This happens to be my first Harvest Moon fic, yay! I would like to thank Jean Cooper and Prologue helping me out with this story! You girls rule! :3

Disclaimer: I had nothing to do with the making of Harvest Moon.

He looked at me, his eyes watery. Something was wrong, I just knew it. He never cried, not at all. So this had to be big. He took my hand into his larger one and rubbed his thumb across my fingers. I was dying inside. Why couldn't he just spit it out?

"Claire…"

Oh, the way he said my name. It sounded as though he was dreading what he was about to tell me.

"Y…Yes?" I stammered.

He sighed, his eyes closing painfully. I stared at him, waiting for his eyes to open. I loved his eyes. People say your eyes are the windows to your soul. But not his. You had to look deep into them long enough to figure out what he was feeling. His eyes were different, they were beautiful. He opened his lovely orbs and all I could see was pain. I mentally cringed. I hated seeing him in pain, it almost ruined me. What was wrong?

"Claire, I…I'm moving."

My eyes went wide, "What?" I wasn't expecting that.

"I'm sorry," He said, looking away. "But since I don't want to work for my father's company, he's making me move to Mineral Town. You know the place, right? Well, he said that we have a relative over there that has offered me a job, and would appreciate it if I went over there right away so I can start. I'm leaving in two days."

It felt as though a bus had ran me over, leaving large tire tracks across my heart. I knew he didn't want to follow his father's career path. But I never knew his lousy excuse for a father would make him move away. Away from his home. Away from…me. In only two days!

"And you're leaving?" Why did I sound so calm? I definitely didn't feel that way inside.

He looked me in the eyes. "Yes."

I looked away, not wanting to look into his beautiful eyes any longer, even though I knew this would probably be the last time I would be able to stare into them.

Mineral Town was days away, not including the time it took to take a boat across the ocean to get there. I heard a lot of people in the city talking about the place.

"Why? Why do you have to go all the way over there? Can't you wait until we are out of high school? I mean, we'll be graduating soon. You could always stay and find a job here."

"My father is making me go, Claire. I didn't say I wanted to go."

"Since when did you start listening to your father?!" I was almost in hysterics now.

"I'm only seventeen; I have to listen to him."

And then something hit me. "This isn't just about you not wanting to take over his company, is it? It's about me too."

He squeezed my hand, hard. "…Yes."

I knew it. I knew this whole time. His father never liked me. My family didn't belong to upper class like his family. He looked down on me, like I was a piece of chewed up gum that got stuck to the bottom of his four-hundred-dollar pair of Ralph Lauren loafers. His father didn't want his son and I to get any more involved than what we already were.

"So you're just going to let him do this? Make you leave and ridicule me. YOUR girlfriend for the past four years. Is that it?"

"Claire, I would never let him ridicule you and get away with it. I told him off, but he just got angrier."

"Well, you'll be turning eighteen next winter; you'll be able to come back. He won't be able to tell you what to do anymore."

He took my other hand in his and looked me straight in the eye. "Claire, you know I love you," He offered a weak smile. "But I don't think I'll want to come back to the city. You know how I am. I don't think I'll be able to hold a job here. Maybe I could do better in a small town. There won't be as many people there that I would have to talk too. You know how I am around other people."

So this was the reason why he wouldn't be coming back? He thought he wasn't good enough for a job in the city?! I swear I could have punched his father in the face right about now. After all, he was the cause of my boyfriend's utter self-consciousness. He had absolutely no confidence in himself what-so-ever.

"I think you would do great in the city. We could move in together." I had to constantly remind him that he was good enough, that he could do anything that he put his mind too. I had to mend the wounds his father had inflicted upon his self-confidence. If I didn't, who else would?

He gave me a soft smile. "You never give up on me," He said quietly. "Why can't you come with me, to Mineral Town? It could just be you and me, Claire."

He wants me to leave with him? Leave my family? What about my education? Wait…scratch that. I wouldn't be able to afford college. Even on a scholarship, the extra costs for books and supplies would kill my parents and my savings.

"I don't think I'm ready for that. I want to graduate high school, and try to get a college education. And what about my parents? I love them too much to leave them right now. They have 

done so much for me as it is." I would give anything to be with him, but how could I move so far away from my own loving family?

"You could always visit." He sounded hopeful. I shook my head in response. It would cost too much for me to travel all the way over there. "So, I guess this is goodbye, then," He asked, letting go of my hands. His arms fell to his sides and he stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do next.

Tears were filling the rims of my eyes. They would be falling any minute now. "I guess so."

He shuffled closer to me, wrapping his arms around my body, bringing me close to him. "I love you."

I wanted to say that I loved him. I wanted to say his name and look into his beautiful eyes. I wanted so much. But I just couldn't bring myself to say those three words to someone who I would probably never see again. I pushed myself away from him and looked at the ground. It took every ounce of my being to force myself not look up at his face. How could he do this to me? Didn't he know how much he meant to me? What this would do to me?

The tears started falling then, and I couldn't stop them. I turned on my heel sharply, and began running. Hot, salty tears blurred my vision, but that didn't stop me. I could hear him calling my name, but he didn't run after me like I thought he would. Maybe he thought it was better this way; that we wouldn't have that awkwardness between us when he finally caught up to me. I kept running, with no idea as to where I was going. I just had to get away. Away from him.

I forced the tears in my eyes to disappear before they escaped. I couldn't cry over this, the last time I had talked to him, not while I had an audience. I leaned over the boat railing, extending my hand into the cool, blue ocean water. Cool mist swept across my face as I leaned over the railing even more.

"Miss, I wouldn't do that if I were you. You could go overboard." I straightened myself out and turned around. The boat driver, Zack, was staring right at me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

He stared at me for a couple of more seconds before returning his gaze to the open ocean ahead of us. "We'll be arriving in Mineral Town shortly."

Mineral Town, of course. I almost forgot why I was on this dinky boat, out in the middle of the ocean with a stranger who looked like a championship wrestler who could break me in half without even breaking a sweat.

I learned that a farm was up for sale in Mineral Town while reading the newspaper one morning. I immediately thought of him. It's been four years since I last saw him. Four years since he told me that he had to move away. It made my heart ache just thinking about it.

When I saw the ad, I practically leaped up with joy. I couldn't believe that I might be able to see him again. So I up and quit my job, which was being a waitress at a local coffee shop (My prediction was right, my college education didn't go so well), and I used most of my savings to buy the farm that sounded promising. The rest of my savings were in one of the few suitcases full of the necessities that I had brought with me.

I was so stupid for not leaving with him four years ago. My life wasn't that great after he left. I went through my senior year in a daze. I didn't even bother spending time with any of my friends, and for that, I lost them all. Before I knew it, I was graduating. I got a scholarship for college, but like I said, the costs were just too high for my family and I to afford. So I ended up in a quaint little café serving fat-free cappuccinos and iced coffee. And there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of him, my first and only love. I always wondered if he thought of me every day as well.

But, I guess that's why I was on this boat. Well, that, and to try out the farming life. It couldn't be that bad, could it? Definitely better than my waitressing job, that's for sure.

"We're here," Zack stated, interrupting my thoughts.

As soon as he pulled the boat up to the one lone dock, he immediately jumped out and tied it to one of the two tie-offs on the dock. He helped me out of the tiny vessel and retrieved my suitcases from the storage compartment. Zack set them down on the dock next to me and pulled something out of one of his pockets.

"Here, it's a map of Mineral Town. Even though it's a tiny village, you can still get lost."

I gently took the map out of his meaty hands, all the while staring at him. Zack was not of normal height. He was hovering over me by at least seven inches. And I was five foot, five inches. His tan, beefy arms were uncovered and they looked quite…menacing. But now that I had a good look at him, his face looked gentle and caring. His brown hair stood straight up. I wonder how much hair gel he used everyday…

"I'll be by your farm later to show you how to ship things."

Ship things?

He must have seen my questioning expression, but he asked nothing of it. He gave me a small nod and headed off towards a brown shack next to the dock. I grunted and unfolded the map to take a quick look at it. Zack's gentle and caring face did nothing to uphold his personality. When I finally located the farm –my new home- on the map, I trudged across the sandy beach, struggling with my three heavy suitcases.

It took me forever, but I finally located my farm. And let me tell you something, this farm looked nothing like how it was described in that newspaper ad. Lousy newspapers. Why I outta…

"Hello there!"

I screamed. Loud. I whipped around to see some short, stout man standing under the entranceway of my farm.

"Oh, so sorry about that." It looked as though he was smiling at me, but his thick brown mustache hid his mouth. "I'm Thomas, the mayor of Mineral Town."

"You scared me half to death," I said, catching my breath.

The man's eyebrows shot up, both touching the rim of the small red hat that lay atop of his round head. "Yes, I'm aware of that," He replied. "Any who, you are the woman who bought the farm?"

Who else would I be? "Yes."

To my surprise, he started laughing hysterically. "What's so funny?"

"I…can't…believe…you…fell for that ad!" He wiped a few stray tears from his cheeks. "Every now and then, tourists will come here and take a look at this old farm. But once they see it, they high tail it right out of here. Hahaha, I still can't believe this!"

Oh, now he was just getting on my nerves. What was this guy's problem? Did he like making fun of young woman? If there was a very heavy object in my reach, I'm sure I would have hit him upside the head with it. Wait, I have suitcases! If only if I could lift them above my head…

Seeing the way I eyed him, and then my suitcases, Thomas got the hint. "Whoa, whoa. Don't need to go to extremes, now. I'll stop."

I grunted, crossing my arms. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to welcome you to Mineral Town, and to offer you a few tips to get started."

Ugh. I didn't even know if I wanted to stay here. I cringed at the sight of the field. Tree stumps, branches, weeds, rocks and other debris littered the large area. It would take me days to clean that up, not to mention all the energy I would be using to do so. "What if I don't want to stay here?"

His eyes widened. "Why not? You already bought the farm, why not give it a chance?" His eyes sparkled.

Apparently he wanted someone to take over this farm. Bad.

I shrugged my shoulders, "It couldn't hurt." It's not like I had anything to go back too.

He clapped his hands together, "Marvelous!" The next words he spoke came out rather quickly, and I had to strain my ears to understand them. "First off, I think you should meet everyone in town; do some exploring. Then, buy some seeds at our local supermarket or maybe even buy yourself a chicken to help you get started. Everyone here is very friendly, and I'm sure if you asked them, they would be more than welcome to help."

"Okay." So, maybe he was actually helping me. I had no idea what I was to do when it came to farming. I'd take all the help I could get. "Thanks."

"You are very welcome," He said cheerfully, walking out of the farm. "Come visit me anytime," He yelled over his shoulder. Yeah, like that'll happen.

I slammed the door to my one room house and ran a hand through my hair. Seriously, one room? There wasn't even a kitchen in there! No bathroom, no telephone. And there were only four channels available on the television, FOUR! How did the person living here before me survive? Well, at least there was a bed and a table with chairs in there. I let out a sigh of relief. At least the unpacking had gotten done. There wasn't much for me to unpack, so it only took me a couple of hours to get everything situated.

I took out the map of Mineral Town, deciding to take a look at the small town. It wasn't very big, just like that Zack guy said.

Mental note: Do NOT get on Zack's bad side!

Anyway, there were about ten stores in the village, which I thought was a lot considering how tiny it was. There was a library, a clinic, a church, a general store, a winery, an inn, a blacksmith's, and two other farms that occupied the area. There were other buildings among the stores, but they didn't look that important.

Where would he be working? My heart twisted painfully at the thought of him. Would he still be here? Had he forgotten about me? Does he still love me, or have I just become a forgotten memory? Before I knew it, there were tear stains on the weathered paper I was clutching in my hands. No, I couldn't think these things. I had to stay strong and positive. I just knew he still loved me, why wouldn't he? I wiped the tears from my eyes and trekked out of my farm.

I furrowed my brows as I read the sign next to the first building that I had happened upon. It was the blacksmith's. I suddenly felt very frustrated; he didn't even tell me where he was going to be working at. Well, it shouldn't be too hard; this isn't a very big place. I just hoped he was still here. I took a deep breath and placed my hand on the doorknob, opening the door.

First off, the room was hot. And it smelled like copper, and sweat. Yuck.

I approached an older, white-haired man who was standing behind a counter fiddling with some sort of tool. "Hello, I'm Claire."

The man looked up at me and eyed my hand that was extended out, waiting for him to take it. He gave me a small smile and grabbed my hand firmly with his large, calloused one. "Hello there. You must be the new girl everyone's been talking about." Ugh. People were already talking about me? He let my hand go. I wiped my soot covered hand on my overalls. "I'm Saibara. If you have a tool that needs to be upgraded or fixed, bring it to me."

I smiled. "I'll do that."

"Hmph. I'm sorry you couldn't meet my grandson; he's over at the mines obtaining some ores for me. I had to get him out of my hair somehow; he just makes a huge mess of things." Saibara crossed his arms over his chest. "Gray can be such a pain sometimes," He stated, talking to himself.

I froze.

Gray.

"Wh…What?" I stuttered.

The older man looked at me weirdly. "I was talking about Gray, my grandson."

So he was still here. And he was working…as a…blacksmith?

"…Oh."

He started fiddling with the same tool again. "If you don't mind, I have some important work to finish. Come back anytime, I'm always free to talk when I'm not working."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I practically ran out of there, slamming the door loudly behind me. The guy must have thought I was crazy or something. I pressed my back up against the cool stone of the building and breathed in slowly. I closed my eyes and tried recollecting my thoughts. Gray stayed here like he said he was going to do. This was the job his father forced him into four years ago? A blacksmith? Not that I have anything against blacksmiths, but, I just thought Gray would go on to something bigger than that. I thought he would want something bigger than that. But I guess I was wrong.

My eyes flew open. I needed to get away from here. He might have been coming back at any moment. I definitely wasn't ready to confront him, not yet. I would avoid him at all costs. I might not be able to avoid him for too long, since the size of this village, but I could definitely stay away from him for a good amount of time. I pushed myself off the building and hurriedly walked over to the farm across from me.

Apparently this was the poultry farm. I quickly walked through the door, out of breath.

Okay, so, the family who owned the poultry farm was a little weird. How could I describe the son, Rick? One word: Nerdy. What was up with that headband he was wearing? Was it to keep the hair out of his face? Well I have some advice for him, he should just cut it. And Popuri, his sister. What was up with her pink hair? Their mom, Lillia, had pink hair too. Weird colored hair, but a very friendly woman. I liked her. I guess their father went away to find some medicine for Lillia, who had some disease that made her weak. I do hope he comes back soon with a cure.

I took out the map again. Whoa, when did I walk all that distance? I was already at Doug's Inn. Whoever that was. I reached for the door, but someone opened it before I could grab it. The person collided into me before I could notify them that I was standing there. "Oof," I stumbled backwards a little.

"S…Sorry…"

I looked up at the voice and almost gasped. This boy's face was contorted in such sadness that it almost made me want to cry. He had long brown hair that was pulled back into a messy ponytail. His eyes were a dark chocolate brown color that showed much pain and sorrow. What was wrong with this boy? I didn't have time to ask him his name for he pushed passed me quite fast and walked down the cobblestone path, not even glancing back at me.

What a nice introduction.

I yanked the door open and stepped through. I almost walked into a red-headed girl.

"Oh! You must be the new girl who bought the farm!" She said enthusiastically.

She knew too? Geez, everyone must know me. "Yeah...I'm Claire."

"Hi," She said, tossing her head to the side, making her ponytail swish around, "My name's Ann. I work here with my dad. How awesome of you to stop by!"

Her voice was a little loud, but very sweet. The overalls she was wearing looked a lot like mine. I wasn't much for fashion, and it looked like she wasn't either. "I have an idea! Why don't you stay and I'll have my dad fix you his specialty? You'll love it!"

What was I suppose to say to that? I didn't want to seem rude, so I agreed. "…Sure."

She went through a door in the back of the large room and came back a few minutes later. She gestured me to a table and sat down. I pulled out a chair next to her and sat down, feeling a bit awkward. "So, what made you buy that farm?"

I tensed. I didn't really want to tell her the biggest reason as to why I came here. She obviously seen the pained look on my face and she immediately frowned. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have asked such a personal question."

"No, no. It's okay. There are plenty of reasons why I came here."

She smiled. "Well, maybe you can tell me about them some other time, then."

I returned the smile and relaxed. I decided that I was going to like Ann.

Ann's father, Doug, came out with his 'specialty' a little while later. "Here you go, Claire." He set the plates on the table: Cheese fondue, apple pie, and grape juice. "Eat up!"

I did what I was told. Doug's food was excellent. Never in my life had I ate something this good. "That was wonderful, Doug. How do you do it?"

He gave out a hearty laugh. "I just like to make things. I think it comes naturally. But, thanks."

"I'm glad you liked it Claire," Ann said, "It's good to have a nice meal, isn't it?"

I nodded and gave her a smile. Before I could even ask, Doug added, "This one's on the house. Just make sure you come back often, Ann would sure love the company!"

Ann blushed, "Dad!"

"I will!" And I would. I needed a friend, and I thought Ann would be a very good one.

As I walked out the door, I looked back and gave the red-head a small wave; shutting the door behind me soon after.

The sun was already setting, giving off a faint orange-yellow glow. I checked my wristwatch. Four-thirty. Wow. Where did the time go?

I looked around for a moment. Did I have enough time to go somewhere else and then make it back to my house before it got dark? I shrugged. I guess I would find out. I turned to my left and started walking down the cobbled path. It was quite peaceful, hearing no noise of automobiles or people screaming. I was beginning to like this. I turned left, onto another path.

The sun was setting fast, and I hesitated for a moment. Maybe I should just go back home before it got dark. I didn't want to get lost. But I kept walking straight, with my head down. No, I was going to turn around. No way was I going to get lost. If I was to keep going, I wouldn't know where I would end up. After all, the map would be pretty hard to read when it was dark.

I sighed and looked up, just in time to run into something rock hard.

I fell, waiting to hit the hard brick. But, there was no impact. Hah. This has to be what, the third person I ran into today? I cracked my eyes open to see two huge, ocean-blue eyes staring at me intently. My breath caught in my throat. I knew those eyes. Those eyes that were so deep that I thought I could just dive into them and never hit the bottom, like the deep depths of the ocean.

Gray.

"Are you okay?" His voice was a tad bit deeper than when I last heard it.

It's been so long.

"I…uh…I'm all right."

He pulled me to my feet and let me go, much to my disappointment. Why hasn't he noticed me yet? It can't be due to the light, there was still plenty of it. But how I wish it was dark enough so that I could blame it on that.

"Um…You must be new here. I'm Gray. And you are…?" He adjusted the hat on his head so that it covered his eyes.

I felt like someone slapped me across the face. He didn't recognize me. How could I've been so stupid? I should have never come here. Without even telling him my name, which he should have known, I whipped around and started running. I didn't know which direction I ran in, but I didn't really care. I don't even think he followed me.

Just like last time.

I slowed to a stop. Somehow I had made it all the way to Mineral Beach. I plopped down on the dock and let my feet dangle carelessly over the edge. And then I bawled my eyes out, loudly. At that moment, I really didn't care if anyone could hear me. I just needed to get it all out.

After about an hour of useless blubbering, I finally got myself off the dock and walked home. I collapsed onto my bed, not even caring to change into my night clothes.

I cried myself to sleep.

Ugh. I was dreading this day all summer:

First day of high school…as a freshman.

I didn't want to go. Not at all. I was afraid that I wouldn't fit in. That no one would like me. I was experiencing this on my own. I had no friends really; I was sort of an outcast. Most of the people I went to school with based friendship on material things. If you didn't wear a certain brand, you could forget about having them as friends. But, I didn't really care. I wouldn't want friends like that anyway.

The high school was in walking distance of my house. Thank goodness. I hated the bus and I just loved walking. The fresh air does a person good. So that's what I'm doing now. Walking, to school. Well more like a turtle walk. I had no desire to get to school anytime soon.

Too bad though, I was already standing in front of it. And…I was about fifteen minutes early. I gave out a long, dramatic sigh before I walked up the steps and through the school doors. Even though it was early, there were many students shuffling around the school. Why would anyone want to be here early? Beats me.

I recognized some people from my eighth grade class walking around with some people I never saw before. I kept my head down as I walked. I didn't want anyone noticing me. Not like they would.

I didn't know if I should wander around aimlessly, or actually ask someone where I should go or what I should do. I chose the latter. I didn't want to look like an idiot. Now, should I ask a teacher or a student?

I walked down the long hallway littered with a couple of stray students until I saw a white sign labeled: 'School Office' in large, black letters. I walked into the room and stood there awkwardly, waiting for someone to acknowledge me. After waiting for about five minutes with no one even looking in my direction, I walked up to a small desk in which an old lady sat behind.

I faked a cough to get her attention, but apparently that didn't work. "Um…uh…Excuse me, ma'am?"

The woman looked up from her sappy romance novel and stared straight into my eyes. I could see where her makeup line met her actual skin. Her lipstick was a bit too dark for her pasty complexion. The way she wore her eyeliner made it seem as though she didn't know how to put it on. Her eye shadow was so dark that if I were to wipe some off, you still wouldn't be able to see her skin. Her scraggly whitish-blonde hair sat right on top of her head in an ugly bun. Her face reminded me of an old clown someone would have nightmares about. It made me want to puke all over her face. At least it would have been an improvement.

"What?" Her voice was nasally and squeaky. Major headache.

"I…um…I was wondering where I was supposed to go. I…uh… I'm a freshman."

"All students must report to their homerooms when school begins."

"Would…Would you mind telling me where my homeroom is?"

"You are already supposed to have that information."

She scared me.

"I…I know. But I lost it." This was true. My dad had thrown it away days ago.

She let out an exasperated sigh and started tapping away on her keyboard. "Name."

"Huh?"

"I need your name, please." I knew it hurt her to add the 'please' at the end of that. This lady was just horribly nasty!

"Oh, sorry. Claire Anastasia Bradley."

She tapped her keyboard some more. "Homeroom: Miss Greenwood. Room two-oh-one, second floor."

"Thank you," I said, giving her a small smile.

"Hmph." She didn't even look up at me. She went back to her cheap romance novel. I groaned inwardly to myself. I felt bad for her grandchildren.

I walked back towards the door and opened it, just as someone yelled out from behind me. "Hey!"

I turned around, walking backwards through the door. I scanned the room quickly, seeing only the sight of a tall boy clapping another boy on the back. I turned back around sharply, feeling stupid for thinking someone was actually talking to me.

I ran into something soft and warm.

"Oh!" I stumbled back, dazed. A pair of well-toned arms grabbed me by the shoulders, stopping me from falling backwards. I immediately put my head down and stared intently at the floor. "Sorry…"

Me and my clumsiness. I was already running into people here, and it was only my first day. The person hovering over me chuckled and loosened their grip on my shoulders. "It's all right."

I turned around and looked up, seeing the most beautiful eyes I had ever laid sight on. They were the color of the deepest parts of the ocean and they're depth was endless. I thought I could get lost in them right where I stood.

I was lost for words.

"I'm Gray Walters. And you are?"

Wait- Gray Walters? As in Gray Walters, the son of Liam Walters, big time stock broker and founder of The Walters Exchange? Oh yes, I knew all about him; I was interested in what Walters did for a living. Liam Walters was huge. His company was advertised in every magazine, newspaper, and television commercial you could think of. How could you not know him? And why was his son in this tiny little public high school? I would think he would be in some rich, snobby private school. Huh.

"Claire Bradley."

"Hi Claire," He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Is this your first year here?" Was I making him nervous?

He didn't seem stuck-up at all. "Uh…yeah. I'm a freshman. Are you?"

"Yes," He said, moving his head ever so slightly that the light made his reddish-brown hair shine. "Who…who do you have for homeroom?"

Someone walked up behind Gray and lightly tapped him on the shoulder. When he looked back, the girl blushed and stood there. He grabbed my arm and tugged on it gently. He pulled me out into the hall, giving the girl enough room to get through the doorway we were standing in. He let go of my hand and crossed his arms across his chest.

"So?"

"Hmmm? Oh!" I laughed, nervous. "I have Miss Greenwood."

He gave me a small smile. "Me too," He said, uncrossing his arms. Blushing, he asked, "Do…do you, uh, mind if I walk with you?"

Now it was my turn to blush. I hid my face behind the blonde curtain that was my hair. He really just asked me that? Gray Walters just asked me that? I was almost hyperventilating. Wait, I didn't even know if he was really Liam Walters' son. I wanted to know, but I didn't want to be rude, either.

"S…Sure," I said.

He looked pleased. "Great!"

I gave him a large smile.

We walked up to our homeroom, comparing schedules. Gray and I had homeroom, Biology, and English together. And I found out that he, indeed, was Liam Walters' son. I was 

pretty sure that he didn't need to tell anyone that though, his resemblance was strikingly close to his father's. Gray also said that he didn't want to go to some private school, he wanted to go to public school just like any other kid did.

Once we made it to the correct room, he sat down in the desk next to mine, conversing with me the whole time. I was rather enjoying myself. Most of the students in our homeroom were already in the room, chatting away with their friends and catching up on lost time. Plenty of the girls, which made up most of the class, eyed Gray up and down. That made me jealous, but I didn't really know why.

A lot of the kids said a few 'hello's' to Gray, which he offered in return. For his father being a millionaire, Gray sure didn't get a lot of attention. Was it because they didn't know his last name?

He kept his undivided attention on me. Why was that? I was no one special. My shoulder length, dirty blonde hair did nothing for my pale complexion. I thought my eyes were a dull blue, but my mother always said my eyes were like the sky on a cloudless day. Whatever that meant. I wore no make-up; I felt no need for it. I wasn't much for making a fashion statement. I didn't like standing out like most girls liked to do. I guess you could call me normal.

A woman, who looked to be in her twenties, walked into the room, causing the kids not in seats to rush into any open ones that were available nearby. She stopped in front of the room and eyed us all. After a few moments of silence, she finally spoke. "Hello. My name is Miss Greenwood. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next four years." Just then, Gray turned towards me and gave me a smile, showing off his pearly whites. Everything around us disappeared and I was left breathless.

I just knew this was going to be a good year. I hoped we both could be friends. He would have been the first one I had in a very long time.

I jolted up from my dream. Why did I have to dream about that? It was bad enough that that memory had to taunt me when I was awake, but now it was attacking me in my sleep. I glanced at my alarm clock on the night stand next to my bed, my eyes still sleepy. Six a.m. Why did I get up this early?

Then I heard an annoying sound. Was…someone…knocking on my door? I groaned and wiped the sleep from eyes. The skin underneath my eyes were raw and hard from the tears that dried there. I stumbled out of bed just as the rapping on my door got louder. "Coming!" I cringed at the sound of my voice. Raspy and dry.

I did my best to smooth out my hair and make myself presentable without using a mirror before I went to the door. I wrenched the wooden door open and looked up at my visitor.

So, you're probably thinking, "What's up with all of these flashbacks?" Well, they are important, due to how they show how Claire and Gray's relationship when they were younger develops. So, yes, you will be seeing a lot of them for a while. The first flashback is the last time Claire saw Gray. And then the flasbacks start going in order, first to last, all leading up to the first one you read. Don't worry, it will all make sense soon enough! :3

As for other pairings, more will develop as soon as all these plot bunnies in my head get organized. I have many ideas; though one probably won't be canon. The rest will be!

Hmm...next chapter should be up in about a week or so!