A/N: Don't kill me for updating this late! Something BIG happend so... :/

Anyways, to make up for it, I made this chap longer. I mean REALLY longer. ^^

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       "No I do not like strawberry-print undies! Shut up, stupid! And where have you been for the past two days?!" Kristina barked at the grinning boy beside the door. Kristopher skipped gleefully towards her and hugged her before she could even dodge.

       "I missed you too Tinz!"

       "What the he-- let me go you octopus-headed boss monkey!" she grabbed both his arms and twisted them, making him squirm slightly. He sighed and grinned like an idiot.

       "Aaw. You just couldn't wait to hold my hands again couldn't ya? Keep it down Tinz, there are people watching." He teased. Kristina's eyes widened as her brows twitched in irritation.

       "AHEM." Daniel and Daniella interrupted at the same time. Daniel was giving Kristina a disapproving look while Daniella pretended to smile and tease the both of them.

         "You two are so a-do-ra-ble!!!" she chirped. She secretly pinched the back of her hand. She kept her smile wide as she glanced at Kristopher, but Kristopher didn't look at her once. Daniella bit her lower lip.

         "Hey strawberry-prints," Daniel said. "Tell him what we did last night."

     Kristina glared at his direction and roughly let go of Kristopher. "SHUT UP!"

     Kristopher, on the other hand, was intrigued and wanted to persist on teasing. Since he was absent for the last two days, he couldn't let an opportunity to see Kristina's interesting expressions and reactions pass by. He continued teasing to make up for those two days he wasn't around.

       "Tinz, you cheated on me?" He mock-gasped. "What did you do with him last night?"

       "We played in her room," Daniel replied. These two joined forces, will Kristina be able to handle them?

       "I kicked his butt." She countered.

       "Oh my," Kristopher gently pressed his delicate fingers on his mouth. "Tinz you didn't-- with Danny-- Oh my. Bad, bad!"

     Kristina snapped her head at his direction and unexpectedly threw him a punch in the face but he dodged just in time since he knew she'd do that. "Jeez! Stupid perverts! I can't even understand what's going on in your polluted minds!"

       "You're too sly Poopy," Daniel smirked. "Pretending to be innocent. You know what we mean."

       "Yeah," Kristopher nodded in agreement. Daniella silently took small steps backward. She kept glancing at Kristopher, hoping he'd notice and look at her as well, just like last time. But he didn't. It's like he didn't even know she existed. She wondered if it was about that incident a few days ago; when she pretended to kiss Daniel in front of him and Kristina.

       "What the hell?!" Kristina's fists were trembling. Ella patted her best friend's shoulders and calmed her down with an amused face. She motioned for Daniella to help her before this girl transforms to "Spartan Pres" mode again.

     Daniella was staring blankly down her feet and she dragged herself towards Kristina. She forced another smile upon rubbing her friend's arm. "Relax Tina. They're just joking."

       "Yeah," Ella nodded. "You know how they've always been."

     Kristina took a deep breath and glared hard at the two boys. "Whatever."

     A little while later after dismissal, Daniella absent-mindedly packed her things. She was about to call Kristina when Kristopher suddenly hopped out of nowhere.

       "Tinz!"

       "What the hell do you want know?!" she growled. Blood was boiling inside her head and she needed something to punch to blow all those steam off. Kristopher grinned idiotically at her.

       "Nothing, just wanted to say good bye. Bye-bee!" he waved a hand and then dashed out.

     Both Kristina and Daniella stared at him as he went for the door. After a few seconds, Kristina stood up from her desk and glanced at her watch; 4:40. The classroom was already half-empty. Ella went ahead because she said she needed to go to her sister's practice again. Daniel was still sitting on his desk, with his head buried under his folded arms, he was waiting for Kristina to finish with all her duties as the council president. Daniella bit her lip as she watched Kristina scribble some things in their account book and signed a few papers.

       "Wow," she thought to herself. "She's really serious when it comes to her responsibilities."

     Daniella sighed quietly. The faint light of the sun from outside the window caressed Kristina's face and the loose hair from her messy bun fell gracefully on her cheek. She was creasing her forehead as if she was trying to solve a math problem. Daniella observed her some more. Kristina was a slow-blinker and she noticed that her eyelashes were pretty long too.

       "No wonder..." she thought again. "No wonder Danny and Tops like her so much. She's beautiful without even trying... and she's so amazing. The complete opposite of me." Daniella frowned and sighed again.

       "Um..." Kristina cleared her throat, Daniella was a bit startled but she faced the girl and raised both her eyebrows in a friendly matter. "Hmm?" she replied cheerfully.

       "You were staring at me earlier. Is there a problem?" Kristina asked blankly.

       "Not really..." Daniella kept smiling that she felt her mouth twitch.

       "You sure?"

       "Y-Yeah..."

       "You really, really sure?" Kristina asked, her eyes filled with concern. She must have noticed Daniella's strange behavior. "Impossible," Daniella thought. "She couldn't have possibly seen through my fake expressions...right?"

       "What do you mean Tina?" she giggled slightly.

     Kristina eyed her suspiciously and tilted her head. "I dunno. You're acting weird. Not that you're not already weird but..." she raised her head and gave her a small smile. "W-What I mean is... you look kinda sad."

       "No way. Was I that transparent?" she thought. Daniella stared at Kristina for a few seconds and slowly, her lips twitched into a grin. She laughed heartily and took her shoulder bag. "Say Tina, can I talk to you for a moment?"

     Kristina nodded, unsure about herself.

       "Outside, where Danny can't eavesdrop on us," Daniella smiled.

       "I'm not eavesdropping," he said in a muffled voice, since his head was still buried under his arms. Kristina slapped the back of his head.

       "We're going ahead of you, butthead. If you want, you can just sleep here in the classroom for the night." She said in a harsh tone.

       "So lonely," he yawned.

     Kristina ignored him and went out of the room with Daniella. Daniel sat up on his chair and looked at his surroundings. Everybody already left. "Haa," he scratched his head. "So lonely," he mumbled in a sarcastic way and went back to sleep.

     Daniella decided to have their talk behind the school. The area was isolated, quiet and the perfect place to have a private talk. This was the place where Kristopher confronted Daniel a few weeks ago too, but the girls didn't know about that.

     They stopped and Daniella breathed in the fresh fragrance of the newly blossomed flowers. She went towards a bush and gently fondled a flower bud. Kristina looked around and felt the cool breeze pass by her face. "I like gardens," Daniela began, which startled Kristina a little bit.

       "Just seeing the green grass and touching the flowers just calms me down."

       "I agree," Kristina smiled, Daniella looked at her. "Gardens are the closest places to Heaven."

     Daniella made a half-smile, but her eyes looked melancholic. "I know. Hey, wanna hear a secret?" she slowly went towards the wall and leaned her back on it.

       "S-Sure?" Kristina nervously folded her arms. "What is it?"

       "Remember when I said I heard a lot about you from Danny ever since we were kids?"

       "Yeah?"

       "Well, I'm gonna tell you every thing he told me about you. Just don't let him know I told you, or else he'll kill me," she jokingly winked and pressed her delicate finger on her lips.

     To be honest, Kristina was curious to know about the things Daniel said about her, but on the other hand, she had a feeling that this wasn't what Daniella wanted to talk to her about. She leaned on the wall beside her and prepared herself for whatever it was she was about to hear.

       "Danny... He... Used to be a really quiet kid," Daniella looked up the almost-orange sky. "I met him back when I was six, at Kristopher's mansion. I know you're a smart girl Tina, you probably guessed that we were already acquainted with each other before we all enrolled in this school, right?"

       "I guess so?" Kristina said, sounding like a question. Daniella laughed.

     "Yeah, well. Tops was the son of a filthy-rich family, and my mom was his private tutor. Sometimes, I tag along with my mother and watch her teach that snotty little brat. Danny was always there too--"

       "Daniel was?" Kristina interrupted. She nervously pinched her arm and laughed. "S-Sorry for interrupting, but, why was that butthead in Kristopher's house?"

       "Ha," Daniella grinned. "You're his fiancee but you didn't know that those two boys were related to each other?"

       "WHAT?!"

     Daniella couldn't help but laugh. "I know, I was surprised to find out about that too. Apparently, Danny's dad and Top's dad were cousins.

       "No way," Kristina's eyes were wide open.

       "Way," Daniel replied. "Anyways, that's where I met him. Every day after my mom's class with Tops, the three of us would go out on their too-big-of-a-garden and play. But usually, Danny just sits under a tree either sleeping or silently reading a book."

       "That sounds like him," Kristina said.

       "Yeah, now. But that was when we were still six year-olds. I mean, how can a six year-old boy be too quiet and formal? That's like, not normal." Daniella shook her head. Kristina secretly smiled and remembered what Daniel looked like when he was still a boy. Her memory of him was that he was a really sweet boy, always smiling and laughing.

       "Honestly, I thought he was a robot. Every time we talked to him, he just nods his head and ignores us soon after. What is up with that? I mean, for the past three months that I started playing with Kristopher, I never once heard Danny's voice."

     Kristina listened eagerly as Daniella continued.

       "One time, when Tops and I were playing cards, I stopped and asked him about Danny, that mysterious, boring, robotic-boy sitting under that large tree. Tops just shrugged his shoulders and he told me to ask him why he was like that. Of course, I agreed. So we both went straight up to him and bugged him with a lot of questions. It was like we were invisible to him! Like we were just the passing wind - no, worse. It was like we were farts!"

       "What?" Kristina tilted her head in confusion.

       "I mean," Daniella sighed rubbed her temple. "He didn't bother looking at us or responding to our questions. He didn't acknowledge our presence. Tops felt hurt about that, y'know? He was really happy when he found out he had a male relative, since all his relatives were girls. So he was really disappointed when Danny wouldn't talk to him."

        "How come?" Kristina asked curiously. "I remember when we were kids... Daniel was more... Talkative and jaunty."

       "That's because he was with you that he was happy. But when he moved to Europe, he was like a robot. His face was always expressionless. He never laughed, never talked, never smiled."

        "Impossible."

       "It's true." Daniella said in a convincing manner. "We thought he was mute. But after that day, our perception of him totally changed."

       "What day?"

      "The day he told us about you," Daniella smiled. Kristina knitted her eyebrows and frowned. Daniella wasn't expecting that reaction.

       "What did that jerk say about me?" she said, her voice cold and dull.

       "No, no." Daniella patted her shoulder. "He didn't say anything bad about you. Remember? He was six back then, he wasn't a perv back then?"

        "Right. So, what'd he say?"

     Daniella giggled before replying, which made Kristina feel more suspicious and nervous. "Well, at that time when we kept throwing him weird questions, I think he got annoyed. He closed his book and mumbled a word. We didn't hear what he said so he repeated it." Daniella paused. "His exact word was: 'Poopy'"

     Kristina's eyes widened when she heard that nostalgic nickname. It sounded way better coming from Daniella's lips rather than Daniel's.

       "We thought he was nuts. Tops even asked him if he wanted to use the bathroom. He kept repeating that word over and over again. Every time we asked him what he was doing or thinking, 'Poopy' would always be his reply."

     Color was slowly rising from Kristina's cheeks, and Daniella was pleased to see that, so she continued.

        "Then one time, the three of us went to the kitchen and looked for something good to eat. Since the family chef wasn't around, we opened all the cupboards for some snacks. Luckily, I found a jar of peanut butter..." Daniella paused again and looked at Kristina's pink face.

       "I gave Danny the peanut butter and asked him to open the lid since it was too tight. He didn't do anything, he just stared at it, as if he was grimacing or something. Tops and I queitly observed him, and we were both surprised when a tear suddenly trickled down his cheek. He quickly wiped it off with the sleeve of his shirt but we knew he was sobbing." She sighed.

       "We panicked of course, we didn't know what to do. We never expected to see him like that. The only thing that came out of his mouth was Poopy, Poopy, Poopy. But during that peanut butter incident, we finally heard him talk, like a normal person."

       "What did he say?" Kristina asked, her face filled with concern and eagerness. Daniella looked up the orange sky once more and closed her eyes, recalling the memories from twelve years ago.

***

     The six year-olds Daniella and Kristopher were staring helplessly at Daniel over the kitchen counter. The boy suddenly started sniffing and sobbing when he saw that jar of peanut butter.

       "W-W-What's wrong Danny?" the little girl asked, stuttering.

       "D-Don't you like peanut butter, Danny? We'll have some jam if you want. So... So..."

       "Poopy," Daniel rubbed his eye. Kristopher and Daniella were getting really worried. "I miss you Poopy. I... Really, really miss you..."

     The confused children stared at each other. "So Poopy was actually a person?" Daniella whispered to Kristopher. "I thought it was a code name for Diarrhea or something."

       "I dunno," Kristopher replied. "And what's a diarrhea?"

     Daniella rolled her eyes and went to comfort Daniel. She climbed up a stool and put her hand over the little boy's shoulder. "Who's Poopy?"

     Kristopher also went up a stool and leaned over the table to look at his cousin. "Yeah, who's he? Why do you always bring his name up?"

     Daniel continued to stare at the jar of peanut butter. Kritina's image fleeted inside his head and that tore him apart. "Poopy was... my best friend."

       "And?" Daniella asked, her tone was mature and comforting. She learned how to do that from her mother.

       "And I can't see her again because daddy told me that we needed to move here for his job." His voice was shaky. Daniella and Kristopher were worried, but they felt happy because this was the first time Daniel actually talked.

       "Don't worry," Kristopher patted his cousin's back. "I'm sure you'll see her again someday. When we grow up, let's all pay her a visit, and maybe you can introduce us to him!"

       "Idiot," Daniella said. "Poopy's not a 'him,' Poopy's a girl!"

     Kristopher's eyes widened. "She's a girl?!"

  Daniella sighed. "Didn't mom ever teach you about pronouns? Jeez you're so hopeless."

       "A-Anyway," the little boy, embarrassed, cleared his throat. "I promise that Danny. You'll see her again. And maybe we'll get to meet her too. She must be someone incredible since she made you like this."

       "Y-Yeah..." Daniel replied.

       "Like he said," Daniella smiled at him. "We promise you'll see her again. When we grow up, we'll all see her together."

     Daniel looked at the two kids trying to comfort him, and for the first time in three months, he didn't feel alone, even though he felt like something was missing, at least he didn't feel empty anymore.

       "Promise?" Daniel stared at them with hopeful, teary eyes.

       "We swear," Daniella smiled.

       "Yeah," Kristopher added. "Pinky swear."

     And after that, Daniel just sobbed some more, but the two kids saw it. He smiled.

***

       "Wow." Was the only thing that came out of Kristina's mouth.

       "Yeah." Daniella sighed, smiling. "That was the start of our friendship. Basically, you're the reason why we became best friends."

     Kristina made a series of awkward laughs and snorts. "Y-Yeah right."

     Daniella giggled. "You're really special to him, you know that? Even though he's like that, he really cares about you. Look, he waited for twelve years just to see you again. Who does that these days?"

       "Uh-huh..."

      "Even though a lot of pretty ladies practically threw themselves at him back at Europe, he didn't look at one of them. He told them he already had one girl in his heart," she added, making Kristina's face flush red.

      "Sure..."

      "And back when we were in middle-school, he even told me that he didn't care if you looked fat or ugly the next time he saw you, he said he'd like you even if you turned into a demon. How sweet right?"

       "Y-You can stop telling me these things now..."

       "And--"

       "Seriously!" Kristina shrieked, he face was bright red and her heart was about to burst out of her ribcage. "S-Stop it. I won't be able to look at him if you keep telling me these things..."

     Daniella took Kristina's hand and smiled sweetly at her. "Are you afraid of falling in love?"

       "What?" Kristina was surprised with that sudden question.

       "Ask yourself. Why are you denying your feelings? Why are you holding back? Do you love him?"

       "A-Anne?"

      "Trust me," Daniella said, her eyes suddenly looked gloomy. "If you keep holding back, you'll lose him. And it'll hurt."

     Kristina knew there was a meaning behind those words, and there was a reason why Daniella told her all these, but she felt that this wasn't the time to ask her what it was. She'll wait until Daniella herself tells her, and she'll be sure to listen.

      "Well... Thanks for telling me..." Kristina nervously smiled. "I better get going. Daniel's probably... Um..."

       "Yeah, that moron is probably waiting for you right now and probably also can't wait to sleep in your room again," she mumbled jokingly.

       "What?" Kristina innocently asked. She didn't hear her.

      "Nothing!" Daniella linked her arm on Kristina's and dragged her to the parking lot. "C'mon! I'll walk you to his car!"

     At exactly 6:20, the two girls arrived at the parking area where Daniel was leaning over his car. He had a stern look on his face as the two girls approached.

       "Don't scold her Danny! I just borrowed her for today," Daniella grinned, then she pushed Kristina, making her stumble and land on Daniel's chest, she blushed. "You take care you two! And see ya tomorrow!"

     When Daniella went inside her car and drove away, Daniel and Kristina also went in Daniel's car. The atmosphere wasn't heavy like what Kristina expected. In fact, it felt rather warm. She imagined Daniel as a six year-old boy, sobbing and saying that he missed his Poopy. She wouldn't admit it, but she was touched.

     Daniel was actually expecting Kristina to hit him on the head for teasing her this morning, but she didn't. "Anne was acting strange today. What did you two talk about?" he asked.

     Kristina looked at him and gave him a natural smile. Not one of those demonic, awkward or forced smiles, this time, it was real, and warm. Daniel was caught off-guard. Something flipped inside his chest and he gripped the steering wheel tightly. "What?"

       "Nothing," Kristina kept smiling.

     After dinner, Daniel was acting really cautious around Kristina. She was acting weird. She even thanked him for cooking dinner for her. This was making him nervous. Something was wrong. Something was really, really wrong.

     8:00, they finished all their schoolwork and got in their PJs. Daniel actually brought his clothes this time. He sat on his futon and stretched his arms. Kristina quietly sat on the edge of her bed and just stared into space. Daniel clapped his hands. "Hey. Are you sleeping with your eyes open?"

       "What?" Kristina looked at him. His face looked confused; she just smiled.

     Daniel could feel the heat rising in his cheeks. Why was she doing this to him? "There's something wrong. Who are you? Where's Poopy?"

       "What did that mean?"

       "Poopy would've screamed or beaten me to death right now."

       "You're saying you want me to kill you?!" She snapped, finally.

     Somehow, Daniel felt strangely relaxed. "Oh, there you are. I missed you, Poopy."

     Kristina suddenly felt her heart skip a beat. She looked down at her feet and recalled what Daniella told her earlier. You're really special to him, you know that? Even though he's like that, he really cares about you. Look, he waited for twelve years just to see you again. Who does that these days?

     Even though a lot of pretty ladies practically threw themselves at him back at Europe, he didn't look at one of them. He told them he already had one girl in his heart.

     Are you afraid of falling in love?

     Kristina gripped her chest as she slowly climbed down her bed and to Daniel's futon. He was actually expecting her to kick his face but there was something in her look that made him feel weird. He really thought Kristina was acting weird. Meanwhile, she was putting the pieces together and tried to come up with an answer. Daniella's words really stroke her hard.

     Ask yourself. Why are you denying your feelings? Why are you holding back? Do you love him?

       "Poopy?" Daniel called her attention. She didn't realize she was already sitting on Daniel's futon. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

     Why are you holding back?

     Kristina slowly looked at him and met his eyes. "D-Daniel..."

     Do you love him?

       "Yup?" he simply asked, but inside, he was getting nervous. What was she up to this time? She slowly went closer to him and looked deeper in his eyes.

     Why are you holding back?

    She knitted her brows and made up her resolve. She gave Daniel a gentle look and she noticed him jump a little. Was he actually nervous because of this? She took a deep breath and continued staring at his eyes with determined ones. "I won't hold back anymore."

     She grabbed Daniel's collar and kissed him passionately on the lips. His eyes shot open from surprise - he wasn't expecting the day that she would be the first one to kiss him. Slowly, he closed his eyes and responded to her kiss, tracing his hand up to her hair and holding her arms with his other hand.

     You're really special to him, you know that?

     She slowly broke away, catching her breath, and rested her forehead on his. Daniel looked like he was confused and surprised. He held her cheek and looked at her lips, then her eyes.

       "I love you," he said.

     She smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

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A/N: Yeeey! I updated! Cheers! ^^ How was this chap? Sorry it took so long to update, I just made this today, so forgive the errors. =)))