It only felt right that Sundew was helping Cricket after she had done so much to help her. She spent the rest of the day confiding and talking with Willow about what was going on.

Willow nodded seriously. "I feel very sorry for her, but is there anything we can do?"

"Yes!" Sundew said fiercely. "There's always something we can do. We just need to find it."

Willow looked tired and sad, and Sundew desperately wanted to do something, but she knew that Willow was right. There might not be anything that they could do.

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Lunch came way too quickly the next day. The three friends sat gloomily at the table. Blue looked sympathetic and heartbroken, Cricket looked like she was trying not to cry, and Sundew was scowling with all her might at the day-old crumbs on the table. She planned on burning straight through the table and leaving it in a pile of volcanic waste. No one was saying anything. They were waiting for what was about to hit them.

Sundew saw Blue tense up, and she turned and saw Bombardier saunter toward the table. Rage bubbled inside of her and she clenched her fists. Cricket didn't look up when he stood next to her.

Bombardier took an uninvited seat next to Cricket. "Well, Cricket?" He whispered. "What's it going to be?"

Cricket was sitting perfectly still. And she answered as levelly as possible. "Fine, Bombardier. You win. I'll go to the dance with you."

The grin that oozed across his face when she surrendered was terribly tempting to Sundew's fury. She could destroy him, and feed his ashes to her venus flytrap. When she looked at Blue, on Cricket's other side, Sundew was filled with sorrowful sympathy. He loved Cricket so much, if only they lived in different circumstances where things were easier.

"Four days." Bombardier continued. "Be ready in four days. That should be long enough for you to pick out a dress." With another grin he stood up and walked away, leaving an even more down-cast group behind him.

Blue sat closer to Cricket, and she hugged him, her face hidden against his shoulder. "There was no other way." She cried softly into him. "I had no idea what he was going to do, I thought maybe he'd try and hurt you, and I couldn't bare it."

"It's ok." Blue murmured next to her ear. "I understand."

Sundew didn't. Why don't I understand? I want to do something about this. I want to fight. Nothing about this makes sense.

But when she put herself into Cricket's shoes. If Bombardier had wanted her to go to the dance, and if she refused, he would hurt or threaten Willow. Sundew didn't know what she would do. But maybe it did make sense what Cricket did. She, like Sundew, would do anything to protect the person she loves.

However, Cricket's way of protection seems to include going to the dance with a spoiled brat, and Sundew's would probably include murder.

"What are you going to do?" Sundew asked Cricket, who had separated from Blue and was wiping her face on her sleeves.

"Well, I'll probably try to forget this is happening until the day comes, and treat it like any other day, except I'll be with Bombardier for most of it." She tried to smile but it came out as a wince. "And in the meantime, I'll hang out with you guys."

Her optimism did little to quell Sundew's frustration. "We'll be at the dance too. Me, Blue, and Willow will be there if you need us."

"Thanks." Cricket chuckled. "Just don't bring any weapons or do something that would get you expelled. That's the last thing I want." She raised an eyebrow at Sundew. "And I know you were thinking about it, Sundew."

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The days leading up to the dance were uneventful. Blue and Sundew spent as much time with Cricket, you'd think she was leaving the country and not just going to the dance with Bombardier. They hung out at Cricket's house with Bumblebee, at Blue's house with Luna, at the park skipping stones at the lake, or in the greenhouse after school. They laughed and enjoyed every minute, and Sundew could only bite her lip with Blue and Cricket having the cutest moments together.

But over every day hung the knowledge that dances are inevitable, and Bombardier was always watching them at school, his cold eyes glaring at Blue and Sundew with possesive hatred.

When the subject of the dance came up, they deliberately avoided the subject of Bombardier and dates in general. Instead, they discussed what they would wear.

"Willow thinks it would be cute to match, even though she knows I care zilch about dressing up." Sundew said, already bored with the topic.

"I don't have a date, so I don't need to match anyone." Blue said simply.

"You could wear that nice button-up shirt you have. It matches your eyes." Cricket smiled at him. And Sundew marveled at the fact that they weren't a couple yet. "As for me, I think I'll just wear a nice sweater and pin my hair up. Dresses are annoying."

Sundew recognized the hidden message. Cricket didn't think dresses were annoying, she thought Bombardier was annoying and not worth the effort of dressing up.

Blue seemed to understand as well and nodded, and Sundew saw the brief flash of misery on his face that he had been too slow in asking Cricket to the dance.

"Anyway," Sundew tried stearing the conversation to something less depressing. "I have a story to tell you guys." She dove into a story about Willow, Sundew, and Hazel trying to make cookies for Sequoia, but nearly burnt that house down when they set an oven mit on fire. It had everyone in joyous tears of laughter by the end of it, and all unhappy thoughts of the future forgotten, as they enjoyed each other's company.