I dashed into the student council room, closing the door behind me and breathing a sigh of relief. If I got one more compliment on my new look I was going to explode.

What is wrong with everybody? It's like they've never seen makeup before! I thought to myself with an exhausted sigh.

"Opal, are you okay?"

I looked up at Nathaniel who was sitting at his desk and tried to force a smile while nodding.

"Sure. How can I help you?"

Nathaniel's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "You don't sound so sure. Has someone been bothering you?"

I shook my head quickly with a rueful chuckle. "People just keep saying how good I look. I thought Rosalya was going to hyperventilate, it was kind of embarrassing," I mumbled and Nathaniel chuckled.

"Well, it was quite a shock since we're all so used to your normal look. Not that your normal look is bad or anything! It's just less... sparkly. Not that sparkly is bad! I mean, uh.... here, could you help me go through these?" Nathaniel asked quickly, raising a stack of papers for me to see. I walked over, flipping a chair around so I could sit across from Nathaniel.

"These are all of the permission forms that have been turned in for Friday's orienteering race. We need to sort them into teams, write them down on the spreadsheet, and put them in this file folder."

I nodded and took half of the pile from Nathaniel. I was sad to see that the pile was pretty small, but I reminded myself it was only Wednesday. Nathaniel and I went through the pile quickly, marking down all of the teams. So far we had thirteen teams signed up.

"Do you know what we're supposed to wear?" I asked.

"The school has a tracksuit that they issue for gym class. Most students buy them at the beginning of the year, but you didn't take a gym class did you?" Nathaniel asked while looking up at me. I shook my head and he stood up.

"Come with me, I'll find one you can borrow."

I walked with Nathaniel over to the secretary's office. Nathaniel explained what he wanted and the secretary immediately pointed to a door off to the side, giving Nathaniel a big smile. He thanked the secretary and motioned for me to follow him. We walked into the room which was stuffed full of boxes.

"Let's see here. You'll probably be a small... maybe a medium since you're tall for a girl." Nathaniel muttered, rummaging through some boxes. He finally pulled out a light blue and gray jacket, holding it up to my body. He nodded and handed it to me, then continued rummaging until he found some matching sweatpants.

"Do you think these will be long enough?"

I took them and held them up to me, nodding at the length. "Yah, I think they'll be perfect. Thank you, Nathaniel."

He smiled at me and closed the boxes he had opened.

"You can just put them back after the orienteering race. Make sure you wear good tennis shoes, we'll be on our feet all day, partner," Nathaniel said with a little wink. I grinned at him, folding the clothes in my arms.

"Will do, partner. I'm super excited! Do you think we'll see any squirrels?" Nathaniel chuckled as he lead me out of the little room.

"Squirrels? We probably will see at least one."

I smiled happily. I can't wait! I thought with excitement. The bell rang and I frowned slightly; hoping that I wouldn't get many comments about my makeup.

"Do you want to walk with me to AP Bio?" Nathaniel asked.

I looked up at him in surprise and smiled, quickly nodding. We went to our lockers conversing about the things we might see during the race before entering AP Bio side by side.

"Nathaniel!" Suddenly Melody rushed up to us, looking only at Nathaniel. "I'm so sorry, you didn't find me before Iris asked me to be her teammate. I guess I won't be able to be your partner this time either," Melody said with a sweet smile. Nathaniel smiled and glanced over at me.

"It's okay, I have a partner too."

Melody blinked and her face registered astonishment. "What? Oh! Are you going with your sister?"

Nathaniel shook his head and glanced over to meet my eye. "Opal is my partner," he said simply, smiling down at me again.

I returned his smile then looked at Melody and almost jumped backward in shock. Melody was giving me the iciest glare I had ever seen in my life. I gulped, blinked, and she was once again smiling brightly, looking at Nathaniel and ignoring me. Uneasily I rubbed my arms, trying to dispel the chill that had come over me, and wondered if I had imagined things again.

"Well, don't be sad when Iris and I win the first prize," she said with a teasing pout. Nathaniel chuckled before bumping my arm slightly.

"We're just going to enjoy nature. Opal's more interested in seeing her first squirrel than winning the race." Nathaniel said with a grin. I hesitantly smiled up at him, feeling a bit of warmth returning to my body.

"Hmm," Melody hummed sweetly then took a hold of Nathaniel's arm. "Come on, Nathaniel, let's go sit down. Class is about to start."

Nathaniel followed her to their seats and I walked a step behind, taking the desk on Nathaniel's other side just as the bell rang to start class. I had difficulties concentrating on the lecture and when the bell rang I was frustrated with myself, placing a sticky note in my textbook and promised myself to read through it after school. I walked silently next to Nathaniel as we walked upstairs with Melody chattering pleasantly the whole time. I didn't even say goodbye to Nathaniel as I slipped away to my Economics class.

"Here she is! Lys-baby, isn't she stunning! Oh, I wish I could pull off purple eyeshadow!" Rosalya exclaimed as I took my seat in front of her. I smiled briefly at her, fingering my notebook absently.

"Kate, is everything alright?"

I didn't even look back at Lysander as I nodded. "I'm fine," I responded easily.

"Lys-baby you need to stop calling her Kate! Every time you use that name I get confused." Rosalya pouted. "But seriously, Opal, can you turn around for a second and close your eyes?"

I felt hands on my shoulders and Rosalya twisted me around so I was facing Lysander. I closed my eyes gratefully, not feeling like meeting Lysander's penetrating gaze.

"See how there are three different layers of purple? And the eyeliner accentuates her eyes perfectly without being overkill, and then that layer of sparkles..." Rosalya explained my makeup to Lysander and I desperately tried to figure out why I was so upset.

Was Melody angry at me? But, what had I done for her to act like that? Was I imagining the whole thing? How did she and Nathaniel know each other? Had I ruined something again?

Suddenly I registered that someone was touching my cheek and the fingers did not belong to Rosalya and her long nails. I opened my eyes and found myself staring directly into Lysander's, which were only inches away from my face. Instantly my body reacted and I jerked away from him, slipping out of my chair and falling to the ground.

"Opal! Are you okay?" Rosalya asked while trying not to laugh as she jumped up and offered me a hand.

I took it shakily, hoping she couldn't feel my heartbeat through my fingertips. I re-situated myself, desperately trying to calm down. Quickly I cleared my throat before I forced myself to face Lysander.

"I'm sorry. Lysander, you were just... I was just surprised," I tried to explain and he nodded severely.

"It was my fault. I didn't warn you that I was examining your makeup. Did you do it yourself?" I shook my head but the bell rang, keeping me from answering.

I watched the PowerPoint, taking notes as the class went on and I realized with a start that I was back to normal and no lingering upset feelings were distracting me. Smiling, I glanced over at Lysander who was watching the PowerPoint closely. It seemed that the shock of having him so close had blown my worries out of my mind. I turned back to my notes, smiling slightly.

"Hello, Violette. Kim," I said, sliding into the seat next to Kim.

"Hi, Opal," they said in unison and I grinned.

"Opal, you look lovely today," Violette said kindly and I smiled at her.

"Thanks. I don't think it's really me, but I guess it is fun to try new things," I said while shrugging and Violette smiled. Kim clapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, you've finally become a woman! Every girl has to wear makeup at least once. Now, on to more interesting topics, have you found a partner for the orienteering race?"

I nodded, grinning broadly at Kim. "I did actually. Nathaniel and I are going to be a team."

"Ah good ol' Prez is your partner? That's great. I was going to offer for you to join up with Violette and me if you couldn't find a partner."

"Thanks for thinking of me Kim," I said sincerely.

Mr. Faraize began class then and we all opened our notebooks, taking notes as he described how watercolor paints had been made through the years. The bell rang in the middle of Mr. Faraize's lecture and I looked up at the clock, amazed that the day was already over.

"Have a good day! We'll pick up from this spot tomorrow and then our adventure in the forest will be on Friday. Remember to turn your permission forms in!"

I started gathering my notebooks when I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I looked up to see bright purple eyes smiling down at me.

"Yo, Opal! How'd your day in the spotlight go?"

"It was an experience," I replied, trying to keep from laughing. I looked over Alexy's shoulder to his brother who seemed to be engrossed in a small black handheld device.

"Armin, you made it to school today?"

He looked up and blinked at me. "You know my name?" he asked, surprised. Alexy threw an arm around his brother's neck lovingly.

"Oh, come on, Armin, this is Opal! The girl that helped us find our classes, remember? And my newest masterpiece!"

I put a hand over my mouth to hold back a giggle. Then I glanced over at Kim and Violette who were watching the exchange with interest.

"Alexy and Armin, these are my friends, Kim and Violette. Alexy and Armin are twins and they moved here recently," I explained.

Kim smiled and made a peace sign and Violette blushed before ducking her head and mumbling a greeting.

"It's nice to meet you, girls! Well, Opal, I came to give you this." Alexy handed me Auntie's camera and I took it unwillingly; wishing Auntie would stop this silly game of hers. "Did you want to walk home with Armin and me?"

"Oh, actually I haven't been to the gardening club since we came back, I should probably go see if there's something I need to do." Alexy gasped as if I had wounded him and I looked up at him with worry.

"You would go and dig in the dirt while wearing that magnificent dress?" Alexy choked out and I blinked, looking down at my dress.

"Oh, right... But I really should..."

"The flowers can wait. I refuse to allow you to ruin my hard work," Alexy declared with a huff and scooped up my pile of notebooks. "Come on, we're leaving."

"No, wait, Alexy! Those are mine! Wait!"

Alexy bolted out of the room and I started after him quickly, turning briefly to wave goodbye to Violette and Kim.

"Alexy wait! I won't go to the gardening club, just give me my stuff back," I said while laughing and chasing after him. He stopped a foot in front of me and eyed me suspiciously as I walked up to him, still laughing.

"You promise?" he asked seriously and I nodded.

"Promise." I held out my hands but he just grinned triumphantly down at me and re-positioned the books in his arms.

"I'll carry them for you. Come on, Armin and I are ready to go whenever you are."

"I need to grab some things from my locker first," I said and he nodded, looking around.

"Wait, where did Armin go?"

We looked back at the art classroom to see Armin slowly making his way out with his head down, focused on his device. I could see that he was on a collision course with the doorway, and Alexy instinctively took a step to help his brother, but a timid hand reached out and tugged on his arm just before he hit his head. He stopped, glanced around, corrected his angle, and then walked out with Violette next to him. Armin turned to her and said something which made Violette blush brilliantly and wave a hand in front of her face before fleeing down the hallway, Kim following after her.

"Aw, what a nice girl! Maybe I'll buy her a dress sometime," Alexy thought aloud.

I chuckled, thinking it was funny that shopping seemed to be the answer to everything for Alexy. We walked over to Armin and I led them to my locker before beginning the walk home together.

"So, Armin, what is that? Are you watching a movie?" I asked.

Armin's head snapped up and his eyes filled with a mixture of disbelief and horror as he held up his little black box.

"You don't know what this is?"

I had to try hard not to laugh at his reaction. Armin sounded exactly like Alexy when I said I was going to garden in my new dress. I shook my head apologetically and he launched into an explanation, telling me it was a handheld game console and he proceeded to describe all of the games he had ever played.

I tried my best to listen as he explained, but I couldn't seem to grasp the concept. Alexy moaned and groaned, saying Armin was too wrapped up in his games to have a real life, but Armin didn't miss a beat and continued to explain what an MMORPG was and how he had gotten his high score in Grand Theft Auto. I tried to ask questions without sounding completely ignorant, but it was seriously like he was speaking a foreign language.

"Armin, home is this way," Alexy said, grabbing Armin by his scarf and yanking.

After choking a bit, Armin finally righted himself and rubbed his throat, glaring at Alexy who smiled innocently.

"Do you want to start walking to school together, Opal?" Alexy asked me. I smiled and nodded promptly.

"Sure, that sounds fun. I won't be able to always walk home with you guys, though."

"That's fine. Come on, Armin."

"Hey, Opal, if you ever want to play just let me know, I have a bunch of games at..." Alexy once again dragged lightly on Armin's scarf, cutting him off.

"Yah, yah, she doesn't care, Armin. See you tomorrow, Opal!"

I waved at the two boys and continued my walk back home. Once back to the familiar complex I unlocked the apartment, walked in, and immediately set to work. After reading from my Bio textbook I plugged my headphones into my phone, placed them in my ears, and got to work on my math. Listening to music had always helped me focus on the numbers; I wasn't sure why it worked, but it did. Soon I had lost myself in the world of numbers and rhythm and I finished the entire assignment.

With a sigh, I sat back and stretched, rolling my neck to get the kinks out. My shoulder twinged painfully and I rubbed it absently, sighing. I loved dancing more than anything I had ever done before, more than learning even, but Shin Woo had really been pounding me to strengthen my arms lately. My weak shoulder wasn't a fan of this new form of exercise.

"Hello!" I heard Auntie's cheerful greeting and looked at the clock with a start. It was already 6:00! Where did the time go?

"Welcome home, Auntie!" I called, putting away my math stuff.

"How was your day, sweetie?" she asked, kissing the top of my head and then sitting down next to me.

"It was good, I guess. Everyone commented on my new look. It was weird. Oh!"

I walked over to my backpack and pulled out the camera, waving it in front of Auntie's face. To my delight, she actually looked embarrassed for a second, but she quickly sprang up and tried to grab the camera from me.

"Let me see!" she demanded excitedly and I dodged her.

"Why? I already gave you pictures of the guys; why did you need more?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and Auntie lunged again for the camera.

"You wouldn't understand. Now give it back or I won't help you make your lunches for the orienteering race."

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

When I brought the permission form home for the orienteering race and went through it with Auntie, she had been excited for me to experience a day out in nature and signed it right away. There had been a small disclaimer on the form saying that the school would provide dinner to all participants but not lunch so we had to pack our own.

Auntie had told me stories about how her mother used to make her a Japanese-style lunch box called a 'bento' all throughout high school. My mind had gone to Nathaniel and I remembered him going to the vending machine for breakfast. I had casually suggested I could make a bento for Nathaniel and Auntie had flipped out! She started researching different bento fillers and making plans and had even gone out and bought matching bento boxes and cute pieces of fabric to tie around them when they were done.

"Aha!" Auntie cried in triumph, snatching the camera from me. She instantly turned it on and began flipping through the pictures. "Awww. Wow, Alexy got some great shots! He could be a photographer too. Although I really do think he'll make an excellent stylist. Lorraine has been complaining about wanting a talented intern. I can't wait for Alexy to graduate so I can introduce them. Oh!" Auntie squealed, clapping a hand to her cheek suddenly and I flinched in surprise.

"Oh, look at this! How cute! Oh my... Oh, Opal how can you still be single when guys look at you like this?" she asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever Auntie, you're just being overdramatic. You were kidding about not helping me with the lunches, right?"

"Of course, I was kidding, sweetheart. I am super excited to help you make your Bentos!" she said, still pouring through the pictures. "But you have to make sure you figure out what Nathaniel likes to eat so we make them properly." I nodded and then walked into the kitchen.

"I need to have dinner and head over to Feel da Beat. Shin Woo is helping me with controlling my breathing so I can sing longer notes. I have absolutely no power vocal skills. Sometimes I wish we would just stick to dancing," I mumbled, rummaging through the cupboards to see what I could make for a quick dinner.

"But, Opal, I love your voice!" Auntie called from the dining room.

I smiled, wondering if there was anything that I did that Auntie didn't love. I had lived with Auntie for almost four months now and I felt like I was slowly becoming a new person under her tender and loving care. I hoped someday I could tell her how much she helped me.

A/N Have any of you ever had a bento box? I've always wanted to have an authentic bento box for a lunch XD