A/N: I have a friend whose name is also Kristopher and I know he's reading this now and he's taunting me and blackmailing me back at school. Kristopher you LOSER, get out! XD

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       "Ella! Ella! Ella!" Daniella chirped upon linking arms with her. "You're such a genius! Teehee."

       "Of course," she grinned wickedly. "Let's leave those two to settle things their selves."

       "I wonder if my contribution was helpful?"

       "Sure it was!" Ella pulled Daniella to a nearby coffee shop. "Tina's head is a rock. She won't realize her feelings herself not unless someone tells her. She's dense! She can't pick up the hints! Slow! Too slow! Aish. Such a problem kid. Like you," Ella half-smiled at her.

     They both sat down inside the lovely coffee shop and ordered small sandwiches and iced teas. After the waiter left with their orders, they continued to discuss. Daniella shuffled in her seat and looked at Ella with pleading eyes. "It's not easy."

       "I know," Ella replied. "Hiding your real emotions behind that believable smile of yours must be quite tiring, huh?"

     Daniella nodded. "Yeah. For three years. It's a long time."

     Ella put her elbows on the table and half-buried her cheeks with her palms. "I think you should tell Tina about this. She has absolutely no idea what's going on."

       "I want to, but I don't want her to get involved with our problems."

     Ella laughed. "But we're involving ourselves with Daniel and her problems. Isn't it a little too unfair not to let her in yours?"

     Daniella also laughed in reply. "You're right. But I think now's not the time. I want her to realize her own heart first. After that, I'll fix my issues with that jerk."

       "Why are you waiting for Tina's problem to get fixed? Is there something to gain from it?"

       "Simple," she smiled. "For Danny. He's waited twelve years for that girl. It'd be a waste if she won't realize things sooner, but with my little talk with her the other day? I think she picked up the hint."

     Ella grinned at Daniella just as the waiter arrived with their order.

*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*

       "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Kristina yelled continuously at the two laughing boys. They were getting on her nerves. Daniel's shoulders were trembling, trying to hold in his laughter. Kristopher was laughing so hard that practically no noise came out anymore. "QUIET YOU!"

         "But... it's... it's too funny!!! HAHAHAHA!" Kristopher choked on his laughter.

         "No it's not! Shut up before I hit you!"

        "Bet Danny's gonna hit you first!"

        "I'm gonna shove my foot down your throat, you want that?!"

       "No," he instantly stopped laughing and gave her a smirk. "But I'd like to see you shove you ton--"

          "EW SHUT UP!" Kristina couldn't resist. She finally hit him right on the shoulder. Her face had gone pink out of all the frustration she was feeling. Daniel stared at the two and sighed hopelessly upon nodding his head sideways.

        A few minutes after Kristopher and Daniel stopped laughing, the three of them sat down on the blanket neatly placed on the rooftop's floor. Kristopher snatched a few snacks from Daniel's bag which earned him a good smack at the back of his head.

       Kristina continued ignoring the two boys as she ate her share of food.

     "Hey," Daniel mumbled while looking dully at Kristopher. "What's going on between you and Anne?"

     He almost choked on his potato chip. He made a cold laugh and shook his head wearily. "Nothing."

        "You may be good at acting, but you're terrible at lying," Daniel sighed. Kristina couldn't help but to secretly listen to their conversation.

     "Yeah," Kristopher put the bag of chips down. "You're also good at reading other people's feelings without even considering yours."

        "What's that supposed to mean?"

        "It means we're just the same, stupid."

     Daniel scoffed and took the bag of chips before Kristopher could reach it. "What a bunch of kids," Kristina muttered under her breath.

     Another moment of uneasy silence passed; Kristina broke that silence. "Octopus-headed boss-monkey," she glared at his direction. He grinned in reply.

         "We're not kidding. A lot of people are getting worried. What's going on? What's your PAST with Daniella?"

          "I said nothing," he shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care.

          "Want me to tell everyone how you were such a love-stricken puppy back in the days?" Daniel said with a stony expression. Kristopher didn't react.

           "Go ahead. I don't care. It's not like I still feel the same way."

           "You're so stupid."

           "No, you are."

           "Shut up, stupid."

           "Shut yourself up, stupid."

           "YOU'RE BOTH STUPID!" Kristina threw two of her books directly at their faces. They dodged a bit, but it still hit them.

            "Ow," they chorused.

            "Kristopher you're so stubborn! Why don't you just tell us what's going on?! I can't take seeing Anne cry you know?!"

      Kristopher turned stiff for a bit. His forehead quickly creased and his muscles tensed up. He actually looked serious, this was a rare occasion. His expression earned surprised looks from his companions. "She cried?" he asked, with a low voice.

              "Not really," Kristina observed his face. Was he bothered to hear about Anne crying? "But she will. Sooner or later, she's gonna break down and cry, because you're too much of a coward to admit something."

                  "Heh," his laugh was cold again. "Said the brave one."

                  "Don't push it," Kristina sneered.

      Kristopher sighed heavily and grimaced at Daniel, who was looking at him with his usual expression. "Danny."

                    "If you won't tell us what's bothering you, who else are you going to tell?" Daniel said. He scratched the back of his head and casually flipped his hair. "You and Anne are just the same. Both of you wear masks and you fool everyone, but underneath that mask, you two are just like everyone else-- fragile and afraid of getting hurt."

        Kristina listened intently to Daniel and his words of wisdom. Something was telling her that those words had a deeper meaning. Kristopher looked down and was hesitating whether to tell them or not. It's not like he didn't trust them, it was just because of his reason. His utterly foolish and childish reason.

     "You should know what I've been through Danny, and you should also know why I chose that path." Kristopher slid his closed-fist inside his pocket, Kristina noticed it.

          She was clueless about Daniel, Kristopher and Daniella's past; she wasn't curious about that. She just wanted to know why he's been avoiding Anne, and why Anne's pretending not to know him. If it had something to do with their past, then hoopla.

        "What exactly happend between you three back at Europe?" Kristina asked.

        "It's a long story," Kristopher sighed. If he sighed some more, he'll turn into an old man soon.

    Kristina glanced at her watch. "We have a lot of time."

         "Should I explain?" Daniel suggested. He had a feeling that Kristopher didn't really want to talk about it, but he wanted them to know anyway. That's how contradicting he was, as always. He never changes.

      Kristopher shook his head gently. "No, it's alright." He looked at Kristina and gave her a half-smile. "I'll tell you. I've been meaning to talk about this crap I'm feeling for a long time. Just listen, okay?"

            Kristina held in a face. Was he serious? He sounded so mature and so... un-Kristopher. Maybe Daniel was right. Maybe he was just wearing a mask and fooled everyone with his cheerful personality. Who really is Kristopher Walls? Is Anne like that too? Are her sweet smiles also a part of her mask?

          "It was about twelve years ago when I met her," he started. Kristina listened carefully while Daniel stretched his arms, preparing to go to sleep. "I was five, and she was four. My parents were musicians, and they always toured around the world. They hired me a home-school teacher, Mrs. Jennings, Anne's mom."

            "I was a troublesome brat. I had a problem with using pronouns and I always messed up with my words, but she stayed patient. I liked my teacher very much. One day, she brought her daughter to meet me. When I saw Anne that day, I remember being stiff the whole time. She was so pretty, and she moved just like her mom." He laughed with melancholic eyes.

          "She went with her mom everyday, and that made me really happy and excited. I looked forward to Mrs Jenning's lessons because Anne would help me with my pronouns and grammar. She was a kid like me back then, but she was pretty intelligent for her age."

         Kristopher pulled back his hair and continued. "A few months later, robot-boy came and lived with us. Danny, you still remember?

       "Mmm," Daniel mumbled. His eyes were already closed. Amazing, he could sleep while sitting down. Kristopher snorted and looked back at Kristina.

        "Around that time, when Danny moved to Europe, he wouldn't talk. He was such a dummy and we couldn't get anything out of him except for the name 'Poopy'."

         "I know," Kristina hid her embarrassed expression. "Anne told me about that."

      "And I have more than enough reasons to crumple her cheeky little face," Daniel mumbled again. So he was actually listening?

        "I see," Kristopher smiled. "Well, at that time as well, Anne was so focused on trying to get some words out of Danny that I started to get... well..."

         "Jealous?" Kristina inquired.

      "Mn, something like that," he sighed. "After a few more years, both of them went to middle-school. Since I was a home-schooler, I didn't get to hang out with them that much. They became such close friends and I was afraid that Anne might... Fall for him."

         Something inside of Kristina stirred. She tilted her head and clutched her arm.

       "Danny was, as other people would call, a prince. He was great at sports, at school, and he didn't even have to say anything to call their attention. The girls were all attracted to him, and they were all jealous of Anne, because Anne was the only one Danny hung out with."

        "A teacher even called him a child prodigy, a genius. If he only accepted that offer and signed that contract, he would have been the youngest person to graduate in the world. But he didn't, he said he wasn't interested. What a waste! Tch."

              Kristina glanced at Daniel. He was folding his arms against his chest and he breathed quietly. He really is an amazing person, until he opens his mouth.

        "I thought Anne liked his type. She liked hard-working people. In Danny's case, he wasn't hard-working, in fact, he was too laid back and relaxed! But he still managed to be a genius anyway. He's the luckiest bastard to ever walk the face of the earth," he quipped. Kristina snorted.

            "So I tried my best and worked hard too, just to earn her attention. After a while, a big agent from a large and famous company said he liked my looks, and offered me a job to be part of the cast of a major movie. I didn't really want it, actually, but if that's what it took for Anne to notice me, I'd do it. So I took the job and packed my bags. My parents already gave their consent because they knew that agent."

               "But Anne wasn't happy like I had anticipated. When I was packing my things, she came up to my room and yelled at me. I didn't understand why she was so angry at that time, I let the pressure into my head and we ended up fighting. I was such a coward. I couldn't tell her the real reason why I was leaving, and I ended up saying words that she misread. I'm such an idiot!" He slapped his head and groaned.

         Kristina could see that he was really regretting it. But that was years ago, why couldn't they fix it now? Kristopher massaged his forehead and looked frustrated. "When I left that day, I didn't say goodbye. I couldn't. And as much as I wanted to come back and see my best friends again, my pride didn't allow it. I guess that's my real mistake. I was too afraid."

          Daniel lazily looked at Kristopher and slightly creased his forehead. This is the first time he heard him admit that he was a coward. Hearing him say all that was really surprising.

                  "Years passed and my career boomed. I was a lucky guy, but it didn't matter. There wasn't a single day that my conscience didn't come to haunt me. I worked really hard for my career, I hope she saw me, I hope she acknowledged me by now. All I could do was hope. So when I heard that Danny flew to America and enrolled in his Poopy's school, I took that as a chance. I wanted to see him again as well."

                     "I acted like a weirdo around you. I pretended to threaten Danny and told him that I'd take you away. That was just an act. I wanted to see how he would react, and to tell you frankly, I was satisfied," Kristopher had a smug look written all over his face as he glanced at Daniel. "And I really found it amusing every time I clinged to you and he'd get all protective and--"

               "Keep going and I'm gonna shave your head and stuff your mouth with your own hair," Daniel interrupted. Kristopher cringed as Kristina made a light giggle. So Daniel was uncomfortable with that sort of topic? Huh.

                  "Alright, alright. On with my dramatic story. So, after a few weeks, I didn't expect that Anne would transfer to this school as well. I couldn't believe it with my own eyes. When she entered that classroom, I thought I was dreaming. And when she claimed to be your fiancee, I gotta admit. It stung." Kristopher scratched his head again and flipped his hair.

                "What's worse was, she acted like she didn't know me. And when Tinz invited us all to their house, I was shocked to see her kissing you like that in the garden."

     Daniel sat up and fixed his gaze on Kristina. She looked like she was shaking that memory off. He sighed. "Let me clear something up before you blame me again," he looked at Kristopher. "We didn't kiss."

        "Sure, Danny." Kristopher rolled his eyes. "We saw you, y'know."

        "Well did you see our lips in-tact?" Daniel challenged. Kristina and Kristopher thought about it for a bit. They shook their heads in unison.

         "That wasn't real. She just wanted to make it look like a kiss. It was all for show."

         "Why would she do that?" Kristina asked.

       "Who knows. Maybe she wanted to make someone jealous or something," Daniel casually replied. Both Kristina and Kristopher felt the heat in their faces. Something inside their chests knocked on their cages and thump hard. Somehow, they felt relieved.

      It was an outrageous reason, but they knew Daniel was no liar. Kristopher smiled at his cousin and best friend, and went on. "Alright, now that that issue's resolved, I'll tell you guys the reason now."

      Daniel and Kristina listened intently as Kristopher continued. "After all those time she ignored me and pretended to ignore me, I decided to do the same thing to her. Just like this morning. When I entered the room, I unexpectedly found a photograph under my foot. I picked it up and voila. It the picture I used to treasure the most. Notice the past tense." He said.

        Daniel snorted. "You're still messed up with your words."

        "Why is that?"

        "Because you still love her."

       Kristopher was about to retort when the rooftop's door creaked open and they found Ella and Daniella standing before them, holding a few plastic bags in their hands. Kristopher met Daniella's eyes and he turned away quickly. She stepped forward and approached them.

        "You're finally back," Kristina complained to Ella. Her best friend stuck her tongue out and winked. She pulled Kristina and Daniel out of the way and the four of them watched as the scene progressed.

      Daniella sat on the blanket on the floor, opposite of Kristopher. She searched his eyes but he kept looking icily at the bag of chips Daniel left behind. She took a deep breath and managed to finish a sentence without stuttering. "Tops, we need to talk."

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A/N: Hellooo! It's finally our sem break! ^o^ Sorry again for uploading late. I'm hoping to update a lot this week. And... I have a lot of new readers! Thank you guys! And to those silent readers out there, I really appreciate you for being patient with me. =))

Story's still progressing... :)

P.S

Popper, if you're still reading this, you're dead. And tell Nene that she's gonna get it too. >:)