It's the Monday after the beginning of the new year, and school is starting again for the spring semester. My alarm clock wakes me up, and I turn it off half awake and lay in bed until my mom calls out through my bedroom door telling me to take a shower. I sigh sadly before I reluctantly get out of the covers of my beloved bed and start getting ready for the day. I try to look on the bright side, thinking at least this is the last semester before I finally graduate high school...but then I moan when I realize that still means several months of note-taking and essays and tests and heaven knows what.

After breakfast, my mom drops me off at the front entrance, and I proceed to the administration office to pick up my spring schedule. I get in line and wait patiently to get my schedule when I hear someone calling my name. I turn around to see Soarin and Caramel, joining the line right behind me.

"Hey, guys, how was the rest of your break?" I ask.

"Oh, it was pretty good," Soarin answers. "But it was better whenever Rainbow Dash texted me, and we would start talking for hours, which gives me the feeling that we're starting to become a little closer as a couple."

"That's great," I say.

"Speaking of great, you seem a little better than last we saw you," Caramel says. "What happened while we were gone?"

I give a small smile before I answer.

"Sonata invited me to celebrate New Years with the Apples and the other Rainbooms, and I guess that kind of helped me out of my 'want-to-be-alone phase," I say. "I'm still brokenhearted about Octavia, but...well... every bit helps, you know?"

"Totally buddy," Soarin says. "And hey, maybe we can test that by hanging out after class."

I smile as I say, "I'd like that. It would be nice for us to hang out without you guys having to see me with a distant face."

"Oh, hey, you're not feeling guilty about how you were acting before we went out of town, are you?" Caramel asks.

"Well...I am a little bit," I say. "I mean I've been down for some time, and you guys tried to cheer me up and-"

"Let me stop you right there, Rough Draft," Soarin interrupts. "We're fine trying to help you like that. Yeah, it would've been nice for you to be cheery with us when we were hanging after finals, but we get what you are going through. You really love Octavia, and it hurts that she dumped you. Sometimes all we can do as your friends is our best with your heart broken like that."

"Yeah, what Soarin said," Caramel says.

I smile appreciatively at my two best friends.

"Thanks, guys," I say. "And hey, maybe for our last semester, we can finally share a class or two. I mean, I've been here since last spring, and I've only been seeing you guys around in halls or at lunch this whole time."

"Oh, man, you're right; we haven't shared a class ever," Soarin says. "We'll have some classes together, I know it. This is the last semester before becoming high school graduates, so it's our time, bros."

"Sure hope so," Caramel says before he frowns. "But Rough Draft, what if you share any classes with Octavia?"

My smile disappears. I haven't thought about that. Octavia and I were hoping that we would share a couple of classes when we were together, and now that we're broken up, it might make things awkward if we actually do - maybe for Vinyl, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Derpy too since they're closer to her than me.

"If we share any classes, both of us will just have to deal with it," I say reluctantly. "I'd rather that she comes back to me at some point during this semester, but until then, we're broken up, and that's the way things are even if I don't like it - and I hate it. If it were up to me, this whole Anon-a-Miss thing on top of our break up never happened, and we probably would have met at the front entrance today to collect our schedules together, hoping that we have at least one class together."

Soarin gives me a sad but supporting frown as he pats me on the back.

"I'm sure things will turn up for you two somehow," He says.

I give him an appreciative nod before we reach the end of the line, and Vice Principal Luna gives each of us our schedules. We walk away from the office, comparing our scheduled before the three of us start cheering.

"Yes! We all got science, history, and P.E. together!" Soarin cheers out as we high five each other. "And we still have the same lunch period. What did I tell you guys? This is our time!"

"Darn right," I say excitedly. "And hey, while I'm in the mix with sharing classes with Octavia, maybe you guys will share some classes with Applejack and Rainbow Dash too."

Caramel's face lights up at the idea while Soarin smirks.

"Oh, I haven't shared a class with AJ since middle school," Caramel says. "I'd love to share at least one class where she finally knows I exist!"

"Yeah, it would be pretty awesome to share some classes with Rainbow," Soarin says. "Tackling at least one class together as boyfriend and girlfriend before we graduate would be totally awesome."

I smile at that before I grow nervous again. What if Octavia and I do end up sharing at least one class after all? How will we handle that? Will we eventually get back together, and thus, it will turn into a blessing, or will she still hate me, and so we have to pretend we don't exist during the rest of the school year? The more I think about it, the more I don't really know what I truly want. I want Octavia back, but at the same time, I get the feeling that it's over, and she will never talk to me again, and so it would be best if we never see each other in class. Augh! Life just had to get so frustrating and complicated after the whole Anon-a-Miss thing!

The next thing I know, however, a pair of fingers snap in front of me, and I snap out of my train of thought to see Caramel in front of me.

"Dude, the first bell rang, we gotta get going," he says.

I recollect my thoughts and nod in agreement as I follow my friends to our first class of the day.

*******************************************************************************************************

Lunch period has started, and the good news is Octavia is not in my first five classes...but at the same time, my heart takes that as bad news.

This whole day so far has me worrying about what will happen if we share any classes even though she doesn't want to be anywhere near me, but at the same time, I wish we share at least one if for any other reason than to see her beautiful face again. Every time a class starts, it feels like both a relief and a pain that I don't have her in that class. It doesn't help that I don't know what she ended up doing with the gifts. I wouldn't put it past her to have thrown them away without opening them because she's so mad at me. I know I left them there for her to do with them as she wishes, but I can't help but be worried that all the time and effort it took to finish the story and find that necklace was for nothing.

Since Soarin, Caramel, and I have the same lunch, we decided to meet at the entrance to the cafeteria before grabbing our lunches.

"So Rough Draft, any encounters with Octavia?" Soarin asks as we wait in line.

"Nope," I say, plainly. "And I wish I knew how I should feel about that."

Caramel and Soarin frown.

"Well, I wish I knew what to tell you," Caramel says. "It is an uncomfortable predicament, to say the least."

"Yeah," I say sadly before I try to lighten the mood. "But enough about Octavia and me. How about you guys? Share any classes with Applejack or Rainbow Dash?"

"No, not yet," Caramel responds. "But there are still two more classes, so fingers crossed."

"Yeah, same here," Soarin says. "But I do know that we have soccer practice after school, so hanging out after school will have to wait, but at least I still have that with Rainbow Dash."

Caramel and I smile at that as we finish getting our lunches, say, "Thank you," to Granny Smith and start to find a spot.

"Rough Draft, Caramel, Soarin, over here!"

We look to see Sonata standing up and waving her hands over to us as she sits in one of the larger lunch tables with Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Sunset Shimmer.

"Come over and sit with us!" Sonata calls out. "I just asked the others, and they say it's okay!"

Soarin, Caramel, and I look at each other unsure of how to respond at first, but then Soarin shrugs and says, "Well, I don't know about you nerds, but I'm on board with eating lunch with my girlfriend."

"Yeah, and maybe this could help me be in better terms with Sunset," I say. "How about Caramel? ...Caramel?"

Caramel stands there either his mouth agape and his cheeks turning red.

"E-e-eating l-lunch w-w-w-with, with Applejack?" He stutters.

Soarin and I look at each other with eyes half-closed expressions before we turned back to Caramel.

"Dude, relax, you're going to be fine," Soarin says. "It's just eating lunch at the same table."

But Caramel remains frozen, stuttering incoherent sentences.

"Oh come on, Caramel," I say a little irritated. "You've talked to her a couple times before, and you guys even exchanged numbers, how is this such a big deal?"

It takes a second before Caramel responds.

"I-it's just that I never thought a day like this would never come where we'd be at the same lunch table."

"Well good for you, but it's not as big of a deal as it is, buddy," Soarin says. "Remember, you guys are just friends, and she's not interested in dating anyone. We're just sitting with Applejack and her friends and having friendly conversations while eating lunch."

Caramel snaps out of his frozen state, and he frowns for a few seconds, hurt by Soarin words. I look at both of them feeling like I should bring up how Applejack did ask about Caramel during the New Years party and was kind of bashful, but given the back and forth luck Caramel has had with her ever since Pinkie Pie's party, I feel I should be silent in case I bring my best friend's hopes up for nothing.

Caramel takes a deep breath and turns to Soarin and me.

"You're right, Soarin. It's just lunch," he says.

"There you go," Soarin says before he frowns. "And Caramel, I really don't want to bring you down like that. I just-"

"No, it's okay, Soarin I needed that," Caramel says. "I guess in hindsight, I've been feeling like this over Applejack for so long that I forget about reality sometimes. She wants us to at least be friends, so we should just stick with that to whatever end. And who knows? Maybe with this, I'll at least be less shy around her."

Soarin and I can't help but smile at his sense of maturity.

"There you go, buddy," Soarin says. "But hey, what are we standing around here when all those girls are waiting for us? Let's go before they change their minds."

Caramel and I nod in agreement, and we start walking to sit with Sonata, Sunset Shimmer, and the Rainbooms. Soarin sits next to Rainbow Dash, Caramel sits between Sonata and Pinkie Pie with Applejack sitting in the opposite seat from him while I sit at the far end next to Sonata with Sunset Shimmer sitting on the other seat from me.

"What took you dorks so long?" Rainbow Dash teases. "Does it really take some deep guy talk to decide whether or not to sit next to a few girls?"

Caramel, Soarin, and I just chuckle politely as we greet the other girls and start to eat.

"So, you feeling any better over you-know-who?" Sonata asks me.

I sigh before I answer.

"A little I guess," I say. "Still down but a little better after the New Year's party."

"Well, I'm definitely glad to hear that," Sunset Shimmer says before she takes a bit of her sandwich. "Though speaking of which, what have you done with the necklace?"

I am about to answer when Sonata steps in.

"Oh yeah, Rough Draft and I decided to put it in a bag and leave it at Tavi's doorstep as a last-"

"Sonata, you shouldn't interrupt like that," Applejack ridicules.

"Oh yeah, sorry," Sonata says to me with a sad, innocent look.

"It's fine," I say calmly before I turn to Sunset Shimmer. "Anyway, like she said, we pretty much put it in a bag along with a finished story that I was making for her as well as a note, and we left it on her doorstep. I basically decided that they're pretty much hers no matter what happens as a last attempt to try to get her back."

Sunset Shimmer frowns at me.

"Are you sure about that?" She asks. "I mean if that ever works, great, but how do you know she'll even get the gifts or even open it."

I bow my head sadly and sigh.

"I don't," I answer. "But at least I gave it one last try and don't have to live in my room sadly knowing Octavia's necklace is still under my bed waiting to be given in person."

Sunset Shimmer looks at me sadly as I quietly go back to eating my food. Then she reaches out for one of my hands and says.

"I really hope you two will make up somehow, Rough Draft," she says.

"Me too," Sonata declares without missing a beat.

I look up and give her a small smile and say, "Thank you, you two."

"No problem," Sonata says before leaning in and gesturing Sunset Shimmer and me to come closer and whispers, "In the meantime, though, I think we should do something about AJ and Caramel."

The three of us turn to see Caramel and Applejack sitting quietly and eating their lunch. Neither of them says anything, but they occasionally look up from their food and give friendly nods to each other before they go back to their food.

Suddenly Caramel looks up again and cleared his throat.

"Uh, so Applejack, how was your break?" He says, trying to sound calm yet friendly.

Applejack looks up and gives in another friendly smile.

"It was good," she says. "Spent a lot of time with my family while there wasn't much to do on the farm because of the snow, and Sonata is really enjoying livin' with us and all that. How was yours?"

"Oh, about the same," Caramel replies. "Went to visit some extended family in Baltimare, and hung out with Soarin and Rough Draft before that."

"Well, that sounds really nice," Applejack says as they stare at each other for a moment before they go back to their food.

Sonata turns back to Sunset Shimmer and me and continues whispering.

"It's obvious there's a spark between them, we just gotta give them a push."

Sunset Shimmer gives Sonata her signature smirk and says, "As much as I'd like to help them, I get the feeling they should be left alone for a while. Let their friendship grow first before we know something should be done."

"For the first time in a long time, I agree with Sunset," I say, making Sunset Shimmer smile. "I know with Caramel he seems to have just started to try to really focus on just being friends first, and I'd rather not try anything while he has just made that mindset. Besides, it's not like I have the best track record in trying to help them get together."

Sunset Shimmer chuckles before she says, "Yeah, I can vouch for that."

"Oh, really? What did you do?" Sonata asks.

"Well, shortly before I met Octavia, Caramel, Soarin and Pinkie Pie were trying to help me find a girlfriend at Pinkie's party," I began. "Eventually they wanted me to go over and dance to try to impress some girls, and I said -"

Suddenly, I feel an elbow hit the back of my head, and I turn my head to find Vinyl walking past us, giving me a hard glare through her shades. Sonata and Sunset Shimmer both shout, "Hey!" while everyone else in our table looks at us curiously.

"What happened?" Caramel asks.

"Vinyl just elbowed me in the back of my head," I say, rubbing the spot where she hit me. "Guess she still hates my guts for 'cheating' on Octavia."

"But you didn't cheat on Octavia," Sonata protests slamming her fist on the table. "Why can't she, Vinyl, and the others see that it's just a big misunderstanding? "

"Yeah, you pretty much summed up what I've been asking myself for the past three weeks or so," I say. "Somehow, even after all I've been through with Octavia, Vinyl, and the rest of the E.M.R., they really believe that I was secretly cheating on Octavia with Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset Shimmer looks away from me and frowns sadly while Sonata looks at me, still upset.

"But you still didn't," she exclaims. "You didn't even kiss Sunset Shimmer on that video. She just walked you through the door and then you guys hugged, and that was it."

"Well, I guess walking me to the door and hugging without Octavia knowing about it was enough," I say sadly. "After all, I did tell Octavia I was staying at home that night, and she knows about my rough history with Sunset Shimmer."

Sonatas mouth quivers, and she gives me a sad look.

"It's not fair," she pouts. "You two should be like, even more, lovey-dovey from the moment she sees that necklace, not waiting to see if she'll ever talk to you again!"

"Sonata, calm down," Sunset Shimmer says sadly while putting her hand on Sonata's. "There's nothing we can do about it."

"Yes, there is," Sonata says with determination. "I can go over there and convince them myself. They may hate your guts, but I'm still friends with them. I'm gonna march over there and demand that they listen to me."

I can't help but smile at Sonata's eagerness.

"Thank you, Sonata, but you don't have to do-"

"Yes, I do!" Sonata interrupts as she stands up as if she wants the whole world to know what she's saying. "You and Tavi were the lovebirds that rescued me from my sisters...I mean, you captured me trying to tase Dagi, but it's still thanks to the two of you that I have this opportunity for a better life. The least I can do is try to get you two back together!"

Sonata's declaration caused a couple of people to look at our table in confusion, but Sonata didn't pay attention to any of them. I look at Sonata and can't help but feel my heart feeling warm by her words. I smile at her appreciatively before I speak.

"Okay, Sonata, if it means that much to you, go ahead and try."

Sonata squeals in excitement and hugs me tightly.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She screams. "I promise you're not going to regret this!"

I chuckle lightly as I hug her back. Sunset Shimmer smiles at the moment, and I look to see Caramel, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Soarin, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy give hopeful looks.

But Rarity looks away from us with a "humph" that does not go unnoticed. Fluttershy, who is sitting next to her, is whispering something to Rarity's ear, probably trying to get her to stop, but Rarity doesn't seem to want to listen. Sunset Shimmer and I look at each other with grim faces, knowing full well the cause of her cold demeanor towards me.

**************************************************************************************************

Sixth-period came and went with me still taking gym with Mr. Iron Will. Thank God I still have his stubborn butt to practically kill me with the activities he throws at me. Note the sarcasm. Finally, I walk to the last class of the day is English with Ms. Cheerilee. I find a seat farthest from the board like I usually do and take out a pen and notebook, ready to get this last class over with.

"Well, isn't this a surprise."

I look up to find Sunset Shimmer walking towards me with her signature smirk.

"Huh, well what do you know, we share the last class," I say with a small chuckle. "Better now than when I kept on hating your guts, I guess."

Sunset Shimmer chuckles back as she sits on the desk next to me.

"Now, wouldn't that have been fun?" She says sarcastically. "Could you imagine being assigned to work on a project as a pair while you still hated me or worse yet, I was still evil?"

"Oh my gosh, don't even think about that," I say, laughing. "I can imagine all the new insults about my writing you'd have for me."

Sunset Shimmer smirks before she says, "Well, at least that way someone could stop you from writing in class. Heck, I might as well do that anyway while we're in the same class."

My smile falters when I think about my writing.

"Well, it's not like I would have much to write about right now anyway," I say. "I haven't done much of it since Octavia, and I broke up."

Sunset Shimmer frowns at that.

"Sorry I brought it up," she says sadly.

"Hey, you didn't know," I say, not looking at her. "Besides, at least you don't have to keep an eye on me for a while."

Sunset Shimmer gives a smile before the final bell rings, and Ms. Cheerliee tells us to settle down and start her lecture. I quietly write down the notes she puts on the board when I feel my phone vibrating in my pocket. I secretly take it out to find a text from Sunset. I make sure Ms. Cheerilee isn't looking before I open it.

Sunset Shimmer: Btw, I'm surprised Rarity is still very cold to you.

I quietly chuckle before I write in my notebook and show her my response.

Me: Tell me about it. Was being forgiven that hard for you?

Sunset thinks for a moment before she writes her message.

Sunset Shimmer: Not really. She pretty much forgave me after I apologized.

Me: Seriously? I did that already when I was apologizing to you. What makes me so special?

Sunset Shimmer: I don't know. It's not like her to be so cold to someone. There has to be something more to it if she's acting this way.

Me: Maybe it hurts more because I did the deed?

Sunset Shimmer: I guess. I'm gonna have to have a talk with her.

Me: That would be great.

After that, we went back to focusing on the lecture for about twenty more minutes before I get another message from Sunset.

Sunset Shimmer: Btw, have you thought of any new real or not real questions?

I look away for a couple of minutes before I write down my response.

Me: No, nothing comes to mind. I'll have to get back to you on that.

Sunset Shimmer: Okay.

We go back to the lecture just in time before Ms. Cheerliee is turning to face us again. But as she did, something clicks in my mind, and I quickly start typing right as Ms. Cheerliee turns back to the board and hit send.

Me: Although, if it's okay with you, I could do with some clarity on where you and Sonata come from.

Sunset Shimmer scratches her chin in thought before she smiles and responds.

Sunset Shimmer: Well, it's a long story, but I'm all for explaining it to you after school. I was planning on watching Rainbow Dash practice with the soccer team.

I smile as I respond.

Me: That works. Soarin, Caramel, and I are holding off doing something together until after Soarin's done with practice anyway so you might as well do that while we watch them play.

Sunset Shimmer: Sounds like a plan.

With that, we stopped exchanging messages on our notebooks for the rest of the class. I pretend to be listening to Ms. Cheerilee, but deep down, I was looking forward to finding out who Sunset really is.