It had been just over a week since what Cecelia had begun to refer to as the Flower Fiasco. It was, however, much less of a fiasco, and more of a shipping scheme by her best friend.

Today, Ruben looked especially cheerful, bumping into far more people than usual. Thankfully, this time, Cecelia was spared the embarrassment of another domino effect.

"I hear this year they'll let us use props and accessories," Ruben commented as they passed by a large poster, reminding them that picture day was tomorrow.

"So what do you have in mind?" She asked him, watching his face light up in pyromaniacal joy.

"So picture this- I walk in, dripping in egg yolks and evergreen paint and reciting Green Eggs and H-"

"I doubt that they'll let you into the building like that." Cecelia interrupted, ever the angel on his shoulder.

Ruben looked visibly disappointed. "What do you have in mind, then?"

"You could just... I dunno... Wear a silly hat?" She suggested. Ruben nodded, although he seemed to still be mourning the loss of his idea.

"Okay... What will you be doing?" He asked, shuffling along, possibly trying to find a way to incorporate some sort of messy eggness into her suggestion.

"I don't know..." she trailed off. Truth be told, she had completely forgotten about picture day and would have probably shown up the next day in sweatpants and a slightly rumpled tee shirt if they hadn't had this conversation. "Maybe..." she paused a moment, considering what she could do. Her mind went helpfully blank. "I've got nothing."

Ruben's expression morphed into playfulness. "You could always... I don't know... Grab some eggs-" he teased, before wincing as Cecelia punched his arm.

"Absolutely not." She chided, as sternly as she could with laughter bubbling in her chest.

"C'mon, I've heard it has wonderful health benefits." Ruben continued.

"Anything else?" She tried, attempting to move past the whole egg thing.

"Well..." Ruben paused, stroking his stubbleless chin thoughtfully. "Maybe some sort of head accessory."

"... What do you have in mind?" Cecelia asked, curiosity edging into her voice.

Ruben only grinned in response. "You'll see."

Cecelia wasn't sure whether to be excited or absolutely terrified.

Later that day, as Ruben hopped into the shotgun seat of Cecelia's car, she got her answer.

"Flower crown." He stated, idly adjusting the radio's volume.

Cecelia felt the blood creep up into her ears. "A flower crown." She repeated incredulously.

"Well... All we need are the flowers, you can make the crown yourself." Ruben suggested. "And I know just the place."

Cecelia was sure that she was red all over now, and reached a hand up to her face, feeling how warm it had gotten.

"Yes, you are in fact a tomato. Now let's go, you have flowers to buy." Ruben quipped, and Cecelia grudgingly started the car.

It had been a while since they'd been to Smell The Roses, and Cecelia was hoping that Xerxes wouldn't be there. Or maybe she hoped he would be- she wasn't sure yet.

He was there, she noted as they pulled up to the store. She could see him through the large glass windows, carefully arranging a bouquet of sunflowers and roses in a narrow glass vase.

As they parked, Ruben made it clear he had no intention of getting out of the car.

"Go on, then." He made a shooing motion.

Cecelia fought the urge to smile as she got out of the car. "Fine, I'll go."

The jingling when the door opened was still cheerful, but Cecelia was more focused on Xerxes, who was tying a yellow bow onto the vase. After a moment, he looked up, noticing Cecelia.

"Oh- Hey, Cecelia. Long time no see, what brings you here?" He smiled broadly, the question an open invitation to stay and talk for a while.

"Picture day is tomorrow, and I wanted to get flowers to make a crown." She explained, "It was Ruben's idea." She added after a moment of awkwardness that she wasn't sure if she imagined or not.

"Ah. Well, I suppose you'll need flowers with durable stems." He said, stepping out from behind the register.

He was wearing a tee shirt today, dark red and flattering on his figure. He was still wearing his jean jacket, but today it was tied around his waist.

She wanted to ask what he was protecting today, but she could hear herself stumbling over the flirtatious comment in her mind. "Yeah..." She said, at last, now trying to think of flowers that she could use. "Strong stems... Any suggestions?"

Xerxes laughed. "I'll show you what I've got in mind."

He walked around, showing Cecelia the different flowers that he thought she would be able to use. Cecelia wondered if he'd done this before- he seemed to be sure of what he was doing.

"Why a flower crown?" He asked after showing her some bluebells. "I'm sure there are easier props to make. And I think you could probably buy a fake one from CVS for half the cost."

Cecelia visualized Ruben's laughing face. Then, she visualized herself punching him in the arm again.

"Authenticity." She answered after a moment. Xerxes nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes of searching, Cecelia finally settled on some white anemones, red crown imperials, and a few other flowers she couldn't hope to remember the names of. They were lively against her dark skin, and she couldn't wait to try (and most likely fail) to put them all together.

They made their way to the checkout counter, their hands full of flowers that Cecelia was sure would rack up quite a bill.

"So have you made one of these before?" He asked, setting down the flowers in his arms.

"No, but it shouldn't be too hard, right?" She replied, nervousness creeping into her tone.

"I don't know... I haven't made any before, either. But since you're here now, why don't we just assemble it here?" He offered. "That way, even if you mess up a section, you don't need to drive back to get more."

Cecelia tried to keep the blood from warming her ears. She nodded, although she imagined Ruben checking his watch and laying out all the reasons why she might be taking an hour to leave.

"Sounds smart." She said, at last, setting her flowers down. "Let me pull up a tutorial on my phone."

It had been a very good suggestion- In the hour they spent to create a successful flower crown, they'd run through all the leadwort she was planning to purchase. In the end, they had completed a single perfectly balanced flower crown, surrounded by a sea of flower stems and discarded attempts.

As Cecelia stood, flower crown in her hand, Xerxes mirrored her. He was holding a pair of scissors and twine, which he immediately set down on the checkout table. He looked at the clippings, and back at the flower crown.

"It's on the house." He said, before she could stop him. "I'll clean up, don't worry."

"I can't let you do that, especially if you insist that I don't pay.." Cecelia countered.

It was one or the other, and judging by the number of flowers they'd burned through, Xerxes didn't seem eager to look at that price tag.

"Alright, grab a dustpan and broom." He decided, taking one from being the counter. Cecelia followed suit, and within a few minutes, they were done.

"I'll see you at school?" Cecelia asked, holding the door open for a moment as she walked out.

Xerxes smiled and nodded, back where he'd began when she'd first walked in.

Ruben was watching her smugly as she stepped into the driver's seat.

"Have fun?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

"Shove a daffodil in it." She grumbled, but she was smiling.

The next day was the best picture day she'd ever remembered. Her face was clear, her teeth looked white, and she had a perfect flower crown to top it all off.