Chapter 2 - A Bud

Lily awoke with a start to the playing of her radio. Morissa was sitting on the floor next to it, reading. "Oy, Monkeybait, what the hell are you doing in here?" Lily asked groggily, yawning.
"Reading. What does it look like?" Morissa replied, looking up from the book. "You know, Lily, you have the foulest mouth. Monkeybait. Honestly," she chided, getting up to leave.
"Public school," Lily said, her voice stifled by the pillow over her head. "I blame society."
Morissa shook her head and closed the door behind her.
An hour or so later, Lily awoke to the ringing of the telephone. She picked it up. "'llo?" she croaked, yawning and rubbing her eyes.
"Hey Lily!" It was Asta, Lily's best friend.
"Pfft. Hey," Lily said, slightly more awake.
"I saw you at the concert! You were awesome!" Asta shouted into the phone, a bit overexcited.
Lily groaned. "I didn't need that ear..."
"Sorry," Asta said more quietly, giggling. "So, what's up with you and Dominic, anyway?!" Her hyperactivity was showing in her tone again.
"WHAT THE HELL!? I DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THAT ARROGANT BASTARD!!!!!" Lily screeched. "WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I'M IN LOVE WITH HIM!?!!!!!!!"
Asta let out a low whistle. "And you get pissed at me for yelling....." she said with a breathy laugh.
There was a slight rapping from the floor above. "Lily!" shouted Aunt Barbara. "No yelling into the phone!!"
"Yes ma'am," mumbled Lily, as if Barbara could hear.
Asta snickered. "I knew it."
"Knew what?" Lily questioned, sure that she didn't want to hear what her comrade was about to tell her.
"You do like him....no, you looove him! You want to daaaaate him.......you wa-"
"Asta! Shut up! Gah!" Lily pressed the 'talk' button on the phone, cutting off Asta's little chant. "Grr! I can't believe the nerve of some people...." she complained to Ace, who had now perched on her shoulder. Tears suddenly appeared at the corners of her eyes. "The worst part about it," she thought aloud, choking back a tearful sob, "is that they're right....." Tears rolled down her cheeks, her eyes squished shut and her mouth slightly open in a silent sob.
The door knob clicked as it turned, indicating a pending entry. Quickly Lily wiped away her tears, knowing well that her eyes would be telltale signs of crying. Aunt Barbara came in silently and sat down on the couch, putting an arm around Lily. The sturdy sofa creaked slightly under their combined weight. "What is it, Lovely?" she asked Lily softly.
"Nothing," Lily replied, sniffing.
"If I can't tell when my girl has been crying, then no one can," Barbara said with a smile.
Lily remained stoic.
"Is it that handsome boy that Morissa has been going on about? Did he break your heart?"
Lily's face reddened and she started up off the couch. "D@mn that little pest! I'm gonna kill her!"
Aunt Barbara reached up and put both her arms around Lily's waist, easily pulling her back down. "Relax....tell me about it first..." she said with an easy-going smile.
Lily relented and told her aunt about the flower and how hard she had tried not to think about Dominic, but how he always came to her mind. She knew that he could never like her in that way, but she remained deeply in love with every fiber of his being.
After she finished her story, Aunt Barbara hugged her tightly. "You won't like what I'm about to say, but I'm going to say it anyway. You have to tell this Dom boy how you feel. Otherwise, how will he know? You can't just love him in misery all your life, can you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in a characteristically Barbara way.
Lily shook her head, hintings of a smile brightening her tear-stained face."Good," Barbara said, patting Lily gently on the head. "Now, no killing Morissa. I think I have a better idea." She smiled mischievously and left the room.
A few minutes later, Morissa's shouts of protest could be heard from the upper floor. "But Moth-ER! You know I don't like the outdoors. Especially not outdoors that involve cleaning.....and especially outdoor cleaning that involves animals! Aaaaaaaagh!!!!" The sound of a door slamming made a satisfied smile cross Lily's face.
"Thanks," she said to the ceiling, a little laugh escaping her lips.

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