Originally Posted by Anna Banana

She heard his footsteps before she heard his mouth. Great. He was coming over. She gripped the chocolate frog in her hand and thought about throwing it at him, but then she thought better of it. After all, she wouldn't want to damage a perfectly good frog.

Joking? Hmm. Whatever. She listened to him talk for a bit, never once looking up from the chocolate frogs until he grabbed her arms and forced her to look at him. Even then, she tried to look away and stay mad, but suddenly, she burst into a small fit of giggles. "It's okay, Cale," she promised. "I understand." To make sure he knew she was good on her word, she reached up on her tippy toes and hugged him.

"I...I guess I should explain," she said. "Sometimes, I feel like I have the worst luck in the world when it comes to boys. A lot of them seem to only see me as a friend, and, yeah, I have to admit, that's all I see most of them as, too," she continued. She made sure to stress the word most, because technically, due to her little crush on a certain someone, she didn't see all the boys as just friends. "I just see everyone walking around with this dramatic love life, and I'm just the friend they come to when it all gets messed up...or when something really good happens."

She blushed a little, realizing she'd been a little too open with him. He'd come to her with problems about his and Cora's relationship earlier, and she didn't want him to think she wasn't there for him when she needed him. "But...there'll always be the boys that are welcome to talk to me whenever they please," she said, winking up at him. Merlin that was a little more flirty than she'd intended it to be.

Originally Posted by Lisseh

Cale let out a sigh of relief as she hugged him. He hugged her back, and he had a sudden flashback to when he had been hugging Cora earlier. This hug felt different. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but it felt...nice.

"Sorry, I didn't know it was such a touchy subject for you," he explained. "Maybe I should just work on getting funnier, I dunno," he added. It really hadn't been that funny. Maybe not even to someone who wasn't touchy about the subject of boys. "You don't need to worry about guys. I'm sure someone out there will see you as more than just a friend someday," he told her.

He blushed. Maybe he shouldn't have gone that far. Especially after she winked at him. Was she...flirting with him? He wasn't sure...but he was pretty sure that if she was, he didn't care.

ARG! He was so confused. Thank goodness he had talked to Bella earlier, or his brain might have exploded due to pent up emotions.

"So, how's your candy?" he asked, changing the subject. Oh lordy, he hoped Jason didn't show up right about now...he would never let them live their little conversation down.

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

"Don't apologize," she said. "I just don't need to overrreact so much. I should have just slugged you and been done with it." She glanced up at him with a shifty smile. He was probably about freak out in 5..4..3..2.."Just kidding, of course," she quickly said. "I'd never hit anyone." Especially not you, she wanted to add.

"Yeah, I think Mister Pref...Mr. Right is out there somewhere," she said. "Besides, I just might have a crush on this one boy." Of course she knew who that one boy was, but she intended to just leave it there. She only brought it up because she didn't want Cale to think her love life was at zero.

Originally Posted by Lisseh

"Never hit someone? Really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in mock shock. "Well, you know, I seem to recall one incident in Diagon Alley when you slugged my arm pretty hard," he teased her. "I believe I had a bruise there for a week or two!"

"Oh really?" he asked, standing up a later straighter. Oh. So she had a crush on someone. He was slightly disappointed. Well, what were you hoping for Cale? That she would admit that she had a crush on you? Pssh. Like THAT'S likely.

But he figured that he could still tease her a little bit about it. Smiling slyly at her, he asked her, "So, is it a guy that I know?"

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

"Oops," Anna said, smiling that same shifty little smile again. "So I guess I may have slugged a guy or two in my time." She did remember playfully hitting Cale now. She couldn't believe she'd been so bold as to do that. With all she put him through, it was a wonder he even wanted to stand in the same room with her anymore.

"You just may figure it all out one day," she said, answering his question about her little crush. "But for now, you'll just have to stick to teasing me about it." She laughed at that, thinking about what he'd do if he ever did figure out who her mystery boy was.

Originally Posted by Lisseh

"Aww, why can't you tell me now?" he asked with a grin. He pushed a stray curl out of his face, raising his eyebrows in a playful way towards his fellow prefect. "I should know who this guy is, so I can give my stamp of approval," he added with a wink.

"And I'm serious," he said, trying to make a serious face, but it didn't work and he just ended up cracking up anyways.

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

"I promise that I'll tell you one day, k?" she asked, knowing he probably wouldn't let it go. "It's just...new for me right now. I mean, this boy and I. Besides, I kind of think he's hung up on this other girl, because they've been together since Diagon Alley. Or, at least, they seem to be together. I don't know, though," she continued. "It's kind of confusing."

Originally Posted by Lisseh

"Really? Well, if this guy likes someone else rather than you, he's really stupid," Cale said, trying to make her feel better. "And, believe me, I will find out who it is. And he better look out, because I'm going to have a serious talk with him about what this other girl has that you don't," he assured her. "What is going on with him and this girl anyways?" Maybe he could get a few ideas about what to do with his relationship with Cora.

"Can I guess who it is?" he asked, perking up a bit. This could be fun!

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

OK, telling Cale she had a crush had turned out to be a really bad idea. It's just...well, poor Cale didn't realize it but he'd just technically said he was going back to Cooper's to talk about how he was stupid for not liking Anna, how he should look out, because he was going to have a serious talk with himself. Anna didn't mean to, but she laughed out loud at the irony. One day, when she felt comfortable telling him, she'd have to explain why she'd laughed out loud just then.

"Thank you, Cale," she said. "You've really made me feel a lot better. I was started to think there was something wrong with me or something. It's just SO like me to have a crush on someone who doesn't like me back. That was really sweet of you."

She thought about that for a minute and then had to add, "But that doesn't mean I'm about to spill all and tell you who he is." She winked at him again. Boy, she was getting good at that winking. She'd winked at him twice in the past ten minutes. "I don't think you'll ever guess who he is, but you can sure try!"

Originally Posted by Lisseh

Cale blinked in confusion. What had been so funny? "What?" he asked. "I don't get it."

Girls really WERE loonies!

"Well, that's just me," he said with a grin. He leaned back a little bit, leaning on a display of Licorice Wands. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to be all cool and sauve (but really he got a finger or two tangled in his curls) and said, "I'm just sweet like that," with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Hmmm, is it...Shel Ambrose?" he asked. "He's in a relationship at the moment." Oh yes, this was loads of fun. He loved teasing her!

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Anna let her laughter die out until she'd finally stopped altogether. "Ohhh, it's nothing," she teased. "Remind me about this in...ooohh...a few years, and I'll explain everything to you." That would probably get to him to wondering even more what she was up to, but she found teasing him so much fun!

She watched as he leaned back onto the candy display, smiling just a little as she noticed that his hands got stuck in a few tangles in his hair. She really loved the way he was so clumsy and simple things like getting his hands caught in his hair while trying to be cool were a problem for him.

"Shel, who?" she asked. "I don't think I know him. Oh, wait! Yes, I do! Sarah's boyfriend!" she exclaimed. "No, it's too obvious that he's with Sarah. With this boy, it's kind of confusing as to whether he's really with this certain girl or not."

Originally Posted by Lisseh

"What? Why a few years?" he asked, completely confused now. "You're weird, Anna," he said while shaking his head, totally baffled.

He caught her looking at his hand--caught in his hair--and blushed. Why were stupid things like that always happening to him around Anna? Like not having his prefect badge stay on, or tripping and falling into people...if Anna was there, something like that was bound to happen eventually.

"Oh, well then, let's see...is it that one Chris guy who hangs out with Jason a lot?" he asked, trying to think of other guys off the top of his head. He was just getting started in his teasing of her. She had no idea what was coming for her!

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Anna turned her attention away from Josh when she heard Cale talking again. "Well, in a few years, when I finally do tell you, you'll understand why I had to wait that long," she said, giggling at the fact he'd just called her weird. She probably did seem weird to him, but was she supposed to say? Cale, you just agreed to go have a conversation with yourself, because SURPRISE! You're Mister Crush! Yeah, right.

"Ewww, Chris?" she asked. "I mean, he's a nice guy and all, but isn't he like twelve-years-old or something? I don't think so, Cale." She smiled at him, thoroughly enjoying this little guessing game. "Why don't I try to guess something about you now? Let's put you on the spot for a while!"

Originally Posted by Lisseh

"Ok. I bet I forgot by that time, though, so you may just have to tell me earlier," he said with a smile. Anna was daft if she thought he was going to let that little thing slide.

"Wait, I'm not done yet!" he exclaimed, sitting up and grinning broadly. Oh, he was gonna put her on the spot, for sure. "This one has got to be it," he said with a chuckle. "Is it me?"

He stopped for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "No, I'm just kidding! Alright, you want to guess something about me? Go ahead, I don't mind being put on the spot," he told her. After that, he chuckled again.

Ok, someone has had too many jelly slugs.

Originally Posted by Anna Banana

Anna grinned up at Cale. "Not on your life. You'll have to pry my secrets out of me!" she said, leaning back on the candy display next to him. She was probably a little too close for his comfort, but she wasn't complaining. "I will tell you this, though," she said, looking up and getting a dreamy look on her face. "I think it just might one day be more than a little crush...at least, for me. It would be an added bonus if he felt the same way, though." Oh, how she was loving this!

"Is it, you?" she innocently asked. "I thought you wouldn't guess him and here you go proving me wrong! Game's over, you won!" She looked up at him with a mischievous glint in her eye, waiting for him to go berserk. "Kidding, Cale!" she said, before he had the chance to bolt and run. "I'm kidding with you, of course."

Originally Posted by Lisseh

Cale laughed as she joked along with him. Although, he had to admit, his heart had jumped just a teeny bit when she said it was him. Even though she was joking, it would have been nice if she hadn't been. "Oh, good, cause...I was totally kidding too!" he said with a grin.

He stuffed his bag of jelly slugs into his pocket. Ok, that was enough for now.