Reality or Fantasy?

Complications

"Pie, what's wrong?" Fern asked while they're walking in the hallway, noticing Pie's uneasiness.

Unsure to bare what she's thinking all day long, Pie attempted to keep it to herself. "Nothing, Fern. What made you say that?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Pie. You can fool everyone but not me. I know you since birth."

Fern obviously didn't buy it and that makes Pie gave in. "Okay, I just find it weird that Kim didn't show up at my locker when I came there earlier. I didn't notice her as well at the cafeteria with her friends during lunch. I feel like something's going on."

Ever since Fern saw Pie and Kim together, she already knows that something special could possibly blossom between the two of them. And the fact the she's witnessing her cousin's deep concern for the tom's absence right now, it made her believe more about her own notion. But at the moment, she decided to play innocent because she wanted Pie to say it herself.

"You're thinking too much, princess. Who knows if she called it sick today?"

"Wait, hold on! Why do I feel that you're acting like a girlfriend? Did I miss something here?" Fern added, trying to catch Pie into her trap.

"I'm not, okay! W...We're...just friends." Pie's cheeks were painted by pink blushes the moment she heard the word girlfriend. Is she really acting like one?

Fern pretends to be serious in front of the brunette but deep inside, she's squealing hard when her words affect Pie so much. "Listen, Pie. I don't see any problem with you crushing on Kim. But try to get to know her first before you put your trust on her. I just don't want you to end up hurting."

Unable to cage her emotions any longer, Pie expressed her anxieties. "I'm afraid, Fern. This is so new to me. You know I've never been attracted to anyone before. And for the record, it's a girl, out of millions of people I could meet."

"I only have one question Pie."

"What is it?" the brunette queried, tilting her head to the side to meet the taller girl's gaze.

"Does she make you happy?"

Clearly, Fern had struck the right chord into Pie's heart as the brunette sighed heavily before saying, "Yes."

"That's all that matters, princess. Don't think about your mom or what other people would say. This is about what your heart wants. You know why I'm supporting you with this? Because you deserve to be happy. You spent all your life to care and help others as much as you could, and now, it's your turn to let someone take care of you for the rest of your life." Fern uttered, placing a gentle hand to Pie's shoulder.

"Someone that I can be with the rest of my life?" Pie reiterated, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She thinks that they might misinterpret Kim's behavior towards her. It could only be a great gesture of a friend, couldn't it? "Hey Fern, it's just a crush. You're thinking in advance and heck, I don't even know if she likes me."

At the back of Fern's mind, when it comes to love, sometimes she could be blinded but it seems that Pie is more impaired than she could ever be.

"Let me tell you this for once, Pie. Kim didn't bother to ditch her friends to spend time with you alone if she's not eager to see you. She didn't seem to care whatever this whole university will say about you two together if she's ashamed to be seen with you. She didn't mind lending you her jacket if she doesn't care about how you feel. And lastly, she won't stare at you as if you're the love of her life if she doesn't like you."

Stunned by her cousin's keen observations to Kim's actions, it took Pie a few moments to form a coherent sentence. "When did you become so good at words?"