It so happens that that day as also the day of the special event at the flower shop. So, it was pretty easy to think of a place Nathalie would be at. On my way there I still couldn't help but call myself stupid for even considering what I wanted to do.

But when I got there, there was no sight a Nathalie North anywhere, which was a bid strange. She would usually take at least an hour to interview someone. The flower shop was full of people picking out flowers and just chatting. When I finally got to the front counter I saw one of the football players at our school, Kyle, organising some flowers.

I quickly came up to him and asked: "Hey, is Nathalie North here?"

He quickly turned to me and it seemed like he immediately recognized me. "Hey city girl. The princess left a while ago actually.", he quickly added, "Do you want to ask us more questions?"

"Oh no-", I hesitated. With anyone knew what was going on with the flowers it would be a worker at the flower shop. "Actually, yes.", I added, "Where do you get your flowers from?"

"Local flower farms. They don't grow much but it's still something.", he shrugged.

I quickly opened my phone and wrote down what he said. "Better to write down too much than too little" - quote from Miss Nathalie North herself. Kyle seemed to take me more seriously once he noticed me writing stuff down, so he also mentioned: "You know, the delivery was kind of weird."

"What do you mean?", I wondered.

"Well, they just left the flowers out in the back. It took us a while to even notice they were delivered already."

"Uh-huh.", I mumbled whole continuing to write down what he was saying. It does seem strange. Couldn't the delivery people knock or something?

Kyle suddenly reached under the counter and placed a small piece of paper in front of me. "The only thing they left was a note."

Sorry for the late delivery!

"Can I take this?", I asked while already taking the note.

"Sure.", he shrugged.

Just as I was about to ask something else a woman, who looked somewhat similar to Kyle, walked out of the backroom and immediately stared at me like I was some sort of evil spirit.

"Is that another one of those wannabe reporters again?", she scoffed.

Before I could even introduce myself she already started complaining. "You know, if you guys want to be taken seriously maybe ask more than three questions next time!"

Nathalie North and three questions? Yeah, no. I wasn't buying that. She would ask at least 50 questions and another 30 follow up questions before she even considered leaving. Something was up and I had a feeling I knew what. She took the interview just to get in between Jules and I, she was probably rushing to get through it.

Her mansion was still as glamorous as before. Some workers were working on the front garden making sure each bush and flower was perfectly set in place. Before I knocked on the front door I sat down by the front fountain and took a breather. My leg was still acting up whenever I walked for too long. Sometimes I wished the doctors would have just cut it off instead of letting it "heal".

Suddenly the front door opened and a maid I recognised stood there watching me. She quietly gestured me to walk in. Just as I was about to say thanks she shushed me and I quickly followed her. I swiftly understood why she wanted me to be quiet. Nathalie's family was sitting in the living room across from the front hall. We quickly made our way to a wing of the mansion and she slowly opened a door for me. On the other side was… a training room of sorts? There were different old fashioned equipment for training and also Nathalie… with the butler, Henry. They were training with swords.

Their movement precise and well, perfect. Whenever he made a move she would quickly out maneuver him, making him try and follow up as quickly as he could. As I walked closer he quickly noticed me and gestured to Nathalie to look back at me. Just as we made eye contact he quickly swung his sword at her legs, making her fall over onto the mat.

"3 - 2, Miss North.", he proudly announced.

She sighed and quickly got up. "Fifi, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to chat.", I shrugged and took a step back as they began training again.

"Well, I don't have time.", she swung her sword at Henry, who quickly dodged it.

Just as she dodged Henry he somehow made a double move, lightly hitting her with his sword again. The usually composed Nathalie grunted as she tried to get back at him. While this was all happening I explained: "I can tell. Those folks at the flower shop were really irritated by you, you know?"

"That's my problem, not yours.", she huffed.

"Actually it's ours."

I threw my notebook onto the mat in front of her, revealing the full pages I written up at the flower shop. "Here are some follow-up questions you didn't ask."

She glanced over at me before looking at the notebook again: "Why-"

"Unlike you I followed your stupid 10 step interview process, okay?", I grumbled.

She suddenly gestured to Henry to stop and fully turned to me, her tied locks slightly coming undone she had to blow some of her hair off her face.

"You're probably the only one that ever listens to my lessons."

We stayed silent for a moment. I couldn't help but think to myself "I wonder why", but I didn't have the guts to say that out loud. Instead I changed the topic entirely. "I scheduled an emergency meeting with the club."

"What?", she breathed.

I tried my best to lie: "I found new evidence and it can't wait."

"You came all the way here just to say that?", she wondered. Somehow believe my awful attempt at lying.

"Well, since I don't have your phone number...", while I mumbled this I noticed Henry and the maid looking at each other, almost like two high schoolers listening to some drama Henry giggled to himself while the maid made a shocked face to him.

I could tell by Nathalie's face she wasn't really happy about my plan. She still managed to control herself and sigh in defeat: "When is it?"

It was sunny by the lake, warm enough I could wear my new colourful jean shorts for the first time. I still felt anxious while I waited on her, not really sure if this whole thing I was about to do was a good idea.

Almost like on cue, there she was. Out of her training clothes and wearing a long skirt, white blouse and cream coat. She looked as elegant and well but together as always. I quickly jumped into the small boat next to me as she got closer.

"You said the club will be here.", she noted.

I quickly shrugged and jumped into the boat: "Huh, seems like they all cancelled."

She stared at me for a moment before questioning me: "You said it's an emergency meeting and you have time to swim around in a boat?"

"Why not?", I smiled and patted the seat in front of me.

Surprisingly, although still confused, Nathalie went into the boat and sat down in front of me. I pushed the boat off the shore and started rowing further into the lake while she was still looking at me suspiciously.

"...I have to say, I'm only entertaining this because you might be going through a psychological break.", she comments while looking around.

As the boat got to the middle of the lake I stopped rowing and looked back at Nathalie. She just stared at me, probably thinking I was just taking a break. I wasn't.

"Why did you stop?"

"Guess.", I smiled.

She didn't really share my excitement and just let out: "Fifi."

I sat back, trying my best to keep my eyes off the water and sound as nonchalant as possible. "Oh well, seems like we're stuck. At least we have a lot to talk about."

Being "stuck" on a boat with a pretty girl was definitely not the worst thing that ever happened to me. But it seemed like it was for her. She quickly sat up, moving the boat and making me grab the side of my seat as she grunted: "I'm done with-" 

She quickly stopped and just stared at me. Just as I thought I was too good of an actress for her to notice she swiftly crushed that thought: "…Are you scared?"

"What? No.", I scoffed while still not letting go of that stupid bench seat.

She looked even more confused than before, probably thinking about the best way to call out my stupidity. 

"Fifi, why on earth did you bring us on a boat when you're scared of water?"

"Hey, it was your date idea.", I shrugged and leaned back again.

It took her a few seconds before she got it. "…You talked with Lola."

It was at this moment I realise what this probably felt like to her. I mean, the last time Lola spoke to one of her crushes alone it didn't end that well.

"You cannot be serious.", she scoffed, "Couldn't you have just made out with Jules again instead of trapping me on this stupid boat?

"Like I would ever…", I suddenly went silent.

Make out with Jules? Again? Just went I began to wonder what she was talking about did I remember it. Jules told Lola we kissed, and only Lola. Since she was at home brainstorming and unlikely to have time to talk to Nathalie, and Jules only said that to screw with Lola there was only one explanation for her knowing about Jules' lie.

"You were at Jules' psychic shop when we were there?! Did you hide under the table?"

Nathalie hesitated for a moment. I caught her and she knew it. "…Behind some curtains."

"Bats!", I laughed, "What were you even doing there?"

"It doesn't matter."

We fell silent. Even though I really wanted to know what she was doing with Jules I held myself back. I didn't take her on that boat to make her mad again, I wanted to talk, and the only way to do that was to keep things civil. 

So, I just tried to explain: "Jules made that up to screw with Lola. I don't even like them like that!"

She didn't seem convinced. "You certainly flirt with them like you do."

I could've teased her about it, you know, call her out for her obvious crush. I wanted to, I really wanted to. But I held back, again. Seemed like holding back was becoming my thing.

"I can stop if it bothers you.", I mumbled and looked away from her.

"I…", she hesitated. What was she about to say? I appreciate it? I think that's for the best? Whatever it was it would get swallowed by her cowardliness and I would never get to hear it.

Instead she tried to deny it once again. But it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than me. "Why would that bother me? It doesn't bother me.", she paused, "It doesn't."

Looking at her I saw… a confident and a bit overwhelming facade to her. Even though she was trying to keep it up as much as she could I could still see through that. The once stone solid self possessed girl now clear as glass and just as fragile. She was a faker, not just on the outside.

"Why can't you just show how you really feel?", I asked.

She glanced at me for a short moment before looking away. Yeah, she was already done with me and I was making things worse.

I actually wanted to be a nice date, one where we just chat about our feelings, not yell them. So, I tried doing one of the things I really dreaded; Small talk.

"Sword fighting lessons, huh?", I wondered, hoping she would bite.

She looked at me again, before squinting her eyes at me like I just insulted her whole family. "You mean fencing?"

"You used real swords!", I huffed.

"You mean rapiers?"

Okay, did she really need to over correct me on everything? A sword is a sword!

She swiftly added, clearly pleased with herself: "I also had self defence classes and did golf and tennis for a while."

I couldn't help but glance at her whole figure. I guess she had a bit of muscle, she definitely looked athletic. Not as much as Philip but definitely more than me or Lola.

"I guess that explains how you killed a bat with one swing.", I shrugged.

She suddenly lets out a sharp laugh before stumbling: "I did not-", she laughs again: "I merely immobilised it."

Seeing her laugh like that made me laugh back. Even though I found her reaction really amusing I wasn't letting it go. "No, you did not! That thing was laying on the ground not moving. It was dead!"

"You should be thankful I protected you from it. I don't even want to know how much crazier you would be if that thing bit you.", she smiled.

I leaned back even more and crossed my arms. Nathalie just tried to take a hit at me. I guess I should have been used to it by then, but it was strange… usually she would do it when she was mad or annoyed, but now? It felt more like teasing.

"I never said I wasn't grateful."

I couldn't help but notice her eyes sparkle a little. She tried to glance away but it was already too late, her cheeks already started turning light pink. "Sure."

"Gosh, no wonders Lola figured it out.", I giggled, "You are so obvious when you're crushing on someone."

Her face now more red. I immediately realised I crossed some sort of line for her since she already started getting defensive. "No, I'm not."

I tried my best to back petal a little and make her feel like I wasn't trying to attack her: "Please, All I'm asking is that you'll be honest with me."

It didn't work.

"I am honest.", she snapped.

"Oh, so you're also being honest with Philip?", I asked.

She looked away for a moment to take a deep breath. She was getting frustrated, which made me think that maybe if I keep going she would accidentally reveal what she really felt.

When she looked back at me she quickly said: "Yes, I am!"

"I think you're lying to yourself!", I called out.

After this our conversation was more of a bar fight. Each of us trying to out do the other.

"No, I'm not! You're just too-", She yelled.

I cut it, probably putting more pressure on her: "Arrogant? Yes, I know. You told me already!"

"You can be such a jerk!", She hissed.

"Jerk? Wow! How sophisticated! Just admit it already!"

She suddenly slammed her hands against her seat before she shouted at me: "I don't have a crush on you! I wouldn't even care if you would leave town!"

If you would leave town. That single sentence echoed in my mind. Leave, Like what? Have to switch to another foster home? Get abandoned again? Is that what she was saying?

She tried to explain herself but it was already too late, I already took my own meaning out of it. "Fifi, I didn't mean-"

"Right.", I let out, "I don't even care about you and Philip. You can do whatever you want. I don't care either."