try to weasel her way out of this truly random encounter. "It's nothing to worry about! I need to grab food so I gotta go, sorry!" As she was about to turn around and leave, Nora matched pace right alongside her companion. "Well, Lady Luck is on your side today because I'm buying!" Pyrrha grunted in defeat. She knew short of homicide, Nora would not leave her alone.

After twenty minutes of walking the two finally reached a place. It was small, cheap and had outdoor seating right next to the walkway.

As the two ladies placed their orders, an odd silence looked over the two. It was only a matter of how long Nora would start.

"Listen… we miss you Pyr. And I know it sucks, but C'mon! This isn't the end of the world!"

Pyrrha stiffened trying to maintain a pleasant smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" She forced out with her usual pleasant tone.

"This isn't the best way to deal with rejection, y'know! I mean.. if you can even call it that." Nora had a point. To be rejected you had to actually ask them out. Nora leaned back into her somewhat small chair and then immediately leaned forward again to begin a new sentence equally filled with expression hand gestures as if her exuberant tone did not reveal her giddy nature enough. "Hey! This isn't the end of the world or anything! Not like you can't hang out with him anymore!"

Pyrrha leaned further forward in her chair, trying to sink into the grated wire table. 'She really saw right through me. God, this sucks'.

She contemplated before speaking. "But I can't stand to see her around him," Pyrrha growled that last part. Her facade now fully swept away. This did not make Nora happy at all. "But she makes him so happy. Even with us all being friends as long as we have, we know for a fact that he was never this… well. Alive I guess is the term for it." Nora reached out a hand delicately to Pyrrha only for the girl to snap back at the attempt with Nora recoiling.

"Alriiiight. No touching. Got it."

Pyrrha sighed anxiously to leave the conversation. "Look, even though this hurts, I can't stand to throw you into it. So please Nora. Just stop it." Pyrrha slumped forward, catching her head under her hand trying her best to look like the epitome of gloom.

Nora was apprehensive for a few minutes at awkward silence passed. She finally breached the silence and tried to restart the talk. "Listen. Whenever I get down in the dumps, Ren always brought me back. And you know what he said?"

Silence lingered. Pyrrha feigned disinterest, waiting for Nora to continue.

Nora took a deep breath and slowly exhaled before trying to look Pyrrha in the eyes to no avail given the red head's diminutive posture.

"Whenever I think I hit rock bottom or that no matter what happens that I can't recover I think back to what he said. He would always come to me with a simple smile on his face and say 'hey, don't stress. It could be worse.'"

'What does that mean?' Pyrrha thought apprehensively. 'Oh don't worry, the love of my life will never accept my love for me but hey, it could be raining so I should be happy!'

Nora frowned. "Alright, I see you don't get it. Look at it this way." Pyrrha looked up, now curious what Nora was trying to do. At some point, Nora took a pen to a napkin and drew three stick figures. One as a pair, and one by itself.

"You're not with Jaune" Nora crosses out the stick figure couple. "But you are still yourself." She then circled the singular stick figure. "You have all the things to live in this world and then some. We have great weather, good schools, good friends, and good family." Pyrrha knew that for Nora and Ren, the last two were essentially the same thing. It wouldn't be uncommon for the two to stay with friends who Christmas or summer vacation given their situation.

"Life is so much more than what we don't have." Nora continued. "Sure you aren't dating Jaune." Pyrrha winced at that."But you have so much more than that!" Nora said nervously trying to not make her friend any more miserable. Nora took a deep breath and weighed what she would say next. She was not the usual person to give life coaching to friends. That was Ren's job. With that thought, Nora slowly exhales and smiles, trying to recapture the positive note to what she was trying to elaborate. "So count your blessings. It could be worse."

'Sounds just like what I thought she was going to say…' Pyrrha thought to herself. She nodded, faking that she understood and agreed with what was being said. "Alright, you win. But just… it's going to take some time to adjust so please be patient, alright?"

After a few more minutes of talking Pyrrha could not help but notice a mop of messy blonde hair walking through the pavilion on the opposite end with the little, multi-colored haired girl who was wrapped around his arm as the two walked.

A sudden flood of sadness and despair filled Pyrrha in an instant. Nora looked to where she was staring and jumped up grabbing Pyrrha's hand. "Let's go somewhere else."

The two ended up walking in the opposite direction of the couple and silence ensues. 'What should we grab?" Nora thought to herself. 'What do I get when I'm horribly Depressed? Well, normally that's Ren, but I don't think that is the right choice.' As she pondered this she saw a homely, worn sign saying Macy's.

"Aha!" Nora exclaimed. "We are getting milkshakes!" To which Nora pulled Pyrrha in and then bought two tins of milkshakes.

"What flavor do you want?" Nora beamed. Pyrrha stood there awkwardly. She hasn't eaten here before. Greasy food and dairy products were a no go for her because of her athletics. She perused the list until she found something that at least had fruit in it. "Uuuuuuuh. Can I get the, uh, Banana Sundae?" unsure of what monstrosity she just ordered. "Oooooooh that sounds yummy! I'll get one also!" With an affirmative nod, the waitress walked away to which Nora filled all the verbal empty space with random events that went on while Pyrrha was away. She quickly tuned Nora out until their tins were delivered. They were stacked high where the ice cream went passed the tin and was stacked with whipped cream on top increasing the height of the deserts topped with chopped nuts. Both ladies were given a small serving pot each filled with hot chocolate syrup. Nora's eyes were the size of saucers as she not only poured chocolate syrup on the milkshake, but then grabbed the container of syrup and poured it all over as well.

Pyrrha was gobsmacked that this was not only an item they sold regularly but also something that was only 3.99. The only thing that shocked Pyrrha more is that Nora was already halfway done. Slowly She took her first bite. Careful to get some whipped cream, some chocolate syrup, chopped nuts, and vanilla ice cream.

It. Was. Heavenly.

Pyrrha has never eaten something this delicious her entire life. Grilled salmon and asparagus? Now bland cardboard to her as far as she could care. Salads? She now understands why very few people eat them. Kale? Fuck Kale.

She ate voraciously now starting to match pace with Nora and then it hit her. Her head ached and her locked up. A small whine escaped her as Nora just finished her tin and watched this transpire. A Knowing smile crept up her face. "Ice cream headache eh?" She devolved into a series of giggles and shortly after Pyrrha's Ache worn away into mutual laughter.

"So… didn't expect you two to be here." Said a somewhat smarmy voice. Pyrrha looked up still some giggles leaving her as she saw Cardin standing there next to their table.

"Cardin…" Pyrrha said, mirth leaving her voice. "What do you want?"

"Easy, easy!" Cardin put his hands up lazily, holding a root beer in his hand. "I come in peace."

Nora watched intently, not knowing what was going on, but figured it was best she did not interrupt.

"Well, just please tell me what you want to say and leave." Pyrrha said in a neutral tone.

"I just wanna talk to you. Privately. No offense, Nora."

"None taken!" she responded not really understanding the tone of the conversation.

"I was thinking maybe you and I could meet up sometime later and talk. Some things we need to discuss."

Pyrrha just wanted to get out of the conversation as soon as possible. But she needed to make her stance known.

"I'd really rather not. I'm sorry."

Cardin frowned. He didn't really expect to be rejected given what was needed to be talked about. "Alright. I won't push it. Sorry for bothering you two." We went to the other side of the diner and returned to his booth with his friends.

"Hey, Waitress!" Nora Shouted. "I'm ready for the tab!"

The sun was starting to set as Pyrrha went into her house. Still empty and cleaned. The way her parents always ensured it was. She went to her room to which dinner was brought up to her.

"Salmon with asparagus, ma'am." Said the maid. Pyrrha forgot her name a while ago. They rotated out every year anyhow so it did not matter much to her.

"Thank you," Pyrrha replied and waited for the lady to leave. After her door was closed she tried the food. She wanted another milkshake.