Us | A Stardew Valley FanFiction

Chapter 5 - Spring 14

My breathing was shallow as I stood before Haley's front door, cake in hand.

I had barely slept the night before, tossing and turning relentlessly in anticipation for what could happen at this very moment. While there were a thousand positive possibilities, there were a million negative ones—this town was filled with uncertainty.

I could hear voices inside, and for a moment, I felt small again. The only way to go was in. So I knocked.

Before my brain could cook up any more scenarios, the door swung open and Haley and I were locked in a staredown. Her eyes grew narrower as I tried to choke out a pleasantry.

"Happy birthday, Haley," was all I could come up with, extending the box towards her.

"You remembered my birthday? I'm impressed," she said smugly.

Her tone was cool, and I was starting to get nervous. "Of course," I mumbled as she opened it.

At the sight of the cake, her eyes lit up, like a little kid watching fireworks for the first time. "Oh my gosh," she whispered, her gaze darting from the gift, to me, and back again. "How did you get this? Emily said we couldn't make one this year because melons aren't in season and there was no more at the saloon and that—" she stammered, stopping her ramble mid-sentence. "...thank you."

For a second, she looked like she wanted to hug me, which was striking in comparison to her demeanor at the bar. And for the first time, she smiled. Not a half smile—like the one that creeped onto her lips after slandering Sam—a real smile. A happy smile.

"I'm sorry that I called you a bitch that night," I said, my tone more insincere than I had hoped; it was always hard to be the bigger person.

"I'm sorry I insulted you to begin with," she sighed. "When you're surrounded by dudes all the time, you learn to grow a tough outer shell. And even though I'm the worst of all, they convinced me that girls can be mean, so now it's more comfortable to shut them down immediately. I know that as a first impression, that comes off the wrong way, though."

For the first time since I left the farm that morning, I felt like I could breathe again. I nodded along to her words, relief washing over me as she continued to explain.

"Women have to stick together, not tear eachother down—something we are both guilty of," I shrugged.

"That's a good way to look at it," Haley admitted. "I could definitely use an ally in this town."

I smiled, peering over her shoulder into the living room. From a distance, I could see Emily, who was watching Haley and I's interaction with satisfaction engraved onto her features. Beside her on the couch was Alex, who's gaze was fixated on me; it caused the hair on my neck to stand up.

"Well, I should go," I muttered, looking down. "I hope you have a good birthday!"

"Wait," Haley said, stopping me as I turned around. "Why don't you come by in a little while? We are having some people over."

My heart started racing. Sensing my hesitation, Haley spoke again. "Sam will be there."

I looked at her, confusion clouding my thoughts. Like Haley could read my mind, she said, "His mom, Jodi? She adores me. Sam couldn't get out of coming over here if he wanted to. Living next door, it's not like he can pull off going somewhere else."

I nodded and pondered over the proposal. It was probably for the best that I go, after all, it is her birthday, and those only happen once a year. It would admittedly be nice to see Sam again—the occasional text back and forth wasn't enough to sustain a budding friendship. I sighed.