I was in the middle of pulling weeds when he walked up to me.

"Chelsea?" He asked tentatively. I brushed my bangs off out of my eyes, and wiped my hands on my shorts. Elliot was standing awkwardly at the edge of my farmland.

"Hey Elliot! What brings you here today?" I ask, beaming at him. Elliot has a funny was of brightening my day. He's so peculiar. Elliot bites his lip and rocks back on his heels, like he always does when he's nervous. "Go on, spit it out." I encourage.

"Well, you know the fireworks festival is coming up…" He begins. My eyebrows fly up as I jump to conclusions. Elliot, ask me? Now that's something. I'm already considering all the different things I could say to him when he continues, "I um, asked Julia to go with me, and she er….agreed." I smile, relieved.

"Well that's great Elliot! Congratulations; Julia sure is lucky." Elliot turns red.

"But um…I, er….you know how there is always a dancing…segment before the fireworks begin?" I nod. "Well…..I can't dance."

I can't help but laugh. Elliot, of all people, coming to me, a poor little country girl for dance lessons! "Natalie won't teach me, and I-I can't ask mum." I nod sympathetically as I watch Elliot blush at the ground. The poor guy is so helpless.

"Alright, come inside, I need to wash up."

Elliot follows me inside, where I wash my hands and change clothes. I'm not as clean as I wish I could get, but hey, that's what you get for working on a farm. Elliot sits at the table, fiddling with the tablecloth anxiously. When I come out, dressed in clean clothes, she stands up abruptly. Together, we push the furniture against the walls and clear a space.

"Okay, so first, you've got to know how to ask her." I say, throwing back my hair. "Girls like it when you come out and ask them directly. You have to be….strong." Elliot nods, attentive to my every word. "Um, so I guess we should practice." I walk over to the wall, and pretend not to notice Elliot as he walks up to me.

"Um, h-hi…Chelsea. Er, Do you, I mean, would you like to, you know…." Elliot peers at me desperately. I sigh, looking out the window. I guess I won't be getting back to my crops today. This kid is going to need some work.

"Don't let her assume what you're asking. Try saying it directly, 'would you like to dance', okay?" Elliot nods, still embarrassed. He draws a breath and stares at the ground. "Eye contact." I whisper. He nods feverishly, and stares me straight in the eye. Immediately, I feel awkward.

"C-Chelsea." He gulps, glancing away for a second. "Would you like to, um, dance with me?" I smile.

"Of course I would, Elliot, thank you for asking." My voice breaks, and I blush. Elliot stands awkwardly in front of me, unsure of what to do next. "Well, now you escort me onto the dance floor. Hold out your arm, like this." I say, demonstrating what to do. I link arms with him, and we walk into to center of the room, Elliot focusing on my arm like a hungry bear on a baby deer. "Either look at me, or where you're going." I stutter.

"Um, Chelsea, w-what if she's already, you know, on the dance floor?"

"Oh. Then I guess you'd just start dancing." I say. We stare at each other for a little while, before I remember what I am doing, or better yet, what I'm supposed to be doing.

"So, put your right hand on her waist. No, not that hand. Okay, good." Elliot's hand hovers over my waist, until I place my hand firmly on his arm. He seems to gain a little confidence and lets his hand rest. "And um, now we dance. You lead." Elliot's brow furrows and he bites his lip again. "Er, maybe it's best if I lead this time."

"Thank you, Chelsea." Elliot says as we waltz back and forth. He watches me feet for a little bit as I direct him, then looks back up at me securely. "I think I've got it."

I grin, pleased that I've taught him something. "Then let's start from the beginning. I go to stand by the wall again as Elliot stumbles over.

"Hi. May I, er, have this dance?" I nod, smiling as he guides me to the rooms and puts his hand on my waist. I look at him expectantly to lead, but he just stands there with a pink face. "Um…I forgot how." I burst out laughing as he sheepishly stares at his shoes, and then walk him through the dance again until he successfully leads me through it.

"You're doing great, just remember to smile. Do you want something to eat?" I ask, checking the clock. It's lunchtime.

"Sure!" Elliot agrees, helping to move the tables back in place. I move to the stove to start making some sandwiches. Elliot busies himself preparing lemonade for us.

"So," I state happily, "you asked Julia to the fireworks festival." Elliot blushes and smiles contentedly.

"Yeah; I can't believe she said yes." He says, grinning.

"What do Natalie and the rest of your folks think?" Elliot blushes and turns away to put the lemonade on the table.

"Natalie thinks I could do better."

"What? Better than Julia? But she's the most gorgeous girl on the whole island; she could be a supermodel!" Elliot turns red.

"She says that she has the personality of a rock." He mutters. I frown and put my hand on my hip.

"Now you listen here, don't pay a second of attention to Natalie. She's just jealous because Pierre hasn't asked her yet. Julia is wonderful and it's awesome that you two are going together!" A smile lights up Elliot's face again.

"Thanks Chelsea…have you decided who you want to go with yet?" I bring over the sandwiches and we sit down to eat.

"I'm going stag." I say after a moment, burying into my food.

"What? You of all people are going by yourself? But all the guys here love you!" Elliot exclaims. I turn red.

"Thanks, but…..I guess I'm not interested? It seems as if they've all paired up already. If they were itching to ask me, they sure showed it by asking other girls. The guy I was going to ask is already taken." I say, rolling my eyes. Elliot frowns.

"Well that's lame. People can be such jerks."

"Yeah…I know."

"Hey Chelsea!" Natalie calls. I turn around to see her running towards me. It's around 6 O'clock and I'm heading back to my ranch from some last minute errands.

"Yes?" Natalie shakes her hair out of her eyes and grins at me.

"Pierre asked me to the festival!" She enthuses. I smile and pat her on the back.

"Finally! That's awesome! Congrats girl." I say. She nods.

"Oh yeah, Elliot said he was heading up to the ranch to meet you earlier. What's up with you guys?" She asks, smirking.

"What do you mean 'what's up'? I've been giving him dance lessons!" I scoff, rolling my eyes at her. She smiles annoyingly, laughing at some personal joke.

"Between you and me, Chelsea, Grandpa was more than happy to teach him how to dance. He just wanted to ask you."

"Oh please, Natalie. He's going to the fireworks festival with Julia, not me. We're just friends, honest." Natalie shrugs and falls back.

"Well, I've got to go, catch you later, Chelsea!" I race up to my ranch to see Elliot waiting outside my house. I wave and call out a greeting to him, my face breaking into a smile. He does the same, and holds the door open for me as I walk inside. A little weird, seeing as it's my house.

"Honestly Elliot, there isn't much left to teach you. You've got the waltz down, the cha-cha, I even taught you to jerk." I smirk as I say that. Elliot trying to jerk had been one funny sight. He shifts uneasily, helping he put away a few groceries that I bought.

"So….you think I'm ready? To d-dance with Julia, I mean?" I roll my eyes.

"I wouldn't be surprised if you're better than Julia by now." Elliot follows me out onto the farm, lightly watering the plants like he usually does after we finish his lesson.

"You mean…what if she turns out to be a horrible dancer? And I upset her with….you know, my skills?" He asked nervously. I try not to laugh at his growing ego as I pile ripe tomatoes into a basket.

"I wouldn't go that far, Elliot. I think all you need to worry about is finding a nice yukata and relaxing. You two will be fine." I look up into the sky. It's already dark. "It's getting late Elliot. Thanks for all the help." I flash him a smile as he finishes watering the corn.

"Oh, um, alright. So, I'll…see you next week? At the festival?" He says awkwardly.

"At the festival." I confirm, turning back towards my house.

It's 6 o'clock. I look in the mirror one more time. My long brown hair looks pretty nice flowing over my orange yukata. I feel a little awkward, not meeting up with Natalie or Julia or even Lanna before I leave. In the past years I've always met up with someone before the fireworks festival. But I guess that's what you get when all your friends have a date except you. I catch a ride with Kirk to Meadow Island.

"A pretty girl like yourself is going to the festival alone?" Kirk asks, surprised. I nod as he pushes off from the dock. "I didn't get asked." Kirk frowns, his brow creasing.

"Well, that ain't any reason! Ask someone yourself." I smile at my feet.

"All the guys are taken. I guess I just wanted someone to ask me for a change, but that didn't happen." I look up at the lights illuminating Meadow Island. I distantly hear the music.

"Well, I hope you have a nice time, Chelsea. Don't be too shy." Kirk says, dropping me off at the dock.

"Am I ever?" I laugh, stepping out of the tiny rowboat and turning to face the party. It seems like everyone gets places before me. I mean, here I am, perfectly on time, and yet, somehow I'm last! Goodness knows how Kirk got them all here in his 3-seat rowboat.

"Chelsea!" Natalie squeals, running over to me, Pierre in tow. She's wearing a green floral print yukata, clashing with Pierre in his bright purple one. "You look so cute! Get on that dance floor and get a partner!" I blush.

"Thanks, you look great too, Nat." Pierre smiles at me.

"Would you like to dance, Chelsea?" He asks. I see a flash of annoyance on Natalie face, her arms tense. Always the jealous one.

"No thanks, Pierre, I think I'll sit this one out." He smiles and turns back to Natalie, who pulls him to the dance floor. I look out through the multicolored lights and cute little booths to the dance floor. A fast song is playing and a group of people are jumping up and down together. I stifle a giggle as I realize Taro is in the center. A few people are walking around at the booths, whether it be the 'catch a goldfish' booth manned by Mirabelle, or yummy pastries sold by the owner of the diner whose name I can never remember.

I stroll over to the food, like any respectable girl, and look out over everyone. Will and Lily waltz, ignoring the fast beat, in a world of their own. Pierre swings Natalie around wildly, almost crashing her into a group of people. The music turns slow as I awkward stand away, munching on snacks. Suddenly someone taps me on the shoulder.

I spin around to see Vaughn, looking incredible handsome in a deep red yukata. He brushes his hair out of his eyes, looking down at me. He's so tall. "Care to dance?" He asks. I nod, grinning at him. Vaughn escorts me to the floor and firmly places his hand on my waist. We sway back and forth, but it feels so fake. His hand is too firm and he keeps looking over my shoulder. Not a word of conversation is spoken.

I stare at our feet. Vaughn makes no notion to lead. He just awkwardly rocks back and forth, completely ignoring me. The dance takes much longer than I'd like. I break apart right before the song ends and thank him, only to scamper away. Suddenly I see a head of messy, pink hair. "Elliot!" I call.

Elliot turns around, startled. "O-oh, hey Chelsea." He's wearing a yellow yukata that's a little too short on him; it looks like it must be a hand-me-down, or from a time when he was much shorter. I notice Julia holding onto his arm.

"Hi Julia, you look nice today." I smile at her, causing Elliot to blush. She looks stunning. I can never comprehend how her clothes, make-up, and hair all seem to match so perfectly. She and Elliot, with his messy hair and short yukata, look like the weirdest couple.

"You do too, Chelsea. I love your hair like that. So I hear you're the one who's been giving Elliot dance lessons. You did a great job." Elliot turns red and pointedly looks away. I smile, shrugging.

"He's a natural." Julia grins at me, winks, and then pulls Elliot onto the dance floor. I'm about to pull Natalie away from Pierre when Will walks up to me. I end up dancing with him. He's a really good dancer, but his hand rests a little too low for my taste and he keeps staring at me. At least he can keep up a conversation.

"So, I hear you're the one to go to for dance lessons." He says. I can't help but wonder how everyone on the island has heard about this. "You should have come helped me."

"Oh please, Will. We both know you're the best dancer on the island. If anything, it would be the other way around." Will laughs, about to say something else, when the song ends. I break away. Where are all of my friends when I need them? Oh yeah, dancing with their boyfriends.

For the next three songs, I live at the goldfish booth. At first I do it to make myself look busy, but soon, it's my mission. I have to catch cone. I need to. I tell myself that the festival will not end until I have secured a perfect little goldfish in a plastic bag. Oh, and not just any goldfish. I see one perfect one whose life purpose is not to be caught. I nearly get it four times, but it jumps out of my net. Suddenly the tiny gold beauty is scooped out of the air right before my eyes.

"H-Hey!" I exclaim. There goes my perfect little fish that I worked so hard on. Grabbed out of the water in the first try. I look up to see Elliot holding my baby. I cross my arms and slouch. "Thief! How'd you do that?" I ask. Elliot smiles and scratches the back of his head.

"I used to live at this stand for the past five years." He says. "Last time I brought home nine of them and mother nearly had a heart attack." I laugh the grab the bag with my fish out of his hands.

"Well then you won't mind sparing this one." Elliot fakes a pout, and then swiftly catches another. "Where's Julia?"

"Oh….well, it turns out, Julia doesn't care much for dancing. She's more of a….sway-er. No foot work, just a lot of rocking back and forth." He says sadly, staring at the ground. I roll my eyes.

"Trust me, I know the type. It must run in the family." The music slows down and I focus my attention back on the fish tank. I'm about to try for another when Elliot grabs my wrist.

"Chelsea? Would you like to dance with me?" He inquires. His eyes are completely earnest. I immediately relax.

"Of course." He escorts me onto the dance floor and smiles at me. Everything feels so comfortable. His hands fit perfectly on my shoulder blade, and my hand fits perfectly in his. I blush as I realize that I've grown too accustomed to dancing with him.

"Are you having fun, Chelsea?" Elliot asks, staring at me worriedly.

"Yeah…it's my first time here without anyone going with me. I'm not really sure what to do, but it's alright." Elliot nods, and then twirls me around.

"Oh yeah. Who were you planning to go with?" I glance over to Vaughn and Sabrina, Sabrina staring at her feet worriedly.

"Um, I was hoping Vaughn would ask me, but I guess now I'm alright that he didn't. Sabrina has liked him for quite a long time." Elliot's eyebrows shoot up.

"V-Vaughn? Are you serious? Wow. I always thought you'd go for…well, not such a bad boy type. I always figured you'd like the good boys?" Elliot's face flushes and I laugh.

"You mean like you?" Elliot looks down, his arms tensing.

"I guess." We dance in silence until the song ends. "The fireworks are going to begin soon." Elliot observes.

"Then….I guess you should go find Julia." I say, looking around awkwardly. The lights are slowly going out and I'm having a hard time seeing.

"Actually…I don't know if it's going to work out with us. Natalie was half right. Julia i-is beautiful, and has a fine personality, but Ch-hel-sea, I really would like t-to sit w-with you. I mean, if it's uh, alright." It's too dark for me to see Elliot's face, but I know that he is turning tomato red. I smile.

"In fact Elliot, I've been waiting for you to say that all night."